Containment and Father Image Transformation in Treating the Family of an Adolescent Chinese Boy

In this article, we report on treating a Chinese family with an adolescent boy. We will discuss the complexity of the case and the reasons combined individual and family treatment has been offered and seems effective for family containment and for transformation of the boy's father image.

The boy who we will call Harry came to Dr Song for individual therapy for his depressive and irritable emotions. He had just dropped out of high school and then became addicted to computer games. He also had obsessive intentions, such as throwing his phone out of the building. He was diagnosed with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), major depressive disorder (MDD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

We soon found that his complex family had contributed significantly to his difficulties. Harry's symptoms related to his mother's unstable emotions and his father's humiliating behaviour. And his mother was considering divorce. So we recommended them for couple and family therapy, which they began with Dr Fang two years after Harry first received individual therapy.