1. Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions, 9th Edition
by Gerald Corey, Marianne Schneider Corey,
Cindy Corey, and Patrick Callanan
with Michelle Muratori, Johns Hopkins University
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2. Multicultural Perspectives and Diversity issues
Chapter 4
Multicultural Perspectives and Diversity issues
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3. Need for Multicultural Emphasis
Counselors have an ethical responsibility to provide professional services that demonstrate respect for the cultural worldviews, values, and traditions of culturally diverse clients.
To the extent that counselors are focused on values of the dominant culture and insensitive to variations among groups and individuals, they are at risk for practicing unethically.
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4. Multicultural Terminology
Culture:
Associated with a racial or ethnic group and with gender, religion, economic status, nationality, physical capacity or disability, and affectional or sexual orientation
Ethnicity:
A sense of identity that stems from common ancestry, history, nationality, religion, and race
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5. Multicultural Terminology
Oppressed group:
A group of people who have been singled out for differential and unequal treatment and who regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination
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6. Multicultural Terminology
Multiculturalism:
A generic term that indicates any relationship between and within two or more diverse groups
Multicultural counseling:
The working alliance between counselor and client that takes the personal dynamics of the counselor and client into consideration alongside the dynamics of the cultures of both of these individuals
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7. Multicultural Terminology
Cultural diversity:
The spectrum of differences that exists among groups of people with definable and unique cultural backgrounds
Diversity:
Individual differences on a number of variables that place clients at risk for discrimination
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8. Multicultural Terminology
Cultural pluralism:
A perspective that recognizes the complexity of cultures and values the diversity of beliefs and values
Cultural diversity competence:
A practitioner’s level of awareness, knowledge, and interpersonal skills needed to function effectively in a pluralistic society and to intervene on behalf of clients from diverse backgrounds
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9. Multicultural Terminology
Cultural empathy:
Therapists’ awareness of clients’ worldviews, which are acknowledged in relation to therapists’ awareness of their own personal biases
Culture-centered counseling:
A three-stage developmental sequence, from multicultural awareness to knowledge and comprehension to skills and applications
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10. Multicultural Terminology
Cultural awareness:
A compassionate and accepting orientation that is based on an understanding of oneself and others within one’s culture and context
Social justice work in counseling:
The empowerment of individuals and family systems to better express needs and advocate on their behalf to address inequities and injustices they encounter in their community and in society
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11. Multicultural Terminology
Cultural tunnel vision:
A perception of reality based on a very limited set of cultural experiences
Globally literate counselors:
Counselors who display a cultural curiosity characterized by an openness to engaging in new cultural experiences
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12. Multicultural Terminology
Stereotypes:
Oversimplified and uncritical generalizations about individuals who are identified as belonging to a specific group
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13. Multicultural Terminology
Racism:
Any pattern of behavior that, solely because of race or culture, denies access to opportunities or privileges to members of one racial or cultural group while perpetuating access to opportunities and privileges to members of another racial or cultural group
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14. Multicultural Terminology
Cultural racism:
The belief that one group’s history, way of life, religion, values, and traditions are superior to others
Unintentional racism:
Often subtle, indirect, and outside our conscious awareness
Can be the most damaging and insidious form of racism
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15. Multicultural Terminology
Microaggressions:
Persistent verbal, behavioral, and environmental assaults, insults, and invalidations that often occur subtly and are difficult to identify
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16. Reaching Diverse Client Populations
Multicultural counseling competencies provide a framework for effective delivery of services to diverse client populations.
Therapists must be willing to go outside the office to deliver services in the community to decrease suspicion and enhance trust.
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17. Reaching Diverse Client Populations
In some cases, cultural traditions contribute to the underutilization of traditional counseling services by minority clients.
Many clients have come to distrust helpers associated with the establishment or with social service agencies because of a history of unequal treatment.
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18. Reaching Diverse Client Populations
The medical model of clinical counseling is often not a good fit for people of lower socioeconomic status.
Integrating culturally responsive practices with more traditional models of therapy is of major importance.
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19. Multicultural Competence
Most ethics codes address diversity
Reliance on ethics codes alone does not guarantee multicultural competence.
Most contemporary theories of therapy are grounded in Western assumptions
Most of the world differs from mainstream U.S. culture.
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20. Multicultural Competence
Helpers need to reflect on their own assumptions and challenge stereotypical beliefs and cultural bias.
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21. Examining Common Assumptions
Assumption: Self-disclosure is a characteristic of a healthy personality.
Fact: Some clients view self-disclosure and interpersonal warmth as inappropriate in a professional relationship with an authority figure.
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22. Examining Common Assumptions
Assumption: Directness and assertiveness are desirable qualities.
Fact: In some cultures, directness is perceived as rudeness and something to be avoided.
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23. Examining Common Assumptions
Assumption: It is important for clients to become authentic and self-actualized.
Fact: A creative synthesis between self-actualization and responsibility to the group may be a more realistic goal for some clients.
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24. Examining Common Assumptions
Assumption: Direct eye contact is a sign of interest and presence, and a lack thereof is a sign of being evasive.
Fact: Many cultural expressions are subject to misinterpretation, including eye contact, silence, personal space, handshaking, dress, formality of greeting, etc.
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25. Addressing Sexual Orientation
The mental health system has finally begun to treat the problems of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people rather than treating them as the problem.
Counselors are challenged to confront their personal fears, myths, and stereotypes regarding sexual orientation.
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26. Addressing Sexual Orientation
Work with LGBT clients needs to include recognition of societal factors that contribute to oppression and discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
It is both inappropriate and unprofessional to convey intolerance to LGBT clients.
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27. Addressing Sexual Orientation
Practitioners need to understand that heterosexism pervades social and cultural foundations of many institutions and often contributes to negative attitudes toward LGBT people.
The Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling has developed a set of competencies for counselors in training.
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28. The Culture of Disability
People with chronic medical, physical, and mental disabilities represent the largest minority and disadvantaged group in U.S.
People with disabilities are part of a misunderstood culture because they do not conform to the socially determined and accepted standards of normalization, beauty, physical attractiveness, and being able-bodied.
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29. The Culture of Disability
Disabilities in U.S. society are even more prevalent as a result of prolonged and sustained military action in war zones around the world.
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30. Serving the Disability Community
The foundational principle in counseling persons with disabilities is to treat the person first rather than treat the disability.
Diagnostic labels and classifications alone are not helpful in understanding a client’s unique differences and predicting or describing his or her functional capacity.
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31. Serving the Disability Community
Achieving optimal levels of psychosocial functioning with the individual based on his or her abilities defines best practices in working with persons with disabilities.
Given the decreased functional capacity and severity of some disabilities, many counselors take on the natural role of client advocate.
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32. Serving the Disability Community
Acting as client advocate involves the integration of a variety of professional activities facilitating empowerment strategies critical to ensure client independence.
The most helpful role of the counselor is to form a collaborative relationship with clients.
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