Ethical and Multicultural Self-Assessment
Importance of ethical and multicultural competency to the practice of professional psychology is to “know thy cultural self” is the recommended motto for trainees with regard to two developmental tasks: self-exploration about one's own cultural heritage and understanding and valuing the differences of others” (Roysircar, 2004). Roysircar (2004) said that being able to embrace diversity into your approach to assessment and discretion is an essential part of the process of treatment and its outcomes.
Cultural Awareness
Moreover, Roysircar (2004) stated that when a counselor is accomplished he or she is aware of attitudes, and beliefs. This empathy sees client’s attitudes and beliefs from a unique perspective. It is by learning from others that are diverse trainees learning most about civilization (Roysicar, 2004). Therapists must look within to assess their ability to work with clients from different backgrounds (Roysircar, 2004). Roysircar (2004) believed that negative and positive biases are discovered in introspect.
Values
Thus, values can be difficult to discover in science since opinion is just that, supposition. A person can explain better than a book about what it is like to within a culture, or live in a certain neighborhood (Roysircar, 2004). Enquiring is better than reading about a civilization from a book. Introspection about prejudice is to understand bias and consider how to reduce them (Roysircar, 2004). It is daunting to meet someone for the first time. Attending and studying behaviors are useful devices to connect with clients from diverse cultures.
Openness
Therefore, being exposed to unique ways of thinking is essential. It is good to know how to classify experienc...
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...ultural environments.
In ending, similarities, and willingness to embrace diversity is essential in multicultural counseling. Empathy and listening are also essential to the individual’s unique situation. It is because every person has their unique story to tell from a special perspective.
Works Cited
Did You Know . . . - University of West Georgia? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.westga.edu/~vickir/Healthcare/HC17%20CulturallyCompetent/Link%2014%20
Roysircar, G. (2004). Cultural Self-Awareness Assessment: Practice Examples from Psychology Training. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 35(6), 658-666. doi:10.1037/0735-7028.35.6.658
Management Sciences for Health. (n.d.). The provider's guide to quality and culture: Quality and culture quiz. Retrieved June 1, 2011 from http://erc.msh.org/mainpage.cfm?file=3.0.htm&module=provider&language=English
Sue, D. W., & Sue, D. (2013). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons
Culture is “the total lifeways of a human group. It consists of learned patterns of values, beliefs, customs, and behaviors that are shared by a group of interacting individuals” (Stumbo & Peterson, 2009, p. 257). In order for a person to be culturally competence, he or she must be able to overlook stereotypes of different cultures and be able to appreciate the cultural differences. Dana suggested some culturally competent assessment, which must be considered when serving multicultural clients: cultural orientation, styles of service delivery, assessment methodology, assessment measures, and feedback of assessment findings (Stumbo & Peterson, 2009, p.
Counselors today face the task of how to appropriately counsel multicultural clients. Being sensitive to cultural variables can be conceptualized as holding a cultural lens to human behavior and making allowances for the possibility of cultural influence. However, to avoid stereotyping, it is important that the clinician recognize the existence of within-group differences as well as the influence of the client’s own personal culture and values (Furman, Negi, Iwamoto, Shukraft, & Gragg, 2009). One’s background is not always black or white and a counselor needs to be able to discern and adjust one’s treatment plan according to their client.
When working with clients of diverse background and cultures, it is important for counselors to be conscious of this fact during assessment and subsequent counseling. Due to fact that much of Western psychology and counseling theories and approaches stem from a White, European viewpoint, experiences and symptoms of marginalized groups are also evaluated by this same perspective (Sue & Sue, 2016). Furthermore, Hays (2015) stated, “psychological assessment involves standardized procedures that have been developed and shaped by dominant culture, which largely ignores or dismisses cultural influences. As a result, cultural questions and consideration are commonly left out,” (p. 128).
Acculturation, worldview and perceived discrimination as cultural variables influence career behaviors of racial/ethnic minorities. Multicultural education and diversity appreciation training are thought to decrease counselor prejudice. Theme four looks at multicultural issues that require counselors to incorporate cultural data into their thinking and actions. Multicultural competence incorporates learning how to include cultural data into decision making process of complicated problems and interventions posed by culturally different clients. Theme five posits that people have multiple identities that affect the ways they experience and view the world. Multiple identities are used to refer to variables such as sex, age, socioeconomic status, nationality and ethnicity which impact an individual’s behavior, perception and
A therapist will face problems, issues and client troubles everyday. The professional must understand how their client relates to the world around them. These feelings and ideas affect how the client sees the problem and how they respond to their situation. Their actions, in turn, have bearing on individual thoughts, needs, and emotions. The therapist must be aware of the client's history, values, and culture in order to provide effective therapy. This paper will outline and provide information as to the importance of cultural competence and diversity in family therapy.
Remember, self-reflection is vital to becoming a culturally-competent counselor. The counselor should consistently re-examine their worldview and personal beliefs about diverse individuals and other cultures. The idea is for the counselor to explore their own prejudices, emotions, and preconceived notions of those that differ from themselves. Remaining curious and willing to learn about culturally distinct groups is a practical way of working effectively with varied clients in counseling and understanding what barriers and prejudices are typical in their
The diversity among clients and the counselor is an issue that has recently come to the forefront. The counselor must be very cautious and sensitive to the cultural values of their clients, gender and gender preference, age, language preference, ethnicity, and spirituality and religious beliefs.
Going to a different country or area of the world can open up anybody’s eyes to see that culture makes a huge impact on the understanding and practices of healthcare that seem to be so common to other areas of the world. When a person lives in one country their whole life, that person may not realize how different the life they live is from someone in a foreign country. If a person is going to receive treatment from someone with a different cultural background, they should be expected to get treatment to respects their own culture. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences having such a diverse variety of students has their own cultural competency definition that states “effectively and comfortably communicate across cultures with patients of differing backgrounds, taking into account aspects of trust in order to adopt mutually acceptable objectives and measures”. In the book Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa by Katherine Dettwyler, the issue of culture and healthcare are greatly prevalent. Katherine Dettwyler herself goes to West Africa as an anthropologist and her horizons are broadened when during her research she comes in contact with how much culture has an impact on healthcare and everyday life.
“Seek out training in diversity, read literature and self-reflection.” (B. Schauland, personal communication, November 11, 2015) In our course on cultural diversity it has been discussed that individuals from different cultural backgrounds then the counselor may feel that the counselor does not understand their needs, can you reflect on this?
Understanding race, ethnicity, and culture is an extremely important aspect of being a counselor. If an individual does not have cultural identity of their own or understand his or herself as a cultural, ethnic, or racial individual, it may be difficult to help your clients. Understanding and being aware of your cultural identity will help the counselor be conscious of their own prejudice. Being aware of your own prejudice towards any culture, race, or ethnic group may help you redirect your negative thinking into a positive active role as a counselor. Having awareness will make an individual an improved counselor able to empathize and understand any individual who seeks therapy.
SUE, D. W., ARREDONDO, P., & McDavis, R. J. (1992). Multicultural Counseling Competencies and Standards: A Call to the Profession. JOURNAL OF COUNSELING & DEVELOPMENT, 70, 477-486.
Lipson, J.G. & Dubble, S.L. (Eds). (2007). Culture & clinical care. San Francisco, California: The Regents, University of California.
3. Pedersen B. (1994) A Handbook for Developing of Multicultural Awareness, American Counselling Association: USA
Humans’ behaviors are often guided by their culture because culture can influence their psychological processes.