Journal Entries

Arianne J'Nae Broadnax

CNS 747-Villalba

Assignment 6.1- Cultural

Counseling

The Case for Reparations: Journal I

The Case for Reparations, a highly intriguing article by Tah-Nehisi. Coates, highlights aspects of
racism, pinpointing the plight of African Americans in combating the covert levels of systemic oppression
within the African American community since around the early 1920s. Oppressive acts that continued after
the abolishment of slavery, further diminished their embracement of liberation and a better life in the eyes of
the victims. The article resonated with me, increasing my awareness further of systemic oppressive acts
which continue impact our society today. The 47 page text, bound by courage, & wisdom, brings to the
surface issues of social, economic and political injustices that occurred within our nation further
exacerbating the disparities, between black and white neighborhoods and housing markets. Victims of
these injustices speak out in efforts to seek, reparation, meaning amends, repair and compensation.
The article plunges in to the recounts of African Americans experiences and the issues rooted in
racism i.e. history of lynching, stolen land, property, and the struggle to seek reparations for the
materialistic losses however nothing could ever repay the emotional trauma and victimization that those
individuals faced at that time and are burdened with today. These individuals may not able to validate their
quandary through seeking monetary gains but more so in increasing societal awareness/support due to the
brokenness in the African American community these acts have caused and in hopes to promote social
change for the future. It is imperative in order for America and especially the African American community to
begin healing through awareness and understanding of how these situations and occurrences impact our
cultural society today.
I could not help but think back to this article while reading our Culture/Identity text related to
socioeconomic status and generational poverty occurring within the African American community. On a
personal level, I believe that this article gets at the root of issues of ongoing oppression and suffering within
the Black community and feel grateful that issues such as these are being put out into the open. These
types of social injustices are very evident within our society now and having being a victim systematic
oppression myself in attempts to secure a mortgage loan, I can identify and relate to the pain and anguish
felt with this type of injustice that is system wide, I can truly understand why it is difficult for African
Americans overall to trust others but I do believe that as a community (African American community), this
article is just one of the roads or avenues to begin the healing process. The article stirs a dialogue that has
long been needed to be stated within our on community but with our societal community as well.
I am sure that information retrieved from this article, will impact my work as a counselor in the
future and even in my current role. I recognize that in the clients I may come in contact with, through this
article may also be dealing with or facing generational poverty issues, and may have faced oppression on
some level that impacts the way the perceive and respond to the world around them. It is important to
factor this information in through the process of counseling and understanding the limitations faced within
the African American community- my cultural community.
Reference:
Coates, T. (2014). The case for reparations. The Atlantic. Retrieved from
http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/05/the-case-for-reparations/361631/

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: Journal II

Anne Fadimans novel, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, was an excellent read for this
course. The entire novel was quite captivating as it unfolded various aspects of the Hmong Culture. The
novel encompassed many facets of the Hmong culture, i.e. lifestyle, immigration, and war (Fadiman, 1997).
Throughout the novel, I recognized the struggles faced by the Lee (Hmong surname- Lis) family and how
culture was essential to their functioning and quality of life (Fadiman, 1997). I was able to perceive the Lee
family was impacted through attempts to maintain their culture and the pressures of acculturation within the
American society (Fadiman, 1997). I learned about one of the various ethnic groups among the Chinese
culture through reading the novel, therefore increasing my awareness and desire to learn about other
cultures as well. This unique novel, I perceive, was chosen as it provides an excellent illustration of,
cultural barriers, which in this case impacted the Lee family in there care of their daughter Lia, as well as
the staff at Merced Hospital (Fadiman, 1997). The novel provided such and accurate perspective of the
Hmong culture and how those cultural values and beliefs affected progression or ability of even those with
intentions to help (Merced Hospital staff), care for Lia Lee, (Fadiman, 1997).
Pertaining to how concepts learned through this novel that will impact my role as a future
counselor, I can reflect on several things learned in the course and parallel them to Fadimans novel. First
would be the importance of assessing ones cultural background, history. Thomas and Schwarzbaum
expound on assessment in their techniques and interventions, in the case of Vu, emphasizing cultural
issues related to immigration and acculturation. Some of the questions posed in reference to inquiries of
stories of the journey from ones country of origin, the ease or difficulties in learning /understanding the
English language, and adoption of American customs or way of life, are just three of the important initial
questions that would have provided great insight on the forefront of Lia Lees care. I also learned the value
of using this information gained through assessing individuals of different cultures, in attempts to
understand their perceptions or see the world through their eyes. I also think it is important to challenge
oneself to take the time and be more open to learning about diverse cultures different from ones own will
help to bridge the gap of cultural awareness that is so often lacking in our society. I reflect on the Lees
case and how little time and effort was placed on attempts to understand or even learn about their culture
but proceeded to provide a service when inadvertently, services were perceived as more harmful,
(Fadiman, 1997).
We live in the Americanized society, that presents the expectations engulfed with the demands for
productivity, acceleration to do more with less, with the famous clich time is money, I tend to think it
would be more advantageous to conduct more ongoing assessments during the course of treating an
individuals/clients therefore creating ongoing opportunities to learn and solidify relationships, throughout
the counseling process. It is easy to assume, or judge individuals based on the limited information we have
and I must admit, I also have been guilty of this, as was portrayed in the Merced hospital staff (Fadiman,
1997). Recognizing the importance of assessment preludes the flipside of being aware of the potential to
lose sight of the focus/real issue that triggered an individual to come into counseling. Gorkin, (1996) states

