The main challenges to the counselling profession in China are the social stigma of mental illness, a different view on counselling, and the lack of the number of professionals employed in this industry.
Unless it is necessary, Chinese people would prefer to not go for a counselling session, as in the past there was a stigma attached to people who sought help for mental problems. Even though people who live in the cities no longer feel this stigma, they still prefer to ask family or friends for help with life stresses rather than approach strangers for help.
Another difficulty would be putting Western counselling techniques into practice in China. In the West, the aim of counsellors is to try to help clients to help themselves, and also try to avoid imposing their own values on their clients. While in China, the clients more often rely on their counsellors. The clients tend to look for direct and immediate suggestions to help solve their mental health problems. Also, the cost of counselling services in China is high and the treatment is not being covered by health insurance. A single one-on-one counselling session on average costs between RMB 300 (US$47) and RMB 700 (US$110), fees that are considered high by most people.
The number of people holding a national second or third-level certificate in psychological counselling increased exponentially from 2009 to 2017, from 160,000 to an estimated 1 million. However, only 40,000 certificate holders provide psychological counselling on either a full or part-time basis, according to a 2017 report from the China Higher Education Society. China is known as the country with the largest population (1.44 billion) in the World. Thus, the number of counsellors is not enough for the demands of the nation.