LEARNING AND NETWORKING: Cannon (left) and Sun (second left) at the 3rd Asia Pacific Rim International Counselling and Psychotherapy Conference 2013 (APRCC 2013) opening ceremony. Photos by: Karen Bong
LOVELY SMILES: Participants from many parts of the world are in Kuching for the four-day APRCC 2013, which started yesterday.
KUCHING: Hundreds of mental health professionals are in town for the 3rd Asia Pacific Rim International Counselling and Psychotherapy Conference 2013.
Counsellors, psychotherapists and psychologists from countries such as New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Taiwan, and Hong Kong are among those attending the four-day event at Riverside Majestic Hotel.
Themed ‘Sekarang! Relational, Environmental, and Educational Factors Now’, APRCC 2013 is organised by the Malaysian Association of Psychotherapy (MAP), and supported by Sarawak Convention Bureau (SCB).
SCB managing director Mike Cannon, in his speech yesterday, said the conference was useful, especially for developing countries in this region.
“Mental health services in Malaysia are limited, if not scarce, in many areas, especially in the rural and undeveloped areas,” he said.
Besides for academic purposes, he said APRCC 2013 could assist Malaysia and neighbouring countries develop its mental-health sector.
Organising chairman Dr Edward Chan opined that Kuching was an ideal place to explore, collaborate and develop new therapeutic, clinical and research ideas in the field of counselling and psychotherapy.
“Malaysia contains a rich blend of the different cultures in Asia. Kuching epitomises that with not only the long history of the Malay, Chinese and Indian cultures, but also 22 other indigenous Borneon tribes that have coexisted here for hundreds of years, each with their own languages and social relational systems.”
Chan, who is MAP chartered president, MAP, said up to 10,000 individuals graduated from psychology-related degree
courses in Malaysia annually.
Asia Pacific Rim Confederation of Counsellors president Professor Catherine Tien-Lun Sun said holding the conference here sent an unequivocal message on cultural inclusiveness and appropriateness in the delivery of services to providers and recipients of counselling and psychotherapeutic services.
“Where are we heading to? How well are we doing using borrowed knowledge and skill? How do we intend to go from here?” asked Sun, who heads the Counselling and Psychology Department of Hong Kong Shue Yan University.
Sun felt it was important to explore issues pertaining to assessments and research, and also the need to re-evaluate the way of doing things, such as the application of Euro-American knowledge.
“We must take into consideration the cultural context in which we are operating, and chart alternative routes in order to develop and maintain standards and delivery services that are culturally appropriate within our community.”
Among the papers to be presented at the conference are ‘Emotions and developmental counselling, the default brain, and therapeutic lifestyle changes’ by Prof Allen Ivey (USA), ‘Pan-cultural dimensions vs cultural system: Two approaches to studying indigenous psychology’ by Prof KK Hwang (Taiwan) and ‘The need for brain-based developmental collaborative psychotherapy in post-modern Asia’ by Dr Edward Chan.