Group therapy

This study looked at attitudes toward counseling in a group of Asian American and Pacific Islander college students. It hypothesized that these students believed their families would not approve of them seeking therapy and that therapy would be an embarrassment to them. It also hypothesized that these students felt therapy was ineffective for their group; that a lower percentage of them sought counseling in comparison to Caucasian American students; and that there would be differences between a Hawaiian and a mainland sample of Asian Americans concerning their perceptions of counseling. Over a 2-year period, 663 students at California State University and 142 students at the University of Hawaii were surveyed. Findings suggest that there may be a cultural barrier to seeking counseling services based on the fact that it may be an embarrassment to the family. Asian American and Pacific Islander college students disagree that therapy is effective for their racial group but said that a therapist of the same rac