A2: Hi my name is Leanne and I will be playing the anti counselor, and my role today will be to bring forth the negative thoughts and stereotypes that may be found in the minds of the client and the counselor.

P3: Hi my name is Melody and I’ll be playing the role of the procounselor. My main job today is to provide insight into the positive thoughts and concerns for the client and therapist.

T5: Hello Noella my name is Shelly and what brings you in today.

P6: Good start.

C7: Hi Shelly. I’ve been feeling really depressed and anxious lately because of problems that my family has been giving me because of my impending move..

A8: Depressed…

T9: Depression and anxiety, that’s what you’re feeling right now.

C10: Yeah it’s a heavy feeling that I have in my body and I was hoping you could help me gain some insight into what’s going on right now.

T11: Well can you tell me a little bit more about what’s going on, how you’re feeling right at this moment.

A12: You don’t understand…

C13: Well before we kind of get into that I just wanted to kind of bring to light the issue being that we’re from different cultures.

P14: Good and that’s a concern.

C:15 If I could maybe… maybe you could express that issue and address that.

T16: I’m African American. What is your ethnic background?

C17: I’m Japanese American.

T18: I would imagine there are differences and similarities between our two cultures.

P19: We’re both women.

C20: Yeah I can imagine that. But you know that this is my first session, I’m a little uneasy and a little nervous.

A21: I’m uneasy…

P22: Build on that.

T23: Well we’ll take our time I suppose. Can you give me a sense of your experience as the Japanese American woman.

P24: Great. Excellent. Good job.

A25: She doesn’t understand…

C26: I’m glad that you asked that question because I’ve been having some really hard problems you know with issues of guilt and saving face being that I’m going to be moving away to a different town.

P27: Saving face.

C28: To a different town, and my parents have been saying to me, being the eldest daughter, that you’re a role model to your younger brother and sister, and how could you be leaving the family, and dividing everybody up, and you’re doing this for yourself. You’re being very selfish.

A29: Selfish.

T30: So I’m hearing… there are a few things that are standing out for me. Saving face.

P31: Great.

T32: That’s something is very different from my experience I think. So saving face, can you tell me more about what it’s like and what it feels like to save face?

P33: Excellent.

C34: Well as far as I know it’s kind of like bringing honor to your family and that you represent your entire family. Not only yourself as an individual and that’s a burden.

A35: Lots of pressure…

P36 You can’t express yourself.

T37: It is a burden and there is a whole lot of pressure to represent the family. Lots of pressure. And so the burden and pressure I imagine is very difficult to find your own voice cause there are so many others that you have to speak for.

P38: Exactly.

C39: I’m glad that you said that. To be able to speak my voice and to have that position in the family because I felt that my parents have always taken precedence and their wishes and needs and have always overshadowed my own.

A40: You’re soindependent.

T41: I imagine the saving faces … my culture doesn’t have that as a notion. We’ve very… at least my strength has been to be independent and I imagine that’s the difference between our experiences. In terms of saving face, do you feel that at certain times, like when you’re anxious, you need to save face?

C42: I think a lot of that comes from the anxiety.

P:43: She guesses ??

A44 She’s speaking for you.

C45: That the pressure over my family is always following me wherever I am. It’s kind of like there’s a weight that I feel on my shoulders, and I think that’s been adding to all this anxiety and reluctance I have been having.

A46: Too much anxiety…

P47: She trusts you, she’s opening up.

T48: I wonder if there is some anxiety to even speak with me?

P49: Good, great.

C50: Yeah…Being that this is my first counseling session, I really didn’t know what to expect.

A51: You’re uncomfortable.

C52: I have to admit I’m a little uncomfortable, I’m glad that you’re a woman, being that we have that commonality.

P53: You’re making progress.

A54 There you go again softening it up!

P55: Commonality.