In 2005, the 20/20 committee stated that counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals (Erford, 2014). Therefore, understanding how the culturally diverse groups plays a great role in culture within the context of counseling interactions helps with the understanding of explain how the history and theories of counseling both benefited and oppressed cultural groups, understanding of a specific cultural group and, clarifies how standardized testing benefits or oppresses a specific cultural group like.
History and Theories
Having an understanding of historical events that have impacted is very important this is because you would
…show more content…
Therefore, the individuals who delivered such guidance were philosophers, physicians, priests, medicine men, or teacher (Herr & Erford, 2011). They were also more like people who advocates to help people with their problems. Furthermore, many people pathed the way for the future of counseling and the greatness it is today.
The three man who changed the meaning and formation of mental health care and guidance Jess B. Davis paved the way for school guidance counseling, Clifford Whittingham Beers exposed the inhumane treatment of mentally ill individuals and worked with influential people to bring about a change in societal attitudes and Frank Parsons as the father of the vocational guidance movement (Erford, 2014).
Over the years counseling have grown with the help of more educating and training to be sure that counselors are equipped with the right tools to help other most importantly to help deal with cultural differences. With this in mind there was an underpinnings of counseling. Therefore, counseling involves approaches that emphasize wellness, normal development, empowerment, and prevention (Erford, 2014). This is because it became to the understanding that counseling is not just to relieve the client of problematic symptoms, but rather to strive for optimal functioning and health in life (Erford,
…show more content…
Like having the multiculturalism and culturally encapsulated counselor becoming a part of the counselor process. Therefore, today counselors are trained to consider clients in relation to their environments, worldviews, and experiences (Erford, 2014). Moreover, when counselor are counseling clients they need to have a great understanding of their own beliefs because this will help them with helping guild and determine the best course to help me the clients counseling goals.
A way of helping the counselor and the client will be to use a theories. This is because theories provide a framework for conceptualizing client’s problems and determining a course of action in counseling (Erford, 2014). Therefore, having understanding of four main theories were psychoanalysis (Sigmund Freud), trait-factor and directive theories (E.G. Williamson), humanistic and client-centered theories (Carl Rogers), and behavioral theories (B.F. Skinner) will help with determining the best ways to help a client meet their goals.
Benefited and Oppressed Cultural
In my personal opinion and experience, I find that the field of psychology is lacking in diverse cultural competencies as much as the society is diverse in its population. I believe that as with using any theoretical model, the therapists’ cultural knowledge needs to include understanding of the many cultural considerations influencing the effectiveness of treatment when dealing with clients from diverse backgrounds. When servicing the individuals in the family, care and attention needs to be directed towards family and community norms and values around help seeking, secrecy and confidentiality, family roles, child rearing and spiritual practices.
The philosophy that underlies the counseling profession is unique among mental health professionals. According to Remley & Herlihy (2014), the philosophy is made up of four components. First, counselor 's view mental health challenges through a positive, wellness-oriented lens. The primary goal of the wellness model is for the client to achieve the highest degree of mental health possible. Psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers follow the medical model of mental health. The goal of these clinicians is to cure the client’s illness, which differs drastically from counselor’s view of clients.
Each client is influenced by race, ethnicity, national origin, life stage, educational level, social class, and sex roles (Ibrahim, 1985). The counsellor must view the identity and development of culturally diverse people in terms of multiple interactive factors rather than a strictly cultural framework (Romero, 1985).
Cultural competence as it pertains to counseling is a vital skill to possess in today’s ever-changing society. Counseling is a high demand profession which involves interaction with person from all walks of life and all types of backgrounds. As we become more sensitive to cultural diversity around us, we must make an effort to understand those who are different from us. The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender or LGBT community has come to the forefront of our social consciousness with much media attention given to the issue of marriage equality in many states.
As a result, it is imperative to take a look at current and historical oppressions that a client experience by being part of a minority social group or a group that does not conform to popular culture (Aviera, 2002). These oppressions will offer me a deeper insight into the source of challenges that a client faces. By merely looking at the individual without considering these oppressions, I could fail to determine what drives him to experience life the way that he does. Therefore, in order to build a practice that is useful to a different set of cultures, keeping in mind significant experiences encountered as a collective is fundamental in cultivating effective cross-cultural counseling
As a counseling student, it is very important to formulate a counseling theory tailored to ones’ own personality and beliefs. A counselor may choose a single theory to model when practicing therapy or pick and choose components and techniques from various theories, otherwise known as eclecticism. No theory is considered right or wrong. Understanding the different therapeutic approaches are important to effective counseling, however, counselors must also understand their own personal value, view of human nature, human behavior, counseling techniques and the purpose and goals of counseling. Understanding these components along with the different theoretical approaches will provide the counselor with a 9 knowledge of their own counseling, orientation and is essential to not only the productivity of counseling but the growth of the counselor as well.