Continued Journal II
that an intriguing foreign culture may affect the therapeutic process if the counselor loses sight of the
therapeutic task.
I recall reading the novel and immersing myself into the roles portrayed, being able to perceive
both positions of the Merced hospital staff and the Lee family. I experienced an array of feelings such as
overwhelmed, sadness, intrigue, compassion, you name it, which made this novel so compelling. I
thoroughly enjoyed the reading and potentially may seek out other readings that may broaden my cultural
awareness or participate more in cultural events more. The ending of the novel was so profound and not
what I expected however it could not have ended on a more positive note, illustrating the heart of Hmong/
Miaa, Culture the combination of spiritual beliefs and beliefs related to health and illness. I was so
enlightened through this novel able to note the connections between spirituality and healing elements which
are relevant to so many cultures. Again this novel speaks to embracing cultural diversity and reminds us all
of one who said it best, the late Maya Angelou, We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry,
and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.

Reference:
Fadiman, A. (1997). The spirit catches you and you fall down: A Hmong child, her
American doctors, and the collision of two cultures. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Gorkin, M. (1996). Countertransference in cross-cultural psychotherapy. In R. Perez Foster, M.
Moskowitz, & R. Javier (Eds.), Reaching across boundaries of culture and class: Widening the
scope of psychotherapy (pp. 160-173). Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson.
Thomas, A. J., & Schwarzbaum, S. (2011). Culture and identity: Life stories for counselors and therapists.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Socioeconomic Status: Journal III

Professionally I have encountered all classes of people in both colleagues and clients served.
Speaking of socioeconomic status which is defined as ones social class or grouping measured by income,
education and occupation according to the American Psychological Association. SES plays such a major
role in relationships which set the framework for society as a whole. Relationships are vital or are an
integral part of the counseling process and implications for how SES affects this process is often evaluated
but rarely does one consider its impact on the connections with other co-workers. This journal topic could
not have been more well-timed to reflect on for me personally. As much as upcoming counselors are
encouraged to assess their personal biases within themselves, it is also important to consider how factors
such as SES impact relationships on the professional level.
In the mental health profession, approaches to helping clients grow and develop, rehabilitate a
team approach is often used. Teams are comprised of a collective group of individuals with different
giftings, talents, and modalities/skills which are used to work with clients to reach a common collective goal
or maybe even multiple goals. I have been fortunate out of my 13 years of experience, 11 of which have
been in mental health to work with many clinicians on multiple levels, i.e., Nurses, Certified Nurses
Assistants, Psychiatrist & Medical physicians, Associate/paraprofessionals, and Qualified Professionals,
Administrators, Directors etc. Each of these clinical roles hold diverse positions within the context of
socioeconomic status which are based off of education, occupation followed by income earned as a result
of the prior two factors.
I can evaluate and reflect on my relationships/connections to those in the higher SES status
(Psychiatrist/doctors). I consider myself middle class (lower) as a result of pursuing my bachelors degree in
Recreational Therapy. In todays society with the expectations to gain more education in order to
potentially improve ones compensation level, competition between or amongst professionals is highly
evident. I have had personal experiences with professionals (who perceived my degree as a Recreational
Therapist as invalid and that I get paid to play. My clinical perceptions and judgments were often
minimized by those who were of higher SES or rather prestigious careers (doctors and physicians) simply
because of the amount of education they possessed and they are deemed to be given more respect for
their profession by society. Although professionally, I acquired a 4 year degree with training in such a
unique specialized area, I had to earn the respect of team members and often faced challenges with those
of higher class levels with more education and earned considerably more. These societal perceptions and
biases also held by members of the team impacted not only my ability to connect with them on a
professional level but also impacted the care for the clients served and caused disunity among the team as
a whole . I remember it being difficult to align as a member of the team where my views and clinical
judgment was perceived as irrelevant. I am fortunate to work on a team now where I do feel respected as a
member however there are times when this same dynamic surfaces among qualified and licensed
professionals pertaining to issues of respect for clinical judgment and autonomy on both parties. This journal entry helped shed some light on an area that I have not considered as a factor within the

