Exposure therapy is widely recognized as an effective psychological treatment for OCD but it is not successful in every case. Poorly executed exposure techniques could be implicated. Negative perceptions contribute to poor execution, pitfalls, or the underutilization of this therapy altogether. This, along with common ED misconceptions that are cultural and disorder-specific, can also result in poor treatment for those with EDs. It is important that the therapist has a thorough understanding of the patient’s presentation to ensure that exposures target the precise core fear for new learning. Lack of understanding can lead to mistakes and missed opportunities to enhance exposure, such as failing to explain the rationale, reducing safety behaviors, or overusing a hierarchy. An inexperienced therapist may not understand the importance of discussing the role of family and friends and how their accommodation can perpetuate symptoms, hindering new learning and preventing lasting change. The therapist should be able to identify the core fear, triggers, and avoidance behaviors in the patient and use strategies to enhance inhibitory learning and maximize the chances of successful treatment.

Work with people seeking asylum brings unfamiliar experiences, challenges, rewards, and dilemmas. Resonances for the therapist and sharing the client’s pain and hopelessness can be distressing. Power, powerlessness and privilege are common themes. Facing the limits of our own compassion, and of what it is possible to do, can be hard. How can we ‘do differently’ and what new skills are needed? The work can be isolating, and exhaustion, burn out, vicarious traumatisation and other existential reactions can arise.Clinicians face many dilemmas, such as over boundaries, neutrality and self-disclosure, overt political action, and how to deal with different perspectives in the same organisation. What helps clinicians do well is a focus on reflection, and accessing supervision and other reflective spaces, such as Balint groups or solidarity teams. Pitfalls of not attending to our own responses are highlighted, as is the need to protect reflective spaces. Remote meetings make access easier for both training and peer support. Meetings in non-clinical settings with people who have sought asylum can also be enlightening.

Based on the findings of the empirical chapters, Chapter 6 recapitulates the impacts that rich mineral resources generate on the state–capital–labor triad in China. It analyzes in detail the Chinese state’s coping strategies to mitigate the resource curse at local levels. Moreover, it explains why the Chinese state is able and willing to take the observed strategies to contain the resource curse. The key lies in the Chinese Communist Party-state’s strong capacity to penetrate into the economy and the society and also in its top-down monitoring and tight control of the local agents. In the end, this chapter critically evaluates the successes and pitfalls of the China model of resource management.