RUNNING HEAD: Multicultural Research

For Clinical Interventions I COU501 51 FA13

Submitted to Dr. C Freed-Hardeman University In partial fulfillment of course requirements

Fall 2013

Multicultural Counseling

By JMA November 19, 2013

Freed-Hardeman University Memphis, TN

RUNNING HEAD: Multicultural Counseling can be seen as in intimate process that can be instrumental in the development of skills that help those effectively confront and cope with uncertainties and conflicts in their personal lives. Counseling is for individuals who have decided to face their fears, and whom expect more from his/her life. In essence, counseling is a relationship that can build confidence in its clients (Edwards, 2009 p90). Overall, it is a helpers role in multicultural counseling and therapy to create an environment that cultivates the optimal development of the

client and their systems, using what he or she has identified as culturally significant as it pertains to the helping relationship. Counseling is done in a comfortable environment where the client can discuss what worries the client. Doing the counseling sessions, clients have the ability to express their concerns to someone that is there to help them. In multicultural counseling and therapy, roles and practices are based on that clients cultural norms and are integrated into treatment. In multicultural counseling the clients social and cultural background is of the most importance. This information will help the counselor understand who their client is and this insight will allow the counselor to construct a plan of treatment that cultivates the ideal development of the client. Without question, the multicultural therapy approach to treatment will present the challenge of counselors intervening at the systems level because few counselors have been trained to change systems. Diversity means differences such as different religious beliefs, different cultural traditions, music, art, dancing etc.(Patchell & Broussard,2009,p88). In the context of society and culture, diversity is usually mentioned in discussing multicultural societies. What do people from other cultures contribute when they migrate and become part of a new society? Why should these different traditions and customs be valued? Diversity enriches a society due to the fact that they allow people to experience different thinking processes, in order to see that there is more than

RUNNING HEAD: Multicultural one way of approaching issues or living one's life. The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. It is the exploration of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment. It is about understanding each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to

embracing and celebrating the rich dimensions of diversity contained within each individual. As counselors, addressing diversity and their personal bias must be a top priority. Cultural norms are behavior patterns that are typical of specific groups. Such behaviors are learned from parents, teachers, peers, and many others whose values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors take place in the context of their own organizational culture. According to Patchell 2005, some norms are healthy and some are not. Some contribute to the betterment of individuals, families, and communities; others are precisely the kinds of high-risk behaviors that mainstream American society would like to reduce or eliminate. Conflict or uncertainty over which cultural norms should be acceptable in which circumstances has contributed to change and instability in the fields of education and prevention during recent years. Cultural norms often are so strongly ingrained in an individual's daily life that the individual may be unaware of certain behaviors. Until these behaviors are seen in the context of a different culture with different values and beliefs, (Patchell, 2005) the individual may have difficulty recognizing and changing them. Experiencing a period of adjustment to a new place and culture is normal. Encountering cultural differences is part of the excitement of going abroad, but it also poses a challenge. Upon arrival in a foreign country, you may experience an

RUNNING HEAD: Multicultural

immediate sense of euphoria as everything that is new seems intriguing and exciting. Inevitably, however, the newness wears off. Cholewa and West-Olatunji (2008) states that cultural beliefs are the commonly held norms and moral standards of a culture, the standards of right and wrong that set expectations for behavior. These beliefs are usually rooted in the culture's symbolic inheritance and include the roles that are appropriate for particular persons. Cultures have beliefs about socialization, the process by which people acquire the behaviors and beliefs of their culture. According to Richard Shweder, the post conventional level of moral reasoning is biased in favor of the individualistic thinking of Western elites. He argues that people in many cultures routinely make reference to objective, universal principles in moral reasoning but, because they view these principles as being established by tradition or religion, Kohlberg classifies the reasoning as conventional. He also states that children learn their culture's moral beliefs at an early age, and these beliefs are well ingrained by adolescence and stable through adulthood. Moral reasoning is not simply a reflection of cognitive development but is rooted in cultural beliefs. Stereotypes are generalizations about a group of people whereby we attribute a defined set of characteristics to this group. These classifications can be positive or negative, such as when various nationalities are (Xu, Davidhizar & Newman, 2005 p92) stereotyped as friendly or unfriendly. Stereotypes are as old as human culture itself. They reflect ideas that groups of people hold about others who are different from them. Its been very popular lately for counselors to get multicultural training or cultural sensitivity training. Some of this training may not be as effective because people often take in information and forget it. Theres so much information about different cultures, and every person is different, it cant be taught or learned effectively (Dickson, Jepsen & Barbee,2008 p59). In

RUNNING HEAD: Multicultural

general, say, if youre African American coming to see a white counselor, its important to see if they acknowledge the difference; they are white, and there will be limits to their experience. They will need to ask questions. Thats what you want to look for in a counselor; one who knows the limits of their experience in relation to cultural differences. Whether youre Russian, Jewish, or Chinese, its crucial that the counselor demonstrates sensitivity to your cultural needs, and acknowledges differences in their experience and yours. Human beings are each unique and different and yet very much the same in many ways. Every cultural experience adds to the diversity of individuals. Including the African American sub-culture in the United States, who have a legacy of being discriminated against by a dominant white culture. Whether were talking about African race, Caucasian or Asian, in all cases there are differences simply because of race, but theres more individual differences due to personal development than there is from cultural differences (Burkard & Juarez-Huffaker & Ajmere, 2003). Religious belief and identity are currently major divisive factors in global society. Violent conflicts between members of different religious groups rage in most world regions. Prejudice and discrimination impedes the realization of the full range of human rights, even in societies with long democratic traditions. In the United States religious misunderstandings and misinterpretations were not new problems at the outset of the war on terrorism. However, the general public ignorance of the multiple religious beliefs guiding peoples lives, and especially the lack of knowledge about religious teachings on peace and justice, have been socially costly and personally painful for persons and communities. Peace education seeks to overcome this lack of knowledge and understanding of the peace beliefs of our communities (Cholewa, 2008). According to Shaw, H. K. and Degazon, C. (2008) "although 10 percent of the US civilian labor force is employed in the healthcare field, the healthcare workforce does not mirror the diversity

