The grandfather-grandson relationship in Hong Kong

This article presents a case study of a grandfather-grandson relationship observed in the course of family counseling conducted by a nurse in Hong Kong. It describes the skills needed to encourage both clients to speak honestly and openly. A grandfather-grandson relationship is commonly found in Chinese families when three generations live together and is a means of taking care of a grandson. Much literature encourages giving voice to male clients in counseling with sensitivity toward gender issues, but little is said about the importance of understanding the grandfather-grandson relationship. The case-study format was chosen to provide in-depth data on the grandfather-grandson relationship. Content analysis of videotapes of four family counseling sessions was carried out. The case illustrates the importance of avoiding stereotyping and suggests when grandfathers should step in or out of caring for a grandson. Although the methodology is limited by lack of generaliz-ability, new insights into the family counseling process involving men were gained.