RE: Unit 1.1 DB: Development of Cultural Competence

Learning should be a lifelong process; we are always evolving as humans and as we evolve and change it is important to be aware of these changes. Continuous learning is important in life and especially in this helping profession. In this counseling field professionals will encounter many various cultures and beliefs of individuals. It is important to stay on top of this to best serve your clients. It is also important for the therapeutic alliance to form because it will allow the client to gain trust and feel understood. Aside from my course work as well as the shared experiences of fellow classmates this writer will strengthen her knowledge of cultural competence by observing and asking questions in a professional setting among colleagues and supervisors as well as watching and reading current material that pertain to cultural competencies and knowledge.  

Sue, D.W., et al., (2019) explain that it is not only important for professionals to understand differing worldviews but also for us to understand our own views of diversity and our reactions to it. This is essential for counselors as it would be harmful to impose our own beliefs onto others whether done consciously or unconsciously. Awareness is the key to preventing this kind of harm which would end in an unsuccessful therapeutic outcome. This writer believes that by observing fellow colleagues and asking questions, when necessary, when a cultural difference comes up that I do not have experience with, she can gain competence. Feedback allows for perfecting one’s skills and understanding what may work or vice versa. Lassiter et al., (2008) explains how multicultural supervision has potential to foster supervises in effective competence as well as providing a context in which diversity mindfulness is expected. This writer will continue to gain cultural competence through her observations, feedback and continued studying of new cultures and new beliefs.  

                                                         References 

Imber-Black, E. (1997). Developing cultural competence: Contributions from recent family therapy literature. American Journal of Psychotherapy (Association for the Advancement of Psychotherapy), 51(4), 607. https://doi-org.postu.idm.oclc.org/10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.1997.51.4.607 

Lassiter, P. S., Napolitano, L., Culbreth, J. R., & Ng, K.-M. (2008). Developing multicultural competence using the structured peer group supervision model. Counselor Education and Supervision, 47(3), 164–178. https://doi-org.postu.idm.oclc.org/10.1002/j.1556-6978.2008.tb00047.x 

Sue, D.W., Sue, D., Neville, H.A., & Smith, L. (2019). Counseling the culturally diverse. John Wiley & Sons.   

Venesa W

RE: Unit 1.1 DB: Development of Cultural Competence

Cultural competence is very vital as a counselor (ACA,2014). Cultural sensitivity involves counselors being sensitive to clients that assimilate to other cultures (ACA,2014) . Counselors should develop interventions and strategies that clients that are from other cultures can benefit from (ACA,2014). Being culturally competent will allow counselors to assist clients with resources that can be beneficial for them.  Counselors can continue to display  cultural competencies within various cultures that they provide services to by continuing education (ACA,2014).  It is vital to understand as a counselor that individuals from other cultures go through stress and may require assistance, advocating , and many other various resources and it is beneficial when counselors are cultural competent in order to assist clients ( Kenny,2015).Counselors also can display culturally competency by becoming familiar with their community, which can help navigate various individuals and families to who they provide services to, to resources or referrals that they can benefit from (Kenny,2015). Getting involved in the community and social events that take place is another way this writer can be culturally competent to what services are available to the community (Mark,2017). Attending social gatherings can assist counselors in understanding resources that clients may be on need of and at the same time understand more about their culture (Mark,2017).  This writer a challenge that she may have is being aware of her own cultural bias’s to ensure she is providing the best resources for her client. 

Reference

ACA. (2015). American Code of Ethics. Retrieved from https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-e…

Kenney, K. R., Kenney, M. E., Alvarada S. B.,  Baden, A. L., Brew, L., Chen-Hayes, S., Crippen, C. L., Harris, H. L., Henriksen, R. C.,  Malott, K. M.,  Paladino, D. A., Pope, M. L., Salazar, C. F., Singh, A. A. (2015). Competencies for counseling the multiracial population.

Mark Nickerson, L. (2017). Cultural Competence and Healing Culturally Based Trauma with EMDR Therapy?: Innovative Strategies and Protocols. Springer Publishing Company.

Sherline F

RE: Unit 1.2 DB: Multicultural Counseling and Therapy

The muluticutiual competencies world that were looked at was (1) Someone being aware  of their personal belief, (2) The awareness of the world’s view of cultural diverse  within mutiple groups and lastly (3) Utilitzation of appriopritate intervention skills and strateregies. (Sue & Sue 2013)..

