Counseling and Psychotherapy in China: Yang's Story

This chapter discusses the case of Yang, who presented with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), following the death of her child in the earthquake and her subsequent pregnancy. It discusses her therapy and explored how therapy helped her recover from the tragedy and face the challenges of raising the new baby. Through the use of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), Yang was able to accept and mourn her dead son from her heart and emotions; it was indeed a very painful tragedy. The short-term goals of IPT for this client included: understanding trauma and creating a connection between symptoms and emotions; establishing links among symptoms, feelings of grief, and interpersonal relationships; and confirming the client's interpersonal relationship problems, such as role conflict, role change, and lack of relationships. Over the last century, different methods, such as psychoanalysis, cognitive therapy, and IPT, have been empirically proven to be effective in treating mental illness.