Indigenising Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: counselling older Chinese people with multiple diseases

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is effective when counselling older Chinese people suffering multiple diseases to change irrational thoughts into more positive ones and reduce their distress. Citing examples from counselling sessions with two older women suffering from multiple and crippling diseases, this paper identifies how CBT can be put into practice, by helping people recognise their automatic or negative thoughts, how to use gentle confrontation to challenge those thoughts, and how to consider alternatives, construct positive views and develop problem-solving behaviour. At the same time, some CBT practice adaptations are proposed to enhance its effectiveness, including making it culturally sensitive, the building and use of a good client-counsellor relationships as a platform for change, the recall of past experiences, the provision of concrete assistance along with working at the cognitive and/or behavioural levels, and use of a slower pace to meet the physical and mental abilities of older clients.