Cultural competence can become an ethical issue when a clinician is unaware the sensitivity of the clients in which the clinician is providing counseling. A great example from Chp. 4 is the case of the (indian; words means more than action). An effective preparation for counselor to deal with cultural competence-ethical issue is to familiarize with the demographic area where the counselor is practicing. Further, the counselor should learn more of the dominate ethnicities in their demographic areas that way the counselor is well prepared for cultural diversity counseling.
It is important to be aware of one’s limitations, weaknesses and strengths in the delivery of counseling services. Taking into account the cultural values of the client, the support systems and the client’s view of the key parts of his or her makeup (the history of the client) are culture specific (because someone is of the same race does not mean that values will be the same) and does not discount the individual. Sue et al reminds us that multicultural counseling competency looks beyond racial and ethnic minorities and also includes disabilities, sexual orientation, age, and other special populations (Sue, et al, 1992).
Culture may be defined in a broad and narrow context. The broad definition includes demographic variables ( age, gender), status variables ( social, educational, economic) and affiliations ( formal and informal), as well as ethnographic variables, such as ethnicity, nationality, language. Narrow definition of culture is limited to the terms of ethnicity and nationality, which are important for individual and familial identity, but the concept of culture in Counselling usually goes beyond national and ethnic boundaries. It interprets culture in a broader aspect, it aims to go beyond its more obvious and verifiable symbols toward the more subjective perspectives its members hold. Counselling deals
The relationship of a counselor to his or her client can be troubled when the two come from different cultural backgrounds. "As counselors incorporate a greater awareness of their clients' culture into their theory and practice, they must realize that, historically, cultural differences have been viewed as deficits (Romero, 1985). Adherence to white cultural values has brought about a naive imposition of narrowly defined criteria for normality on culturally diverse people" (Bolton-Brownlee 1987). The challenge for counselors today is to balance multiculturalism and sensitivity for the client with the need to move the client forward and enable him or her to reach productive life goals. Cultural acceptance cannot be synonymous with complacency.
Multicultural group counseling takes place when a counselor and/or clients are from differing cultural, race, and/or ethnicity groups. Due to the significant demographic changes that are occurring in the United States, multiculturalism is becoming increasingly important. When acting as a multicultural group counselor, it is important to modify techniques to reflect the cultural differences of the client, be prepared to deal with difficulties during the counseling process, and understand the way culturally diverse people conceptualize their problems as well how they resolve them (Gladding, 2012). In order to be an effective multicultural counselor, it is important that one is aware of their cultural heritage, understands how their cultural background affects their attitudes, values, and beliefs, recognizes the limitations of their multicultural expertise and/or competency, and identify the root of their discomfort with different clients (Gladding, 2012). One can implement these through three key aspects Gladding (2012) outlined in his book and effective leadership skills.
In a multicultural counseling perspective there are four key approaches when counseling individuals, (a) multicultural awareness of culturally learned assumptions about self and others leading to accurate assessments of clients, (b) multicultural knowledge of information, (c) multicultural skills and interventions, that are appropriate treating clients, and (d) individuals are from a variety of backgrounds, demographic status, and affiliation of cultures. The three-stage approach, will direct the counselor towards levels of multicultural competence in therapy by providing a successful outcome in the recovery process. When conducting a psychotherapy session with a client the counselor should be able to demonstrate skills, when exploring the client’s cultural background. Counselors should also be able to focus on the essential skills and pattern behaviors, when identifying cultural differences. Counseling a minority from a different culture counselors’ must be able to identify their own personal behaviors. These behaviors are crucial when counseling these individuals. First, a counselor must be able to sense the clients’ viewpoint or issue in some way. Secondly, a counselor should be specific when asking a question rather than being unclear and confusing.
CACREP Standard: Section II, 2.e. addresses counselors’ role in developing cultural self-awareness promoting cultural social justice, advocacy and conflict resolution, and other culturally supported behaviors that promote optimal wellness and growth of the human spirit, mind, and body. Previously, counseling was viewed as a “whites only” form of treatment with most research done on white or European descendants. Non-European descendants failed to believe counseling would benefit them or it was frown upon by their culture and communities. Counseling was viewed as ineffective for those of non-dominate culture. Culturally
In the counseling profession, having knowledge of the theoretical approaches and which ones will be essential based on your standpoint of human nature, problems, and changes for an individual is important. Having a clear understanding of the approaches is key, but the counselor’s knowledge of his or her own principles, life experiences and viewpoints will define how the counselor will effectively perform their job.
One theme of the book that stands out is the counselor as a person and a professional. It is impossible to completely separate one’s