The cultural dynamics of counselling international students

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This book explores the relationships between individualism and collectivism and attitudes towards counselling among ethnic Chinese, Australian, and American university students. East Asian international students under-utilise Western universities' counselling services. The Western concept of counselling reflects Western cultural values, in particular individualism. Thus the reluctance of international students from more collectivistic cultures to seek counselling services may in part be due to a clash of cultural values. This book is based on a study that found a general lack of knowledge about university counselling services even among those participants who were familiar with counselling as a concept. Participants expressed reservations about seeking counselling due to concerns of being seen by friends. This was particularly true for the Chinese. This book should appeal to university policy-makers and professional counsellors who are responsible for meeting the needs of the international students. It also has implications for counsellor education programs in recognising the link between cultural variables and client expectations.