oopapers Examining the Current State of the Profession Paper

“Cultural Awareness in The Human Services Multi-Ethnic Approach” proposes that as a minimum, a model for culturally responsive social and health services would require us to do the following: 1. Define a model of cross-cultural social work and caring services – the model has to be systematic and take into consideration cultural complexity and also ethnocentric features of the clients served. 2. Describe how the model is applicable to any cross-racial or cross-ethnic relationships. 3.

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).

To provide competent care to a client, the therapist has to be culturally prepared to work with the client. To be culturally competent as a therapist I have to be aware of my own bias, my identity, and my values in regards of my culture. I also need to be aware of the judgments that I have about the client’s cultural identity. In order to know the client’s culture, I would inquire about the identity during the intake. I would use the Addressing model by Pamela Hays to inquire the cultural identity of my clients. The addressing model helps to consider the various social categories that a client belongs to. Also, providing culturally competent services is to be aware of the population surrounding the therapist’s office or agency in order to

The importance of a cross-cultural understanding in Psychology is imperative to successful care and assistance of mental health. Understanding and acknowledging the complexities of different cultures is the beginning of a more informed approach to mental health. Cultural factors and questions play a fundamental role, however, simply acknowledging cultural differences does not necessarily provide the best individual help. Thus, a combination of cultural, demographic and individual factors are crucial initial steps to specific individual assistance. Treating individuals in context can help discern deviations from cultural factors and norms. Therefore an approach which recognises that both culture and specificity to the client is most effective. Knowing someone’s background can be fundamental to clinical help but could also reinforce cultural stereotypes, this overly simplistic view could be detrimental to treatment. Throughout this essay the impact of culture on mental health will be examined, and how the health care provider and client mediate a relationship to produce the most effective results.

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.

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.

I am committed to embracing cultural diversity and social responsibility in my counseling practice (Corey, et al., 2015, p. 112). I am committed to my own cultural competency and, although I am not perfect, I am open to learning and growth (p. 118). I invite you to challenge my assumptions. Many therapy approaches reflect Western patriarchal values that do not fit the needs of all cultural perspectives (p. 117-118). I consider your disclosure of personal information to be an important aspect of therapy, but I will encourage you to self-disclose according to your own timeline, not mine (p. 120). Some people hesitate to speak due to respect and cultural norms, so I encourage you to let me know when I am being too direct or assertive in my questions (p. 122). Therapy sometimes assumes a goal of individualization, buy I realize this might not be your goal, so I am open to exploring issues of collective responsibility as well as self-actualization (p. 123). Finally, I come from a Western cultural orientation, both personally and professionally, and am often unconscious of my nonverbal behaviors, so I encourage you to let me know when I treat you disrespectfully in my use of eye contact, facial expression, or gestures, or when my interventions feel uncomfortably personal or intrusive (p. 123). “Recognizing our own cultural and historical embeddedness can remind us that our assumptions about what a person is and what a person should be or become

Counselors who are unaware of diverse cultural viewpoints are more than likely to do intentional or unintentional damage when working within communities opposite of their own and with those whose cultures and worldviews differ from theirs. If a counselor is unaware of their own cultural identity, biases, and stereotypes, how then will they know if they are unintentionally causing harm to their clients or build rapport? Cultural self-awareness is relevant because counselors need to know their cultural identity and what they must offer their clients in a therapeutic relationship and to help clients become aware their cultural identities.

Being aware of culture in the field has many benefits. The main benefit would be that it would help in providing better therapy for the client in question. Understanding how culture affects a client’s life can help explain the clients various roles and identities in life. Apart from that, understanding socio cultural settings will help the psychologist be more aware of the needs of their clients. For example, Indians are less comfortable in seeing a psychologist and are less liable to tell their family and friends that they are in currently undergoing therapy (Zhang, Snowden, & Sue, 1998). The psychologist should use information about the clients’ culture to personalise the therapy in order to enhance the effectiveness of it as well as to not discourage the client as well as to understand how culture affects the client and the disorder. The involvement of culture would also make the psychologist more aware of their own personal biases and mind-sets that maybe prevent the therapy from being effective. Creation of guidelines to help psychologists in the assessment of clients from varied cultures are important.

Cultural competency is critical in psychology practice. In the United States, the groups, which considered as cultural and ethnic minorities, are growing in the population (APA, 2003). Culture often influences the content and quality of people’s experience, perception, and response. Thus, it is important for psychologists to be aware of cultural influences on client’s presenting experience(s) (Gardiner & Kosmitzki, 2010). Without a regard for cultural influence, there is a significant risk for the psychologist to misunderstand, misinterpret, and misguide his or her client. Such misunderstanding, misinterpretation, and misguidance are not only unhelpful but can be detrimental for the client (Corey, Corey, & Callanan, 2011; Pope, & Vasquez, 2011).

An individual’s cultural framework influences his or her thoughts, actions, and decisions (Witkin, 2012). It is imperative that during the interview process, the social worker is cognizant of both the details provided by the client and, the client’s cultural background. This knowledge can then be incorporated by the social worker into the helping process (Murphy & Dillon, 2011a). This paper will examine cultural worldviews discussed during an interview with Jamie, a fellow University of Washington BASW cohort member. This will be accomplished by addressing the information Jamie offered about herself during a 45-minute recorded interview in which her early cultural experiences and worldview were discussed. Secondly, my internal and external reactions to Jamie’s cultural experience shared during the interview will be analyzed. Similarities and differences between Jamie and myself will be identified, and finally a discussion of my cultural awareness, pre- and post-interview, in regards to Jamie’s upbringing will be examined.

The changing landscape of the United States means that as social workers entering the profession we need to learn to work with increasingly diverse populations. Knowing this, it is important that as social workers we are aware of how the unique aspects an individual’s culture and identity play in the way they view mental health. Increasing awareness of the interactions between future clients and their place within society is of equal importance in addressing the needs of the client. As social workers, it is necessary that when interviewing clients questions are carefully selected to elicit culturally relevant information while maintaining cultural sensitivity.

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.

Thus far in the course we have learned how important it is to have basic knowledge on various cultures that we may encounter as therapists. According to Choudhuri, Santiago-Rivera, & Garrett (2012), culture is defined as the personification of a worldview through learned and transmitted beliefs, religious and spiritual traditions, psychological processes, values, and practices. Moreover, it is a way of life that is shaped by ecological, historical, economic, and political factors on a specific group of people (Choudhur et al., 2012). I have learned culture goes beyond just race and ethnicity. Culture can be seen in the way people dress, the type of food they eat, the medicines they use, their religious practices, the people they chose to

Many clinical psychologists are surrounded by individuals from different backgrounds, ethnicities, and who ascribe to different cultures. Therefore, it is essential for psychologists to be comfortable and competent when working with and treating diverse individuals. ial for psychologists to be competent and comfortable while workinAlthough I have only been in the mental health field for a short time, I have worked with individuals from different backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities. Similarly, I have obtained several unique personal experiences that helped demonstrate the importance of understanding different cultures. Therefore, the remainder of this statement will highlight several influential cultural experiences, as well as the influence those experiences had on my ability to work with and conceptualize clients.