Perceived Process of Change in Family Therapy for Eating Disorders in Shenzhen, China: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

In this article the author reports the results of a qualitative study in Shenzhen, China, drawing on the subjective experiences of five Chinese parents and young persons who have recovered from an eating disorder family treatment, and explores the linkage between the changes in the family context and changes of individual experiences and behaviors, as well as the roles of family members and of the therapist in facilitating the healing. The symptomatic cycle of interaction of the families was discerned from treatment at the initial stage of helping. Two emerging themes in relation to the perceived changes were identified: (1) the perceived contextual changes, including the involvement of the previously disengaged father in the care of the young person suffering from an eating disorder to disrupt the symptomatic cycle in the family, and the change in the parenting methods, and (2) the different roles played by the emaciated young person, the parents, and the therapist in healing.