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Culturally Effective Counselors

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BY:

PROF. MADYA DR. FATIMAH YUSOOFF

LOGO Awareness of Self

Counselors should develop an awareness of their own cultural heritage and how it has shaped their cultural beliefs, attitudes, and values, especially those involving other people

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Self-awareness also includes developing an awareness of how one’s own cultural background and experiences influence one’s attitudes, values, and biases about psychological processes

LOGO Counselors should be able to do the following :

Identify the history of their culture in relation to educational opportunities and current worldview

1.

Identify relevant personal cultural traits and explain their influences on cultural values

2.

Identify social and cultural influences on cognitive development

3.

4. Identify social and cultural influences in their history that have influenced their views (which would affect counseling)

LOGO Counselors should be able to do the following :

5.

3.

4.

Articulate the beliefs of their own cultural and religious groups as these relate to sexual orientation, able-bodiedness, etc, and the impact of these beliefs on the counseling relationship

LOGOCounselor should also be able

to do the following :

Identify the culture (s) to which they belong1.

Identify specific cultural groups from which they derived fundamental cultural heritage and significant beliefs and attitudes

2.

Recognize the impact of their beliefs on their ability to respect others

3.

4. Identify specific attitudes, beliefs and values from their own cultural heritage that support behaviors demonstrating respect and valuing

LOGOCounselor should also be able

to do the following

Engage in an on going process of challenging their own beliefs and attitudes that do not support respecting and valuing of differences

5.

Appreciate and articulate positive aspects of their own heritage that provide them with strengths in understanding differences

6.

Recognize the influence of other personal dimensions of identify and their role in self-awareness (Arredondo et.al., 1996)

7.

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Arredondo and colleagues’s (1996) list of multicultural counseling competencies is based on the dimensions of the personal identity model (Arredondo & Glauner, 1992):

LOGO I. Counselor Awareness of Own Cultural Values and Biases

Culturally skilled counselors belive that cultural self-awareness and sensitivity to one’s own cultural heritage is essential

1.

Culturally skilled counselors are aware of how their own cultural background and experiences have influenced attitudes, values and biases about psychological processes

2.

Culturally skilled counselors are able to recognize the limits of their multicultural competency and expertise

3.

4. Culturally skilled counselors recognize their sources of discomfort with differences that exist between themselves and clients in terms of race, ethnicity and culture

A. Attitudes and Beliefs :

LOGO I. Counselor Awareness of Own Cultural Values and Biases

Knowledge about their own racial and cultural heritage1.

Knowledge and understanding about how oppression, racism, discrimination and streotyping affect them personally and in their work

2.

Knowledge about their social impact on others3.

B. Knowledge:

LOGO I. Counselor Awareness of Own Cultural Values and Biases

Seek out educational, consultative, and training experiences to improve their understandings and effectiveness in working with culturally different populations

1.

Seeking to understand themselves as racial and cultural being and are actively seeking a nonracist identity

2.

C. Skills:

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Culturally skilled counselors respect clients’ religious and spiritual beliefs and values, including attributions and taboos, because these affect worldview, psychosocial healing and expressions of distress

1.

Culturally skilled counselors respect indigenous helping practices and respect help-giving networks among communities of color

2.

Culturally skilled counselors values bilingualism and do not view another language as an impediment to counseling (“monolingualism” may be the culprit)

3.

II. Counselor Awareness of Clients’ WorldviewIII. Culturally Appropriate Intervention Strategies

A. Beliefs and Attitudes

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Have a clear and explicit knowledge and understanding of the generic characteristics of counseling and therapy

1.

Counselors are aware of institutional barriers that prevent minorities from using mental health services2.

Counselors have knowledge of potential bias in assessment instruments from use procedures and interpret findings in a way that recognizes the cultural and linguistic characteristics of the clients

3.

4.

B. Knowledge:

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Counselors have knowledge of family structures, hierarchies, values and beliefs from various perspectives

4.

Culturally skilled counselors should be aware of relevant discriminatory practices at the social and the community level that may be affecting the psychological welfare of the population being served

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Culturally skilled are able to engage in avariety of verbal and nonverbal helping responses

1.

Culturally skilled counselors are able to exercise institutional intervention on behalf of their clients2.

Culturally skilled counselors are not averse to seeking consultation with traditional healers or religious and spiritual leaders and practitioners in the treatment of culturally different clients when appropriate

3.

4.

C. Skills:

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Culturally skilled counselors take responsibility for interacting in the language requested by the client and if not feasible make appropriate referrals

4

Culturally skilled counselors have training and expertise in the use of traditional assessment and testing instruments 5.

Culturally skilled counselors should attend to as well as work to eliminate, biases, prejudices and discriminatory contexts in conducting evaluations and providing interventions and should develop sensitivity to issues of oppression, sexism heterosexism, elitism and racism

6.

LOGO Continued….

Culturally skilled counselors take responsibility for educating their clients to the processes of psychological intervention such as their goals expectations legal rights and the counselor’s orientation

7.

2.

3.

4.

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