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This article surveys the past, present, and future trends of counseling in China. Historically, mental health problems were addressed within the family. Currently, psychotherapy from trained practitioners is available on a limited basis, at least in urban settings. The challenge of mental health in China is tremendous, and the efforts to meet that challenge are encouraging. The authors recommend that in the future, prevention and intervention services be offered that are ecosystemic, strengths‐based, and culturally appropriate.

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This article focuses on the ways in which genograms can be an effective psychosocial tool for use with Asian families of diverse cultural heritages. Using the case examples of Asians from three countries, viz., Malaysia, Japan, and Cambodia, the authors delineate salient therapeutic themes and map changes from a transgenerational perspective with attention to socio-cultural and political processes. An anthropological stance (Becvar, Contemp Fam Ther 30:1-2, 2008) allows a therapist to be curious about Asian family and kinship systems and join with the family in creating a new narrative that broadens spaces for living. Drawing upon surveys from three training contexts, the voices of Asian mental health practitioners, suggesting culture specific issues for the effective use of genograms with Asian families, are included.Genograms are widely used in the training of counselors and therapists, and in the work of therapy with clients (McGoldrick et al. 1999). These visual mappings of three or four generations of a family are used to organize, clarify, and explore family and relationship data in therapy. As a heuristic tool (Coupland et al. 1995), the genogram is also useful for generating hypotheses for therapeutic interventions in clinical work. Genograms are used in varied ways: from career counseling to work with clients to explore issues of intimacy, sexuality and related problems, decision making, cultural factors, and spirituality (cf.