Due to the growing and change of the environment, counselors may find it difficult to provide efficient and interventions that work within the diffferent  cultures, races and ethics groups.  Dickerson & Shmway (2011) have presented some framework to delievering effective multicultural  training that would help some key component which would be all cultually sensitive of the environment, traditional experimental and strategies ad multicultiual clinical instruction.  This exposure would still be provided continue self reflection and and growth that would still be needed in this evolving and diverse environment.

This writer has experience this while being a DSS worker when asked to work with a Haitian iimmigrant because I spoke Creole and I am a Haitian-American.  My agency felt that the family would probably feel comfortable and could relate to me and probably agree to the services.  However, the father in the father did not want to work with me and ask for another worker.  The father stated that he wanted a Haitian worker that was actually from Haiti.  Father did not feel that I was “ethnic” enough for the family as I was born in America so I did not have enough of their culture/value/morals to understand them.  I felt a bit offended as my parents did raise me with most of the culture and taught their Native lanuage however I did respect the client’s wishes and request a transfer to another provider.  I learned very early on that you can not take things personally and have to do what is in the best interest of the client.

Reference:

Ahmed, S. Wilson K.B Henriksen, R. C. R. ones J.K.
C 2011. What Does It Mean To Be Culturally Competent Counselor?  Journal of Social Action in Counseling and Psycholiogy317-https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/vistas/multicultural-counseling-competencies.pdf?sfvrsn=7

Elyse M

RE: Unit 1.2 DB: Multicultural Counseling and Therapy

Being culturally responsive has become an essential part of the helping profession to better support clients through sensitivity and understanding. However, traditionally, many counseling theories and practices were not necessarily developed through a cultural lens or with consideration to diversity. Like many professions, counseling was established from the perspective of EuroAmerican assumptions and values that at times can prevent counselors from seeing beyond Western therapeutic training (Sue, Sue, Neville, & Smith, 2019). For example, many theories have emphasized the individual and focus on analyzing how a person can work toward addressing disorders or abnormal behavior through assessing thoughts and emotions. Essentially, the focus is helping the person “be one’s own self” (Sue et al., 2019). However, these approaches may fail to consider the significant role that family and interfamilial dynamics play in a person’s life with respect to cultural background. Without being mindful of this structure and background, the counselor may negate aspects of the family that are critically important to the client.

In addition, traditional techniques should not always be delivered in the same manner when working with clients from diverse cultural backgrounds. For example, there has been evidence to show that rapport and the therapeutic alliance are crucial to effective counseling. There have been techniques that have been proposed that help a counseling establish this alliance such as presentation, empathy, body language, and congruence (Vontress, 2001). However, depending on the person’s cultural beliefs and background, the traditional set up to counseling may be uncomfortable and not conducive to relationship building. For example, in some cultures, values determine that when meeting with someone of authority, certain behaviors such as no eye contact or minimal verbal exchange are signs of respect. However, to the counselor this may be viewed as disengagement. The counselor should make efforts to understand how they can better align with that person’s values or beliefs to be more effective in their practice and relationship building. It has been suggested that counselors continuously check in with clients to gain feedback on services and treatment and recognize limitations (Pinkney, 2021).

Counselors are likely to continue to encounter unique challenges when working with clients of a different cultural background. In the United States, clients that are part of marginalized groups have experienced oppression, discrimination, and systemic racism. Therefore, a client meeting with a white therapist may have reservations because of their own experiences that have been a function of their racial and ethnic group. They may feel misunderstood or feel like they may have difficulty relating (Vontress, 2001). Counselors have to continue to use culturally responsive techniques.

In addition, everyone is susceptible and vulnerable to implicit bias. Unconsciously, counselors may make assumptions about their clients that misjudges or mis-categorizes them (Pinkney, 2021). This may affect the way the counselor approaches topics with clients or their practice in general. In one instance, this writer was working as a family therapist and began working with a family of a patriarchal cultural background in which women were not necessarily acknowledged as equal. Therefore, being a female therapist conducting family therapy, the father of the family perceived the process as though he was being judged for being a poor father. Therefore, it was necessary to tailor the family therapy to address that family’s needs in a way that was responsive to their structure.

References

Pinkney, K. E. (2021). Anti-racist practice: I am accountable. Are you? Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 43(3), 277–280.

Sue, D.W., Sue, D., Neville, H.A., & Smith, L. (2019). Counseling the culturally diverse. John Wiley & Sons.

Vontress, C. E. (2001). Cross-cultural counseling in the 21st century. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 23(2), 83-97.