CULTURALLY EFFECTIVE HELPING Rose Marie Lichtenfels, MSW, MA, LCSW

 Culture – “That complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, morals, customs, and capabilities acquired by a person as a member of society. It is a way of life of a group of people, the configuration of all the more or less stereotyped patterns of learned behavior which are handed down from one generation to the next through the means of language and imitation” (Adler 1997). What is Culture?

 Knowledge of one’s own cultural biases.  Basic knowledge about a variety of cultures.  Willingness and ability to use skills and techniques that better match the culture of the client in crisis.  Experience in counseling and crisis intervention with clients of a different culture. Four Attributes of Effective Multiculutral Crisis Intervention (Kiselica, 1998)

 There is a universal measure of “normal” behavior.  Individuals, rather than groups, are the foundation of all societies.  Definitions of presenting problems are limited by professional disciplines.  Western culture relies on abstract thinking.  Independence is valued over dependence. Culturally Biased Assumptions (Pederson, 1987)

 Professional Counseling is better than natural support systems.  Individuals need to change to fit the system.  The client’s history does not affect the current situation.  Interventionists are aware of ALL of their biases. ALL OF THESE ASSUPMPTIONS ARE FLAWED! Ten Culturally Biased Assumptions Cont. (Pederson, 1987)

 Universal vs. Focused  Universal View examines racial and ethnic minorities, as well as special populations.  Focused View examines only “visible and racial ethnic minorities.”  Etic vs. Emic  Etic – one dimensional or linear lens  Emic – gestalt or circular lens Multicultural View of Crisis Intervention

 Victims of a crisis base their ability to overcome the trauma by relying on their own set of cultural survival skills.  May be significantly different from the cultural skills of the crisis worker.  Not recognizing the client’s worldview may lead the crisis worker to make grievous errors in assessment and treatment of crisis intervention. Multicultural perspectives in Crisis Intervention

 What is the client’s world view?  Self-concept, sense of well-being, emotional control, and relational and attributional styles  Opposing Views  Individualism vs. Collectivism  High-Content vs. Low-Content  High-Uncertainty vs. Low-Uncertainty Worldviews

Individualism Collectivism  Makes the personal the most important and the social group as second place.  Prefers low-context and direct communication.  Prefers a confrontation approach to conflict resolution.  Assumes that the individual is simply a component of the larger social group.  Prefers high-context and indirect communication.  Prefers an accommodation approach to conflict resolution. Individualism Vs. Collectivism

High-ContentLow-Content  Self-image and worth are defined in reference to a group.  Information is expressed implicitly and non-verbally.  May become embarrassed when talking directly about the crisis event  Self-image and worth are defined in individual terms.  Information is expressed explicitly.  Does not like the use of stories, proverbs, metaphors, etc. as a method of communication. High-Content Vs. Low- Content

High-UncertaintyLow-Uncertainty  Lives their life by a broad range of rigid rules, regulations, and procedures that cover a multitude of situations.  Lives their life by a more laid-back attitude of acceptance of the situation and gratitude for survival.  “I’m alive, that’s all that matters, I’ll figure the rest out later.” High-Uncertainty Vs. Low-Uncertainty

 What is your identity?  Mother*Father  Wife*Single  Daughter*Employed  Sister*Brother  alcoholic *recovering  Friend* lives in urban area  Athlete* alumni of university  Raised in a *member of veterans Small town Group Social Locations

 RESPECTFUL  Religious/Spiritual  Economic class  Sexual identity  Psychological development  Ethnic/racial  Chronological age  Traumatic threats  Family  Unique physical issues  Language/location of residence Social Location Models

Ecology – the living environment in which the intervention occurs. Social Locations Graph

 Lack of consensus on key terms.  Ethnicity  Race  Ethnic and racial identity  Culture  Inaccurate assumption that current theories of counseling, psychotherapy, and crisis intervention are inherently biased and oppressive. Shortcomings of a Multiculturalist Approach to Crisis Intervention

 Much of the literature on multicultural competencies has not been peer reviewed or is not based on empirical research.  False acceptance of the division between collectivist and individualist cultures. Shortcomings Cont.

 Empathic  Caring  Demonstrates positive regard  Advocates  Genuine belief that humans are more alike than they are different Characteristics of Effective Multicultural Counselors

 Do’s  Examine and understand the client’s worldview.  Use alternative roles that are appealing to the client.  Assist the client in utilizing culturally indigenous support systems.  Take your time to fully triage the situation.  If possible, normalize the reaction to a traumatic event.  Empower the client. Effective Strategies of Multicultural Crisis Intervention

 Don’ts  Impose personal values and expectations onto the client.  Stereotype the client, client behaviors, or culture.  Force unimodal counseling approaches upon the client.  Interfere with long-held issues ingrained in the client. Effective Strategies of Multicultural Crisis Intervention

 Language Barriers  Confidentiality  Translators  Family member vs. professional translator  Religion/Spirituality  often mistakenly avoided by the crisis worker  Religion, spirituality, and faith are often a large part of the crisis response.  Do NOT merely suggest the client consult with their religious/spiritual leader as a means to abdicate your responsibility as a crisis worker. Obstacles to Effective Multicultural Crisis Intervention

 Social Support System  May not be used in a linear way.  “Family” may not be limited to those living in the house of the client.  Using professional services may be taboo in some cultures.  Occupation  Many crisis workers often mistakenly fail to address this significant social location.  Rural Geographic Locale  Typically lack resources and do not have the population to warrant federal aid.  May be suspicious of professional service workers from other communities. Obstacles Cont.

 definition of “help”  may differ between the crisis worker and the client.  Who’s turf is it?  Cultural differences are exacerbated when an “outsider” crisis worker enters the “turf” of the client.  “Outsider” could mean from a different geographic region, state, county, or even town.  Crisis workers need to be aware of the cultural subtleties. More Obstacles

 People most likely to receive services are:  YAVIS  Y oung  A ttractive  V erbal  I ntelligent  S ocially well connected  People most likely NOT to receive services are:  Low-income, elderly, limited-education, and ethnic minorities Who Receives Services?