It is important for a counselor to be culturally competent. This is not always an easy task because there are a lot of different cultures with different values. The Racial/ Cultural Identity Development Model was created to help counselors understand their culturally diverse clients more. This model has five levels: conformity, dissonance, resistance and immersion, introspection, and integrative awareness. In this essay I am going to describe these levels and how it can impact the counseling process.
The first level of the Racial / Cultural Identity Development Model is the conformity level. Conformity means within standards or what is considered to be normal. People in this stage may feel pressured to repress their culture value or identity so that they can feel as if they fit in. “It is reasonable to believe that members of one cultural group tend to adjust themselves to the group possessing the greater prestige and power in order to avoid feelings of inferiority” (Sue & Sue, 2016, p.368). This level is important because it is an example of internalized racism. This means that they view their
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If they have a counselor from a minority racial group they are more likely to be resistant and have a negative attitude towards them. If the person on this level has a counselor from the dominant group they will constantly seek approval from them. This can cause problems in the counselor – client relationship because there can be negative feelings towards the counselor and the client may not take what the counselor is saying seriously because they feel as if they don’t identify with them or they feel threatened by them. It doesn’t have to have a negative effect on the counselor – client relationship. If the counselor can help the client be aware of their feelings and biases then they can work through it and change their
Hud-Aleem, Raushanah, and Jacqueline Countryman. "Biracial Identity Development and Recommendations in Therapy." Psychiatry (Edgmont). Matrix Medical Communications. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
The Helms White Racial Identity Model, created by Dr. Janet Helms, has six stages which are now referred to as statuses. The statuses are, contact, disintegration, reintegration, pseudoindependence, immersion/emersion, and autonomy. The first status, contact, shows obliviousness to being unaware of racism. This status shows that an individual believes everyone has an equal chance to success and lacks understanding of discrimination and prejudice. The second status is the disintegration status meaning that there is conflict among an individual’s loyalty to their group and “humanistic ideals”. These people may try to avoid people of a different race, may attempt to be “color blind”, and may seek reassurance from other Whites that racism is not their fault. The next status is reintegration. If reintegration occurs, racial/ethnic minorities may be blamed for their problems.
This model examines the relationship between the dominant culture and one with minority status, such as Latinos. Attitudes towards self, same minority group, different minority groups, and the dominant group are examined through five stages within the model. These include conformity, dissonance, resistance and immersion, introspection, and integrative awareness. The stage most pertinent to Antonio at this time is the Dissonance stage. During this stage, one starts to acknowledge the existence of racism, that he cannot escape his own heritage, and experiences conflict between shame and pride felt for his culture. This same shame versus pride conflict is also extended to members of his own minority group. Held stereotypes about other minority groups are now questioned as well. One in the Dissonance stage is also starting to realize that not all beliefs held by the dominant group are valuable or even accurate (Sue & Sue, 2003). Because of the two incidents Antonio endured during his freshman year and their emotional impact on him, he is becoming aware that even though he has “assimilated,” others of the majority group will still identify him as different. Antonio is also experiencing conflict between what members of the minority group (his parents) and the majority group feel are important; his parents believe he
Although, even if the therapist is from the same cultural background this can still be hard to counsel these clients because of different traditions, language dialects, family values, and ancestry. This does not mean that the therapist cannot help these clients, but this could hinder the therapist and client relationship if brought up in an entire different environment. For instance, you can have two individuals from the same cultural background and family values, but these individuals live in an entirely different environment or learned different family values and belief system. When working with a diverse client, it is very important to monitor your own culturally beliefs and be willing to work with the client no matter if you have any biases or prejudice towards them. Some of the strategies that could be helpful in these situations include, (a) treat the client the same way you would like to be treated, (b) research some information about the clients background and, (c) beware of your own cultural biases and prejudices when counseling minorities if your unaware of their backgrounds.
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.
My initial conceptualization is that Biko is under a lot of stress. It’s his second year of college and he is pursuing a double major. That alone in itself can cause substantial stress. Not only is he dealing with academic stress but he is also having problems with his girlfriend Tanisha. Biko and Tanisha are not on the same page when it comes to premarital sex. Biko wants them to be sexually active and Tanisha doesn’t because of her religious beliefs. Biko also struggles to control his anger and has said that he feels like he is losing control and feels helpless and hopelessness. He is concerned how his anger will continue to cause problems with his social relationships. He has tried to channel his anger into other activities like working
Race and ethnicity can influence a client’s experience of self and others in a variety of ways. A client’s personal race and ethnicity can influence his or her experience within the context of therapy through the set of beliefs he or she brings into the room. This set of beliefs and customs influences how he or she views therapy and whether there is motivation to be there. If the client’s culture does not usually seek therapy for their problems, or even believe in mental illness, it is likely the client will have apprehensions about trusting or speaking to the clinician. If the clinician is not aware of this possibility, the clinician may wonder why the client is in therapy if he or she will not speak or allow rapport to be built. A responsible clinician will take this into consideration.
