Hispanic/latino culture Multicultural Counseling – Courtney Traxson

My Multicultural Self-Awareness My reasoning for choosing the Hispanic/Latino culture to further my knowledge on is because this group of people has increased in numbers over the last 50 years at a great rate in the U.S. As a future school counselor this means that more and more students are going to be attending my school that are Hispanic/Latino. I have been around this culture and interacted with them but I have never really given thought to the cultural differences that could affect the counseling relationship. My hope through this portfolio is to gain greater awareness of my own perceptions of this culture and to recognize a change within myself if it needs to occur. To become a better school counselor I think it is important for me to be more knowledgeable on this culture so that I can work with them in a productive manner.

Multicultural Counseling In order for a school counselor to be effective within multicultural students they need to assume a helping role and work with the client to define goals that are consistent with their life experiences and cultural values. Work to balance individualism and collectivism in accordance to the client’s cultural beliefs Recognize client’s identities to include individual, group, and universal dimensions A school counselor who is culturally competent should be aware of their own assumptions about human behavior, values, biases, preconceived notions, and personal limitations Being aware of your own cultural interpretations will help with the process so that you aren’t imposing ideas on a client that you are not aware of

Beliefs and Values Family Roles/Family Structure Deep respect and affection among large network of family and friends Cooperation is stressed Extended family includes relatives, close friends, and godparents Often live in households of 5 or more members Roles/Family Structure Families are hierarchical; special authority is given to parents, older family members, and males Father is the primary authority figure Children are expected to obey and are not involved in family decisions and older children help care for younger siblings Males Expected to be strong, dominant, and the provider for the family

Beliefs and Values Continued… Religion Religion is very important to most Latinos Belief that life’s misfortunes are inevitable and feel resigned to their fate Education/Work Many do not fare well in school 90% of those who drop out of school do not attain a GED and cannot attend college/vocational programs or enter the military Language barriers contribute to educational difficulties High pregnancy rates for Latina girls contributes to dropout rates

Hispanic/Latino vs. White Coming from a white cultural background there are definitely some areas that I am differing in my world views from that of a Hispanic/Latino individual… One of the major differences between these two cultures is the concept of family. Within a Latino family it is not uncommon for extended family to be living in the house and helping raise the children. My culture is used to immediate family in the household and those are the people you predominantly interact with. Another big difference is this cultures view on mental health and counseling. While I have grown up knowing my school counselor and seeking guidance from others on both small and big issues, it is important for Hispanic/Latino cultures to keep those sort of things within yourself or in the family. Mental illness just makes people think “loco” which means crazy in Spanish. There is a stigma associated with mental illness so often individuals of this culture do not seek guidance and are more likely to express psychological distress via somatic symptoms.

White Privilege White Privilege refers to the privileges that benefit White individuals that don’t benefit Non-White individuals in the same way even if they are of the same social, political, or economic status as each other. When it comes to the Hispanic/Latino culture there is one privilege in which I think this culture most definitely is affected by, and that is language. In America, we speak English. This is the idea held by most White individuals in the U.S. As our country becomes more multicultural thought it is important for everything to evolve with it. In the school for example, there are some teachers, such as the Spanish teacher, or maybe one or two other individuals that speak Spanish. As our schools become more diverse I think it is important for there to be translators available, or at stores where some Hispanic/Latino customers may not speak English well. All too often we assume other Non-White individuals should change for us but why not create an environment that fosters all cultures?

Counseling in School Working with Hispanic/Latino students, given the language barrier, it is important to consider the cultural values and beliefs that were previously discussed as it can directly affect the counseling relationship. With a language barrier, a translator in a school might need to be brought in or an outside referral made so that the student gets the help he needs while being able to maintain confidentiality between another counselor that speaks Spanish. Students of this culture might not seek out guidance because of stigmas on receiving counseling, so helping school personnel and teachers realize that if they notice certain somatic symptoms or think a student should be referred then they should be the ones to do it, because the student themselves might continue to suffer without reaching out for help. I can foresee myself working with a larger number of Hispanic/Latino students with academics. As mentioned before, there is a higher number of dropouts that occurs for multiple reasons including high pregnancy rates and language barriers. Some potential ethical concerns I might have is since this culture is very much family oriented, if I am working individually with a student and we have privileged communication but the parents are wanting to know what is being said, I want to keep things confidential unless the student says I can tell them what we have discussed. This might upset parents because they already were unsure of counseling and they are very family-oriented so they persist. When parents continue to want to know more, I legally must tell them eventually with the student being fully aware that I have to.

Individual Counseling in School Working individually with a student of Hispanic/Latino culture I could experience a wide variety of reasons why they are in my office (like any other student). One example I will cover in more detail is if a student was referred to me for his tardiness and lack of effort that has recently been happening in class. I would bring the student into my office and ask them how things have been going at school and at home and that one of his teachers has expressed concern for him showing up late to his class every morning and not turning in the homework assigned the day before. Student would be hesitant to talk but I would continue to ask questions and allow him to open up about what has been bothering him, etc. Student mentions he has been out late drinking a lot more and that is why he shows up late to that class and hasn’t done his work like he used to. Taking a mental note of drinking a lot, I know that Hispanic/Latino men often deal with mental health issues by avoiding them and not seeking help so alcohol is rampant in this culture. After further discussion with the use of Solution-Focused questions I am able to see that substance abuse has become this student’s coping mechanism, as it was with his Father, for what appears to be depressive symptoms. For this student I would continue to work with him with a Solution-Focused approach to help with the process of substance abuse but I would also use CBT to address his depressive thinking and work to get rid of his irrational thinking. This culture of men are often embarrassed to seek help, so I would work with this student and possibly figure out a time where he could come in that his friends might not notice him gone or he feels most comfortable. Maybe working out a schedule with that teacher, since he was already showing up late to that class, I can have him come straight to my office in the morning and then stroll into class 20-30 min after it started so that other students don’t notice a difference.

Small Group & Classroom Lessons Small Group: As a school counselor I would not necessarily have a group dedicated to students that belong to the Hispanic/Latino culture but there are definitely some examples of groups that many students might fit into including… Transition group: for students who are newly immigrated or just newly moved Study/Organizational Improvement Skills: for students who are lacking in school and need more motivation to increase academic achievement Decision-Making Group: Men of this culture have more freedom than women so giving good information on healthy lifestyle choices Girls group: Many Hispanic/Latino women become pregnant in High School and drop out so a group that offers support among expecting mothers Classroom Lessons: If I plan to do some classroom lessons in my school I would rotate what areas I am trying to address monthly but I would always ensure to have a lesson on culture in the mix. Helping students to develop cultural awareness now will better enable them to react to others of different cultures out in every day life. Elementary lesson on diversity: http://theinspiredcounselor.blogspot.com/2013/02/diversity-lesson-crayon-box-that- talked.html High school lesson on diversity might be more of a discussion piece and have students choose cultures and present on them.