The demand for psychotherapy in China is booming among its nearly 1.4 billion citizens. But psychologists are largely unable to help meet the demand for a simple reason: In 2013, a new law went into effect that, among other provisions, restricts the ability of psychologists in mainland China to offer psychotherapy. Unless they are working in hospitals with clients who have already been diagnosed by psychiatrists, psychologists must call themselves counselors and limit themselves to offering counseling and psychosocial support.
“Psychotherapy can’t be … practiced in settings other than hospitals,” says Buxin Han, PhD, president-elect of the Chinese Psychological Society (CPS).
The country’s Mental Health Law—available in an annotated English translation (Chen, Shanghai Archives of Psychiatry, Vol. 24, No. 6, 2012)—doesn’t define what services are considered psychotherapy or what training one needs to provide it. But the law does spell out penalties for situations in which “psychological counselors,” also undefined, provide psychotherapy or diagnose or treat individuals with mental disorders.
Recently I was told I probably need medication for that fact I’m worried about ten million different things happening right now, but like, surely my fears are entirely rational and justified???
They are, but your therapist might have a contract obliging them to recommend it for the purpose of obtaining large amounts of money. Being a therapist only pays well if your patients are rich fucks with daddy issues.
Also, there’s a small chance that even though your fears are on point, your therapist might consider it better for you mentally to keep calm and get bent than to maintain a constant state of fear and anxiety. I hear the latter is bad for the heart.
Which is itself, of course, monetized.
You guys are obsessed with capitalism. It’s a psychological defense mechanism that protects you from encountering the actual complexity of existence.
Well yeah, capitalism is shit for everyone but a minority of people.
I want to say that there are many anti-oppressive therapists who make it a point to validate that the current political system creates mental health problems. More of us than you’d think.
You can find us mostly at https://www.inclusivetherapists.com/
