With society in today’s world being so diverse and multicultural, counselors are faced more and
more with the difficult challenge of not only understanding but also being able to address the
distinct needs of clients from different cultural backgrounds. The book “Counseling the
Culturally Diverse” is a great resource to have because it gives us detailed information on what
helps counselors to become more multicultural and more diverse when dealing with clients from
different backgrounds. Our PSYC 351 course has shown me the important information and
various skills that it takes to become a multiculturally capable counselor. In this paper we will be
taking a deeper look into the course textbook “Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and
Practice” (9th edition), by Sue & Sue (2019), by going over the positive and negative points
throughout and using what you learned and applying it to a Christian worldview. This paper will
also dive deeper into a supporting research article, giving us a better understanding of
multicultural counseling.
The Competent Counselor
Two important areas of knowledge discussed in the course textbook that benefit a multicultural
counselor are cultural self-awareness and client worldview competency. Cultural self-awareness
is one of the most important attributes to being a multicultural counselor. Cultural self-awareness
is defined as one’s recognition of their own culture and how it influences their beliefs and
judgements. According to the textbook “Self-awareness is important with respect to both cultural
competency and evidence-based practice.” (Sue et al., 2022) Cultural awareness can be very
helpful to counselors in a multitude of ways. For example, it can help them be aware of how the
culture they were raised in has subconsciously led to the creation of their own outlook on life. It
can also help a counselor to be more understanding and receptive to clients of various
backgrounds and cultures and help them to be sensitive to certain things that come along with
their culture. The next area of knowledge I am going to discuss is client worldview competency.
Client worldview competency is a very important skill for a counselor to have because most of
the time the clients feel more comfortable with a counselor that has the same background or
same race but are willing to consider those counselors who understand the client’s worldview.
(Sue et al., 2022) Cultural worldview competency can be defined as an understanding of the
client’s worldview and the interactions between that worldview and the cultural identities of the
counselor and the client in the therapeutic process. If you do not understand why an event may
impact someone from a different culture, there is no way to correctly sympathize with them
during their session. In order to understand a client’s worldview a counselor must learn about
different cultures and their theories and learn how to apply them in their own counseling
practice.
Supporting Research
The article that I used is “Issues in Multicultural Counseling: A National Survey of College
Counselors” by T.B. Smith, R.C. Lyon and K. O’Grady, first published on October 3, 2019.
Counselors want to integrate spirituality and religious issues into counseling. In this article the
authors conducted a national survey of 216 college counselors’ perceptions of integrating
religious and spiritual issues in multicultural counseling and counselor education. The authors
identified 4 patterns of commitments, multiculturalism, and religiosity by using cluster analysis.
The method used in this study was a mail-in survey of 500 randomly selected participants from
the American College Counseling Association (ACCA) professional membership directory. A
one-dollar bill was used as an incentive, and a postage-paid envelope was provided. Which of the
500, 216 (43%) completed and returned surveys. No follow-up was conducted.
For the most part, counselors endorsed the integration of spiritual and religious issues in
professional and multicultural counseling. Counselors and clients need to have a cooperative
relationship even if the counselor disagrees with the client’s theology. They must collaborate
well with all clients, including those who advocate against the views and practices of other
clients and those who experience harassment due to their beliefs and practices (Smith, et al.,
2019). 9% disagreed with this and felt spiritual and religious issues should be excluded from
discussions in publicly funded clinics and colleges. The future of college counseling may depend
on how religion and spirituality are incorporated into or kept apart from multiculturalism (Smith,
et al., 2019) 81% believed that religion and spirituality were part of multicultural issues and
should not be separated from multiculturalism. Respondents demonstrated ethical bracketing,
considering religious and spiritual issues favorably within the framework of multicultural
counseling, irrespective of their commitments to those topics (Smith, et al., 2019).
Textbook Critique
“Counseling the Culturally Diverse 9th edition” provides an extensive overview of
multicultural counseling, going over various cultural groups and distinctive needs. To help
people better understand and appreciate multicultural diversity, which is imperative for effective
counseling the textbook provides many extensive discussions on many different topics such as
cultural competence, ethical considerations in counseling diverse people, and social justice. It
also includes things like case studies and different strategies for working with clients from
different backgrounds and cultures that were founded on empirical research, which can be
applied in practical counseling. This textbook is arranged very well so it is very easy to navigate
your way around it, making it a very valuable resource for professional counselors and students
alike. With that in mind, some people may find it is too much because it covers so many different
cultural theories and concepts. One common criticism is that the book tends to focus more on
theory than practical application (Sue, et al., 2022, p. 201). For some readers executing this
knowledge during a real counseling session can be difficult, even though the textbook gives us
an abundance of perspectives on different cultures and how they influence counseling. There are
a couple of small things that I think the textbook could improve on. First, give more case studies
on how cultural influences can impact multicultural counseling sessions. Next, I think the book
could be improved by discussing clients of marginalized communities and the relationship issues
they face. Lastly, I think the book tends to focus more on theory rather than on practical
application. Overall, I believe the textbook is a wonderful resource for students and professionals
in counseling.
Personal Reflections and the Christian Worldview
In our textbook “Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice 9th edition there is a
chapter on non-traditional healing practices that absolutely does not line up with my personal
Christian worldview. In this chapter they discuss non-traditional or alternative healing methods
such as crystal therapy, energy healing, and other practices that may not align with Christian
beliefs as far as the source of the healing and the role it plays in the healing is concerned. In the
Bible we are reminded in several verses how good God can be and how He can heal us. For
example, “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and
anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick
person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.” (James 5:14-15,
NIV) My belief is that the only place that I need to seek healing from is the Lord. Another
example would be “Worship the Lord your God, and his blessings will be on your food and
water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your
land. I will give you a full life span.” (Exodus 23:25-26) When it comes to counseling, especially
in multicultural counseling, professionals must be patient and not so quick to speak and willing
to listen to their culturally diverse clients and not impose their religious beliefs on them. They
should have an open mind and be understanding of their clients' different beliefs and values. Like
(James 19:1) said “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to
listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry because human anger does not produce the
righteousness that God desires.”
So overall, the textbook “Counseling the Culturally Diverse 9th edition” gives us
extensive insights into the world of counseling by addressing a wide variety of issues. It also
provides valuable information on how to work effectively with clients from different cultural
backgrounds. I would say that this book is a valuable source of information for not only students
but professionals as well, by providing all the information you need to provide competent
services to clients from diverse backgrounds.
References
Smith, T. B., Lyon, R. C., & O’Grady, K. (2019). Integration or Separation? Addressing
Religious and Spiritual Issues in Multicultural Counseling: A National Survey of College
Counselors. Journal of College Counseling.
Sue, D. W., Sue, D., Neville, H. A., & Smith, L. (2022). Counseling the Culturally Diverse:
Theory and Practice. Wiley.
The Holy Bible. New International Version. (1996). Zondervan Corporation.
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