The ‘systems approach' that Professor Higashi is researching takes the view that it is the various interactions within human relationships that determine the phenomena they evince. For this reason, his methodology doesn’t involve identifying the ‘cause’ of psychological problems and then providing ‘treatment’ to the individual at blame. It seeks to understand the overall psychological interactions between people within a group such as a family or workplace, and then to improve the situation. Therefore, the aim of counseling is also to bring about ‘systemic change' in the group, such as in the family or at school.
Once in the past, a father came to see Professor Higashi complaining that his son was acting violently, waving a kitchen knife around. “He must be psychotic,” he said. However, when Professor Higashi reviewed the situation carefully, he discovered that each time it happened an argument had escalated and so did the emotions which led to such displays of violence. The father himself recognized this ‘vicious circle' and altered his response when it happened again, and the situation improved.
This is a comprehensive and fundamental clinical psychology approach that doesn’t try to identify the culprit of the problem but instead looks at its full circumstances in context.

Behind the occurrence of a problem, there are various interactions between the family, medical professionals, and schools. When a phenomenon called a ‘problem maintenance system' arises, Professor Higashi proposes the idea of a P (positive) cycle and a N (negative) cycle as a tool for effecting change.
When you’re happy you feel good physically, and when you’re worried you feel unwell. This mechanism, a kind of ‘psychosomatic interaction,' can also be said to apply to human relationships. Many people may have experienced that when they’re cheerful and interact with other people, their mood spreads to those around them and creates a cheerful atmosphere.
In order to break out of the N cycle and create a P cycle, Professor Higashi recommends that you start by saying positive things to the other person, even simple things like “Thank you,” “I’m happy,” or “You’ve helped me.” Professor Higashi calls phrases like these the “outer mind” that creates a P cycle. “It's not easy to change a system from the inside,” he comments. “When families and groups become aware of the problem they can improve the situation themselves. I hope people use the concepts of P and N cycles as a tool to do this.”

As a parent, when you feel worried about your child you may wonder “What can I do to change them?” or “What should I do for them?” However, from the perspective of the ‘systems approach' the problem is not just with the child, and what people should focus on is the mutual relationship between the child, the family, and the environment.
Professor Higashi says, “When the parent sees problematic behavior, they should consider that the child is not a ‘bad' child but that the system may be creating a situation that forces them to behave in that way.” What can the parent do to resolve the situation? Professor Higashi says, “First they need to change themselves, not the other person. By changing themselves, the other person will change, and this will be fed back as a positive cycle, changing the atmosphere of the family.”
Professor Higashi says he has experienced many such cases. “If the environment changes and you have problems with your child, it’s a chance to reconsider how your family should be. I hope you will see this as a positive opportunity to improve your family’s situation.”

There’s a technique called ‘Joining’ which counsellors and therapists use to bring about a positive family relationship. By listening to the stories of the parents, they gain the trust of those parents and narrow the distance that separates counselor and patient. What is important is to give affirmation. This helps to relieve tension, and frees the parents from their preoccupied situation, enabling them to trust their child. It’s a state of mind that says, “There’s no point worrying. Things will work out as they should, in a good way.”
In order to build a relationship of trust, a parent first needs to believe in their child, rather than worrying about them and scolding them. It’s also important to give the child freedom of choice. There are many cases in which respecting a child’s freedom has led to improvements. As one example, Professor Higashi recalls a family who came to him for advice. After starting junior high school, their child had stopped attending school and had started to misbehave at home.
Professor Higashi says, “The father was strict with his child and insisted that they return to school, while the mother secretly disagreed with his approach but couldn’t speak up. After listening to both sides, I supported the mother’s position of being sympathetic to her child's feelings. I asked the father to temporarily refrain from direct involvement and instead to watch over and urge the child to make their own choices. The situation gradually changed, and after attending cram school, the child resumed attending school from high school onwards. The father seemed to be surprised when he saw his child having a much brighter outlook than before.”
Nonetheless, the more you care about your child, the more difficult it is to let them be free. Professor Higashi says, “Even if you know what to do, it’s normal not to be able to do it, so please don't blame yourself for not being able to change. In the case mentioned earlier, it took three years to reach stability, repeating a cycle of progress and regression. It takes time to change systems. We should view them as beacons we should aim towards to change for the better, and tackle them patiently, without panicking.”