I am able to consult a more qualified resource person when working with culturally different clients and represent a non-racist identity as a counselor. I am aware of my cultural beliefs regarding health, causes of diseases and purpose of life. Accordingly, I am aware of how different cultural groups perceive dietary habits, family roles, high-risk behaviors and spiritual beliefs regarding nursing care and thus I am capable of discussing with the client on such beliefs and values before counseling (Andrews & Boyle,
When advocating for the success of a client when utilizing this theory, a counselor must be prepared to identify and eliminate barriers, prejudices, oppression, and discrimination that may create a psychological obstruction in the client. Learning culturally-competent counseling practices and current theoretical approaches while practicing self-reflection will help the counselor acquire the skills necessary to engage with a diverse clientele. Strategies such as; identifying cultural differences, understanding and addressing issues in the counseling process, the counselor’s ability to understand self, and ongoing education are all important strategies in combating oppression and eliminating barriers.
It has been said that the physical variations in the human species have no meaning except the social one that humans put on them. Society has placed stigmas on race dating all the way back to the 1600s. Still in the 21st century the American society is still trying to work through racial boundaries. With such stigmas being placed on them, biracial individuals often self-identify or be identified by others differently, depending on the social context. A biracial individual’s racial identity development is contingent upon many factors, both internal and external. With the dramatic increase in the number of individuals with a bi or multiracial background it is important for us to recognize the complexity of the racial identity development of this culture. It is critical to understand the hardships as well as the advantages of being biracial, to help them avoid any negative behaviors which could yield lifelong consequences. The healthy development of one’s racial identity is imperative for a biracial child to be able to achieve and maintain a positive psychological and social adjustment throughout the lifespan.
· Smith, Elise J. Ethnic Identity Development: Toward the Development of A Theory within the Context of Majority/Minority Status. Journal of Counseling and Development: JCD. v70. n1. Sept.1991. p. 181-188.
Involved in social interaction is the concept of a social self. A social self, as explained by George Herbert Mead, is a symbiotic interaction; the individual self is a process of interaction as opposed to a “thing.” In terms of multiracial individuals, this means that they’re social self is developed through communication with themselves and with others. As explained by Shih and Sanchez, multiracial individuals have developed their sense of self by being misunderstood by “white” and non multiracial communities. In terms of the article, if multiracial individuals are feeling like their full self isn’t being accepted, they will view themselves as outcasted and unaccepted by their community. Unfortunately, it is difficult enough for a monoracial individual to feel accepted, let alone a multiracial individual.
The assertion has appeared repeatedly in the literature that it is unethical for counselors to provide clinical services to clients who are culturally different from themselves if the counselors are not competent to work effectively with these clients (e.g., Corey, Corey, & Callanan, 2003; Herlihy & Watson, 2003; Lee, 2002; Pedersen, Draguns, Lonner, & Trimble, 2002; Remley & Herlihy, 2005; Vontress, 2002). Historically, however, counselors have been slow to recognize a connection between multicultural competence and ethical behavior. Multiculturalism and ethical standards both emerged during the 1960s as separate strands of development within the counseling profession. Multicultural counseling evolved from a growing awareness that discrepancies between counselor and client were resulting in ineffective service delivery and early termination of treatment for ethnic minority clients (Atkinson, Morton, & Sue, 1998” (p.99). Prior to this form of counseling, counseling was most effective for Caucasians. However, as time pasted and theories for minorities improved the code of ethics began to improve as
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.
Times are changing and I feel like I am forced to conform to the everyday social norms of America, which makes me feel impuissance. Racial identity, which refers to identifying with a social group with similar phenotypes and racial category, is the only experience that I have with life (Organista, 2010). Racial ethnicity was used to build my self-esteem and to keep me in the dark when it came to how society treats individuals of darker complexion. However, once I left the confines of my family and neighborhood, I was forced to befriend and interact with individuals that had different cultural values and beliefs than me. This experience caused me to learn how to appreciate other racial and ethnic groups and their cultural values and belief. This is an accurate definition, of acculturation because I was able to understand and fit in with individuals different from me, while maintaining my own culture and ethnic identity. Therefore, knowing the importance of my ancestry, while acculturating and developing my own identity was all used