More handpicked essays just for you.
Racial/cultural identity development in counseling relationship
Critique of multicultural counseling and therapy
Issues in multicultural counseling
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
D1 1.) Think of situations in which you might encounter clients with culturally diverse backgrounds. What aspects of cognitive behavioral therapy do you think might work well in multicultural counseling? How might you have to modify some of your techniques so that they would be appropriate for the client’s cultural background? While thinking of situations in which I might encounter clients with culturally diverse backgrounds I could think of a lot while working in a community agency or even in my own private practice. When you work for an agency or private practice anyone can walk into your door for help. As I work at a training clinic now I can see the diversity of clients and there different needs. I believe that if I stay in Las Vegas I will continue to see diverse clients because it is a diverse place to live/work and that it is important to know about multicultural counseling techniques. CBT tends to be culturally sensitive because it uses the individual’s belief system and worldview, as part of the method of self-exploration (Corey, 2016). Whereas, if I was in a rural community I could see myself The main thing I would do is take the process slower for those who need more explanation and/or if I need more understanding of the client’s worldview overall. Another added bonus about this therapy is that it is evidence based and will be important for us as counselors to incorporate if we want to get payed for our services. It is very simple, instructional, and psychoeducational, which can be applied to many clinical problems and used effectively in many settings with diverse client populations which I will discuss further in the next section (Corey, 2016). This is why I believe it is so easy to use or use modifications. Yet it is still very effective with different types of clients so it is a great technique to
These techniques include showing concern for clients through active listening and empathy, showing respect for and confidence in clients, focusing on client’s strong points and positive traits, resources, replacing discouraging thoughts with encouraging ones, and helping clients to develop a sense of humor about life. (Watts & Pietrzak,2000,p 443) Another method, as mentioned earlier is building a strong rapport with the client. Therapists use a variety of techniques to facilitate change in the client’s behavior. Therapists help clients to choose alternative behaviors to the behaviors that are maladaptive. The next method is getting the client to change how he or she views a situation. This is done inside and outside of counseling. Through this technique a client comes to realize their abilities and strengths. Last but not least, therapists help clients draw on their resources and strengths when faced with a situation that seems troublesome. (Watts & Pietrzak,2000,p
... By scheduling an activity that the client can participate in and complete, it can give them a sense of mastery in a specific task. This can be beneficial for the client to feel accomplished. Another technique that I feel can be beneficial in therapy is role-playing. Role-playing can be helpful for a client to learn how to dispute irrational beliefs by becoming aware of negative feelings towards theses beliefs (Tan, 2011). In addition, role-playing can help the client to overcome their emotions and practice coping skills that are more effective. The last technique I would incorporate into therapy would be relaxation training. I would suggest ways that can help the client relax including, deep breathing, meditation, yoga, a massage or exercising. By getting the client to have methods to relax, I think it can help with managing their thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
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.
While CBT has many advantages, it alone does not encompass all of the concepts I believe are necessary to tackle a client’s needs. Therefore, I draw upon concepts from various theories to assist clients in achieving their goals. Pulling from Reality therapy, a key concept I utilize is focusing on what the client is doing and how to get them to evaluate whether they’re present actions are working for them. CBT does use some form of this in the sense that one must examine and establish their cognitive misconceptions; however, I prefer to extract this concept from Reality therapy because CBT tends to do so by focusing on the past. I am a firm believer that while the past can shape who you are, it does little good to remain focused on it. Focusing on overt behavior, precision in specifying the goals of treatment, development of specific treatment plans, and objective evaluation of therapy outcomes all come from Behavior therapy (Corey, 2013, p. 474). Behavior therapy is highly structured much like that of CBT. By utilizing this aspect of Behavior therapy, I am better able to closely observe where a client is currently and where they are headed. Lastly, I pull from Person-Centered therapy as the final key concept of my counseling approach. PCT focuses on the fact that client’s have the potential to become aware of their problems and resolve them (Corey, 2013). This Person-Centered therapy concept has overlap with CBT as
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.
Culture can be defined as behaviors exhibited by certain racial, religious, social or ethnic groups. Some factors in which culture may vary include: family structure, education, and socioeconomic status (Kodjo, 2009). Some may think cultural competence is something that has an end point, however, when the big picture is seen, it is a learning process and journey. From the writer’s perspective, the client-therapist relationship can be challenging. Culturally competent therapists must realize that behaviors are shaped by an individual’s culture. Many changes are taking place within the United States cultural makeup. Therapists and healthcare professionals are being challenged to provide effective and sensitive care for patients and their families. This type of culturally sensitive care requires the professional to be open and seek understanding in the patients diverse belief systems (Kodjo, 2009).
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.
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
broad range of clients. Awareness and respect for diversity and multicultural values facilitates good communication and therapeutic relationship.
As we go about our daily lives in the beautiful country of Canada which we have been blessed to live in, it has become normal to see a woman who wears the hijab walking down the street, or a Black family driving on the highway, or an Indian man wearing a suit and tie heading into the office. Canada’s cultural diversity is something which makes the country so special to live in, and instances where we see people of different cultures is increasing everyday. Many of the newcomers who arrive from overseas into Canada are families, with children and youth ready to begin their new life filled with opportunity here in Canada. However, youth who settle in Canada with their families aren’t exempted from the trials and tribulations youth face. In fact,
Furthermore, my goal is to let client fix their problems on their own through insight and guidance from the therapist. I envision a successful therapeutic process being when a client follows their goals and achieves positive outcomes in their lives. I seek to gain a therapeutic process with my clients by building rapport, trust, and helping them gain insight. When my clients are stuck and need motivation, I plan to remind them about their goals and the positive things that will come with change. If family is important to a client, informing the client about their family and their happiness may help motivate them to continue to
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.
3. Pedersen B. (1994) A Handbook for Developing of Multicultural Awareness, American Counselling Association: USA
...m et al.). Focusing on the perceptions of clients allows one to understand more of what needs to be done to gain more clients who are from an Asian culture. The findings of Jim (2007) were as followed: there were three different understandings; one, the ability or inability of the therapist to understand culture context was very important to some; two, having the experience of being able to talk to someone without cultural constraints was helpful to some; and three, culture seemed to have infinitesimal value. Most if not all clients who participated in Jim's study had a major underlying theme to their responses, they valued being able to talk about problems in a safe environment with someone whom they trusted. Therapists need to both understand a client's culture but also “the client's unique dilemmas and distress within the context of cultural values.” (Jim, p.22).
The topic for this training video pertains to multicultural competence. Group members selected this topic in order to highlight the importance of the development of multicultural awareness and sensitivity in supervisees. It is essential for supervisors to guide supervisees to be knowledgeable, understanding, and respectful of the cultural identities of clients in order to provide effective, holistic, and ethical assistance (O’Brien & Hauser, 2016). Additionally, supervisors are responsible for assisting supervisees in striving to be conscious of their own cultural influences and values (O’Brien & Hauser, 2016). Supervisors encourage supervisees to maintain awareness of how these values create personal biases, more specifically, how values incongruent