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Personal Strategies for Multicultural Humility and Orientation
Mary (Katie) Gibbs
Liberty University
HSCO 509
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Plan for Multicultural Orientation Paper Assignment
Every human service professional has strengths and weaknesses. Being aware of these
strengths and weakness allows for one to reach their full potential. We live in a world full of
diversity. No one person is the same. This is why it is so vital for all human service professionals
to be multiculturally aware. In this paper I plan to focus on my plan for how I will stay
multiculturally aware and seek feedback from my clients when working in the field. Every client
is the master in their own needs, experiences, and beliefs. I always want my work to be client
led. I believe this means meeting my clients where they are and creating a space where they feel
comfortable stating what I could improve on.
Possessing multicultural humility is something I take very seriously. I believe the only way
for one to truly possess this quality is to make it a lifelong goal and be willing to constantly
evolve. According to a journal article by Meng et al. (2024) multicultural orientation consists of
three pillars. “One of the most important advancements within the MCO literature is the
development and validation of measures to assess the three pillars of the MCO framework,
cultural humility, cultural comfort, and cultural missed opportunities” (Hook et al.,2013; J. J.
Owen et al., 2011, 2016).
Limitations and Strengths
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Being aware of your own short comings can
allow you to take constructive criticism and apply it to your life. I believe the best human service
professionals know how to be flexible and allow the client’s need to guide their practice. This
may mean straying from what is normal for you. One limitation that I foresee for myself is my
lack of exposure to certain cultures. Although, I have worked in many different fields and with
many kinds of people I still have cultures I have yet to come across. This is a limitation for
everyone. Being aware of my lack of knowledge and asking for guidance is the best way to
handle this limitation. “Sometimes a therapist can become so removed from seeing their
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limitations that they become almost entirely insulated from client feedback” (Hook et al., 2017,
p. 181).
I have always been the kind of person that is not afraid to ask for help. This strength has
allowed me to grow and evolve faster. Asking for guidance in moments where I know there is
someone who has more experience than I am eliminates the risk of being unprepared. I like to
also keep that conversation open when working with clients. Anytime I have been in the
position where I am working with someone to help them reach some kind of resolution, I
attempt to keep the door open for feedback. Asking questions such as “Is there anything I can
improve on to better serve you?” or “what makes you feel most supported?” allows me to keep
that line of communication open.
Plan for Seeking Feedback
I believe the best way to ensure that my client’s cultural identities are being addressing is
by fully understanding who my clients are. The best way to do this is through consultations prior
to regular sessions. Having a thorough intake session allows me to fully understand my client’s
identity. In addition to this always asking for feedback from my clients ensures I am not missing
anything. Having open conversations addressing if sessions are adequately involving cultural
identify, cultural perspectives or concerns, and being culturally sensitive regularly will allow me
to fully meet the needs of my client.
Plan for Addressing Limitations
The training course that I believe could be beneficial for anyone attempting to learn or
better themselves in multicultural orientation is Multicultural Issues in Human Services. This
course focuses on addressing various issues on inequality, discrimination, and social statuses
(Liberty.edu). This training course is specifically for individuals entering into the human service
profession and focuses on issues with discrimination and inequality. I also had the opportunity
recently to participate in a training for work which was called Title VI. This is another great
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resource which focuses on the importance of prohibiting discrimination. This training was
through CODI (Clarksville Organizational Development Institute).
In my research I found an article titled The Process Model of Multicultural Counseling
Competence (Ridley et al., 2021). This article discussed different multicultural learning models.
The mental health professions need to reconceptualize multicultural counseling competence
and innovate their models in order to provide better guidance to their professionals (Ridlet et
al., 2021). I learned that my ability to counsel and support an individual has nothing to do with
my own beliefs. I can be very successful in therapeutic encounters with individuals who have
different beliefs, backgrounds, and cultures than I do.
Conclusion
Multicultural orientation should be discussed and considered with every client we
encounter. Understanding the importance of cultural sensitivity can help protect the
relationship between the client and counselor. Trainings and mindfulness of professionals in the
field may minimize some issues when confronted with conflicted factors in multicultural
oriented settings. I plan to use the knowledge I do have to serve my clients to the best of my
ability and continue to grow my knowledge on multicultural orientation. The only way to meet
the needs of my clients is to be aware of my limitations and to ask for help when I need it.
References
Chatraw, J. D., & Prior, K. S. (2019). Cultural engagement: A crash course in contemporary
issues. Zondervan Academic.
Hook, J. N., Davis, D., Owen, J., & DeBlaere, C. (2017). Cultural humility: Engaging diverse
identities in therapy. American Psychological Association.
Liberty University Courses. Multicultural Issues in Human Services.
https://www.liberty.edu/online/courses/hsco509/?
ga=2.9777011.794961830.1624374767-908604872.1604425114.
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Ridley, C. R., Sahu, A., Console, K., Surya, S., Tran, V., Xie, S., & Yin, C. (2021). The process.
model of multicultural counseling competency. The Counseling Psychologist, 49(4), 534-
567.
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