Asian Family Counselling Service

Individual, Couple and Relationship Counselling

Rani Atma, the founder of the Asian Family Counselling Service, addressed this issue in 1983. Until then, there was a perception that families from South Asian backgrounds had few problems and that when one occurred; the extended family stepped in to help so that there was never a need for external assistance. Because of this stereotyping, no services were being offered for the South Asians settled in Britain. In fact, South Asian families need more services which specialise in providing immediate and acute help where and when necessary.
Experience has shown that South Asian people are often uncomfortable using mainstream counselling services. The reasons for this discomfort include:
• Language differences - counselling services rarely provide interpretation facilities.
• Family Honour – ‘izzat' is likely to be tarnished so a family experiencing marital problems, domestic violence or child abuse will rarely go outside the extended family for help.
• Fear of being misunderstood - because South Asian family customs are different from those of the West. The rules of engagement, marriage, and child-care are so complex, that for a white practitioner it can be almost impossible to recognise the underlying meaning of a particular attitude or action.