Counselor Worldview

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Impact of Counselor Worldview on Assessment and Diagnosis Although it is the counselor’s ethical duty according to Standard “A.4.b. Personal Values” to be vigilant in refraining from imposing “their own values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors” within the helping relationship (American Counseling Association, 2014, p. 5), much of the counseling literature highlights the influence of counselor worldview on the processes of assessment and diagnosis. Sue and Sue (2016) further describe the assessment and diagnosis process of a client as a “two-way street” in which both the counselor and the client have influence (p. 431). If the counselor is allowing their own worldview, to include values, beliefs, and attitudes, to impact assessment and diagnosis …show more content…

With assumptions based solely on culture, the counselor is at risk for committing “diagnostic overshadowing”, where the counselor only focuses on aspects related to culture, thus diminishing the counselor’s ability to fully understanding the client and their presenting issues, especially concerning aspects of the client’s life outside of culture (Sue & Sue, 2016, p. 433). This inability of the counselor to fully understand the client can lead to a damaged therapeutic alliance if the client believes they are not fully understood by the counselor, diminished accuracy in assessment and diagnosis, and potentially erroneous treatment developed on inaccurate assessment and diagnosis. While it is the ethical duty of the counselor, in accordance with Standard “E.5.b. Cultural Sensitivity”, to be aware of how one’s culture might impact the “manner in which client’s problems are defined and experienced” (American Counseling Association, 2014, p. 11), it is integral for the counselor to look beyond issues solely attributed to culture to fully understand the client and their “unique identity and context” as well as to maintain a positive and effective therapeutic alliance (Hays. 2016,

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