RUNNING HEAD: Multicultural of the general US population; ethnic and racial minorities are severely underrepresented." This fact can only exacerbate communication problems caused by misinterpretations, misunderstandings, or stereotyping. The Counseling Relationship is one that exists between a person with caring expertise and a person with discouraging isolation around difficult life experiences. It is a relationship that emerges through a sharing of personal history and exploring powerful emotions. Because the counselor is a real person who typically cares genuinely about the client, a relationship develops between the person of the counselor and the person of the client. Genuine connection, defined by a closeness between two persons out of the trust-based sharing, emerges

between them. However, according to Balkin, Schlosser and Levitt (2009) because the counselor typically self-discloses very little in the counseling relationship in order to maintain a focus on meeting the clients needs, and because the counselors job is to hold up the mirror, you, the client are actually forming a new relationship with yourself-- in more emotional detail and with a more accepting perspective. Thus, the client in pain and confusion begins to form a close relationship with the client as a growing individual, increasingly equipped to take care of him or her Self. This point is important to emphasize because it explains Counseling as a venture aimed at helping clients become autonomous rather than fostering dependence on professionals. Counselors of all types need a "framework to consider diversity of values, interactional styles, and cultural expectations," as well as "language differences." Most counseling in the U.S. and many other mostly white nations focuses on the majority culture. This is probably true of other countries as well, but we cannot truly help everyone until we recognize that cultural and language diversity effects the way people need counseled. There are also differences within

RUNNING HEAD: Multicultural cultures depending on many factors. Counselors need to recognize that there is no 'one size fits all' psychological patter for counseling everyone.

In a world filled with both challenge and opportunity, counseling can be a logical choice for individuals, couples, and families who wish to grow to the next level of faith and wellbeing. The Bible speaks of the safety that exists among counselors. Perhaps its time to seek the safe harbor of counseling, and make a few repairs before continuing your lifes journey. Considering cultural diversity in a counseling session is broader than just considering race and gender, as it considers many of the ways people differ from each other. Not only are age, and gender considered when considering diversity, but race, language, and cultural backgrounds are reviewed. When we are able to accept differences in people, we gain the tendency to accept people, and, appreciate these differences. Diversity affects and is affected by each person in a session, the counselor and the client. Therefore in counseling, it is vital to recognize our own biases, and prejudices as being our own, based on our own backgrounds, and frame of reference. Recognizing and appreciating differences in people of all ages, races, and backgrounds is a key element to effective counseling with culturally diverse populations. Counseling a diverse population, requires that people gain a personal awareness of individual biases and stereotypes, and, work to understand and accept these differences. A counselor must be open, well-studied, well-read, and have the ability to recognize when a particular technique is not working because of cultural or other differences in a client. If a counselor goes in with an open mind, willing to recognize differing needs in differing people, s/he will do just fine. More research is needed in all areas of diversity. In the end, all humans have things in common, and all humans are different in some ways. Knowing this can bring us together with a counselor who will be able to meet the needs of the individual client.

RUNNING HEAD: Multicultural References

Balkin, R.S. , Schlosser, L.Z., & Levitt, D.H. (2009). Religious Identity and Cultural Diversity: Exploring the Relationships between Religious Identity, Sexism, Homophobia, and Multicultural Competence. Journal of Counseling and Development, (87), 141- 152.

Burkard, A., Juarez-Huffaker, M. and Ajmere, K. (2003). White Racial Identity Attitudes as a Predictor of Client Perceptions of Cross-Cultural Working Alliances.

Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, (31), 67-74.

Cholewa, B. and West-Olatunji, C. (2008).Exploring the Relationship among Cultural

Discontinuity , Psychological Distress, and Academic Outcomes with Low-income, Culturally Diverse Students. Professional School Counseling, (12), 29-34.

Dickson, G.L., Jepsen, D. A., and Barbee, P.W. (2008). Exploring the Relationships among Multicultural Training Experiences and Attitudes toward Diversity among Counseling Students. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, (36), 58-63.

RUNNING HEAD: Multicultural Dupre, A. M., & Goodgold, S. (2007). Development of Physical Therapy Student Cultural Competency through International Community Service. Journal of Cultural Diversity, (14), 46-55. Edwards, K., Radcliffe, S., Patchell,B., Broussard,K., Wood, E., and Ogans, J. (2009).

Outcomes: the Recruitment Enhancement Cultural Affirmation Project. ; Journal of Cultural Diversity (16), 87-93).

Flowers, C., Forbes, W.S., Crimando, W., and Riggar, T.F. (2005). A Regional Survey of Rehabilitation Cultural Diversity within CILs: A Ten-Year Follow-Up. TheJournal of Rehabilitation, (71), 27-36.

Hardy-Bougere, M. (2008). Cultural Manifestations of Grief and Bereavement: a Clinical Perspective. Journal of Cultural Diversity, (15), 27-33.

Patchell, B. (2005). Mentoring in Multiple Dimensions. Journal of Cultural Diversity, (12), 28-34.

Shaw, H. K. and Degazon,C. (2008). Integrating the Core Professional Values of Nursing a Profession Not Just a Career. Journal of Cultural Diversity, (15), 25-31.

RUNNING HEAD: Multicultural 10 Xu, Y., Davidhizar, R., and Newman Ginger, J. (2005). What If Your Nursing Student is From An Asian Culture. Journal of Cultural Diversity, (12), 89-94.