A Suitable Space. Improving counselling services for Asian people Gina Netto and others Bristol: Policy Press The Joseph Rowntree Foundation. 2001. 34 pp. £10.95 (pb).

This is a well-written account of a qualitative investigation into counselling services and their suitability for Asian people. Interviews were held with 38 Asian men and women to explore their perceptions and views about counselling, examine their experiences of accessing and using counselling services, explore their preferences for all types of service, and examine the cultural sensitivity of counselling provision.

Although respondents often put forward family and friends as confidants, it was clear that at times of distress they valued an independent source of support, and professional help, in particular. Understandably, those who had experienced counselling were greatly in favour of it and those with no such experience knew little of the services. Coping mechanisms included maintaining a semblance of normality and continuing as if nothing untoward had happened. This may explain non-presentation of distress to health and counselling services. Those with experiences of counselling had found it useful and were able to articulate the relief they experienced both metaphorically and in concrete terms, sometimes very shortly after beginning counselling. Interestingly, this relief was partially manifest as better sleep, less panic, less chest pain or fewer coughing fits. These are particularly important improvements considering the generally held view that South Asian people present with physical complaints. None the less, some respondents did complain of unequal and unfair treatment, of being made to feel inferior or intimidated, and feelings of frustration and helplessness. Visiting and engaging with clients in their own homes, engaging with their families, and being flexible about offering advice and practical support, were all valued. These devices were all used to engage the clients in treatment which later took on a more conventional form. Not all clients, however, wanted to be ethnically matched. A complaint often heard by health professionals is that Asian people ‘don't get it’ and want a different form of intervention, perhaps more concrete forms of advice and instrumental or practical help. This report illustrates how providing an innovative response to such requests can lead to effective use of counselling services, and that Asian people do ‘get it’ after all.