Reply question

Promoting Cultural Awareness

COLLAPSE

Top of Form

As a culturally sensitive therapist, I must first understand each client’s background in order to help them feel more comfortable in the counseling environment.  My initial goal is to establish a trusting, therapeutic environment, in which the client receives hope, help, and healing. To effectively meet this goal, I must establish an environment of empathetic sensitivity to their specific multicultural issues. Understanding a client involves more than just knowing about their ethnicity or culture, it also involves comprehension of their specific belief system, values, race, religion, age, socioeconomic status, gender and sexual orientation. 

To effectively minister to my clients, I should reflect a conscious awareness of common stereotypes, biases, and even discriminatory practices that they may face on a daily basis. It is important that I am aware that there may be a conflict between the person’s native culture and the dominant culture in which they live.  This can cause internal tension as the client struggles to reconcile their own beliefs with that of their community or family. They may experience communication issues or language barriers, or a general lack of acceptance. They may feel embarrassed or afraid to seek counseling help, as it may be perceived as culturally inappropriate. The client may be concerned about how they will pay for the counseling.

Differing backgrounds, cultural attitudes and values affect how each client approaches therapy. Some may have great difficulty entering counseling, as they may have been raised to view the need for counseling as a weakness. One of the take-away points from the text reading is the importance for maintaining anonymity in public with clients.  I must ensure that I protect my clients, removing the pressure to have to explain to others why they are in counseling. Kelsey Wiley explained in Voices from the Field 7.1, “I always explain to my clients when I start working with them that, if I see them in public, I will not make the first move. If they want to say ‘hello’ to me, that’s fine” (Newton & Erford, 2018, p. 191). 

As I strive to recognize my own cultural bias, I am able to appreciate and respond appropriately to other people’s life experiences that are different from my own. Scripture teaches that, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28 NIV).  Despite our differences, I must help my clients connect with me as their therapist, and make an effort to show a genuine acceptance for them in a non-discriminatory atmosphere.  It may be helpful to disclose a small amount of personal information, in order to build the trusting relationship. It is my job to establish an environment in which I understand how my client’s cultural identity shapes their approach to counseling, so that I may offer appropriate interventions that are well-received and achievable (Newton & Erford, 2018). The key is having open dialogue and full disclosure, as I establish a safe space for my client to better understand who they are and offer them tools to learn how to effectively deal with the many issues in today’s society. 

Reference

Newton, K. S. & Erford, B. T. (2018). Social class and classism.  In D. G. Hays, & B. T. Erford (Eds.), Developing multicultural counseling competence: A systems approach (3rd ed.) (pp. 188-223). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson

Bottom of Form