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Multicultural Counseling: Unit 3:C

The document discusses the importance of multicultural counseling and provides guidelines for effective counseling across cultures. It covers topics such as culture, racism, acculturation, problematic areas when working across cultures, and considerations for religious-spiritual identity, economic background, sexual identity, psychological maturity, ethnic-racial identity, developmental challenges, trauma, family background, physical characteristics, and language differences.

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542 views17 pages

Multicultural Counseling: Unit 3:C

The document discusses the importance of multicultural counseling and provides guidelines for effective counseling across cultures. It covers topics such as culture, racism, acculturation, problematic areas when working across cultures, and considerations for religious-spiritual identity, economic background, sexual identity, psychological maturity, ethnic-racial identity, developmental challenges, trauma, family background, physical characteristics, and language differences.

Uploaded by

Gargi bisht
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Multicultural Counseling

Unit 3:C
What is culture?

Language?

Values?

Symbols?

Norms?
Culture
A culture “structures our behavior,
thoughts, perceptions, values, goals,
morals, and cognitive processes” (Cohen,
1998, p. B4).
Multicultural Counseling
multicultural counseling may be viewed generally as counseling “in which the counselor and
client differ” (Locke, 1990, p. 18).

Etic—universal qualities exist in counseling that are culturally generalizable.

Emic—assumes counseling approaches must be designed to be culturally specific.


Problematic Areas in Working across Cultures
overculturalizing: “mistaking people’s reactions to poverty and discrimination for their cultural pattern” (p.
533). In the United States, “people of color are overrepresented among Americans living in poverty relative to
their proportions in the general population” (Smith, Foley, & Chaney, 2008, p. 304).
Language: If the primary language of the client is not English, both verbal utterances and nonverbal behaviors
may be misunderstood by counselors outside the client’s own culture.
Racism is an oppressive act by which a majority culture exercises power and privilege over those in
nondominant groups. “Forms of racism vary by context and exist at both micro (individual) and macro
(structural/societal) levels” (Malott & Schaefle, 2015) acculturation, “the process by which a group of people
give up old ways and adopt new ones” (Romero, Silva, & Romero, 1989, p. 499). In the acculturation process.
it is essential for counselors to be sensitive to cultures in three areas:
1. knowledge of the worldviews of culturally different clients,
2. awareness of one’s own personal worldview and how one is a product of cultural conditioning, and
3. skills necessary for work with culturally different clients individuals are simultaneously being influenced by
elements of two distinct cultures to some extent.
Guidelines for effective counseling across cultures
1. Counselors recognize the values and beliefs they hold in regard to acceptable and desirable
human behavior. They are then able to integrate this understanding into appropriate feelings and
behaviors.
2. Counselors are aware of the cultural and generic qualities of counseling theories and traditions.
No method of counseling is completely culture-free.
3. Counselors understand the sociopolitical environment that has influenced the lives of members
of minority groups. Persons are products of the milieus in which they live.
4. Counselors are able to share the worldview of clients and do not question its legitimacy.
5. Counselors are truly eclectic in counseling practice. They are able to use a wide variety of
counseling skills and apply particular counseling techniques to specific lifestyles and experiences.
Why multicultural
counseling is important?
1. Religious_Spiritual
Identity

Multicultural counselors consider both their


own and their client’s religious backgrounds
2. Economic
Background
Your socioeconomic background can
influence your beliefs and attitude about a
number of experiences.
3. Sexual Identity
A multicultural counselor won’t make
assumptions about your experience, but
they’ll consider how your identity plays a
role in your life.
4. Psychological
Maturity
Everyone has different strengths and
needs, so multicultural therapists assess
the psychological maturity of their clients
to determine the best approach.
5. Ethinc/Racial
Identity
Multicultural therapists recognize that
there can be many differences between
people in one racial or ethnic group.
6. Developmental
Challenges
With multicultural counseling, the
therapist recognizes where the client is
developmentally challenged and what
challenges they may be experiencing
based on their current stage of life.
7. Trauma & other
issues
Highly stressful situations can take a toll
on your mental health, so a multicultural
counselor may want to explore the ways
trauma has affected you.
8. Family Background
& History

You and your therapist may seek to understand


your role within your family to explore how that
affects your identity.
9. Unique Physical
Characteristics

Multicultural counselors also try to consider their


own biases about physical appearance and how
that may impact the way they interact with their
clients.
10. Living
arrangements and
Language differences
multicultural counselors should stay alert
for any unconscious biases they may
have about different languages, dialects,
or accents

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