Ge Decolonizes Mental Health Treatment for Chinese Clients

Song Ge '19G, an alumna of the College of Education's Counseling Psychology doctoral program, is the author of "Deliberate Practice in Localizing Helping Techniques."

Ge shared, "For many years, psychological counseling, which is dominated by Western psychological counseling theories, has at least the following three biases:

* 'I' exists independently;

* The mind and body are dualistic;

* Emotions need to be expressed in straightforward language."

Ge's work addresses the lack of counseling psychology literature that focuses on adaptation to specific cultures and identities. Professor Chris Liang said, "Song has been working steadfastly to reduce mental health stigma and improve mental health service delivery in China in a manner that reflects Chinese values, customs, and language."

In her book, Ge outlines and decolonizes these biases, reflecting on the application of Western psychological theories to Chinese clients. Her work follows a client-centered approach popularized by Clara E. Hill, which Ge identifies as resonant for this population. 

"Deliberate Practice in Localizing Helping Techniques" is available at https://bit.ly/435w5N6.