Continued Journal III

professional realm of relationships and work cohesion. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my views,
and experiences.
References:
www.apa.org

Reactions to 1 st and 2 nd level Cultural Immersion Experiences:

Journal IV- World Cultural Festival & Interview/Ecuador Immigrant
First and Second level cultural experiences were absolutely amazing opportunities for learning about
various cultures. Fortunately I had the opportunity to attend the World Cultural Festival to increase my awareness of
other cultures within the WFU community which served as an observational level immersion task. Secondly, I
conducted an interview of a friend of the family who migrated to the US from Ecuador who provided insight on the
Hispanic/Spanish culture from South America, which served as an informational/knowledge level immersion task.
The World Cultural Festival, held on Friday September 26th, provided an atmosphere of cultural
acquiescence comprised of tables that presented an array information on cultures from around the world,
opportunities to savor ethnic cuisines such as Greek pitas, baklava, couscous and chick pea salad and special
dance performances by the African -Kankouran Dance Company & WFU student performances. I spent
approximately 2 hours at the festival meandering around the various information tables. Although I had very limited
interaction, I was surrounded by many different people from different cultural groups- Chinese, Asian, Hispanic,
Jewish, and African. I became more aware of social exchanges noting the different fluent languages and those of
different cultures conjugating together at the beginning of the festival. Expressions of ones cultural identity was also
evident in the inscribed poetic presentations of WFU students. Segueing to the special entertainment portion of the
festival, a convergence amongst the various cultural groups occurred for the upcoming performances. I was amazed
and inspired by the performances and recognized the overall sense of cultural acceptance. Various dance clubs
performed and although each were specific to a cultural group (Latina (Salsa, Asian Hip Hop) they were diverse in
the various ethnicities represented which demonstrated the essence of cultural immersion and embracing the
identities of other cultures different from ones own. I admired each of the dance groups and even shared in the joy
of cheering for each group and the rhythmic tapping of my feet to the music along with my peers the WFU campus
community! I found this experience to be exciting and a great way to foster cultural awareness right here in the heart
of Winston-Salem NC as well as reaching out to the WFU community as an online student. It was a great experience
that I hope to attend next year and seek other opportunities of this very nature.
The second level immersion activity consisting of an interview of a family friend broadened my knowledge of
the Hispanic/Latin culture of/Ecuador. I posed several questions in order to gain knowledge about the culture (refer
to scribed interview below). She is an immigrant from Puerto Rico, having lived in the United States since she was 7
years of age. She described the implications of strong family ties, and the emphasis placed on education within her
culture especially as an immigrant to the US. I learned through the interview that in South America, families had to
pay for education as opposed to here in the US public education being free, which Latin Americans view as a
privilege. Fellowship practices amongst family always involved food, cooking of meals, which I have been blessed to
savor many of these flavorful foods for family gatherings she has attended. I posed questions central to Ecuadorean
cuisine and religion noting her previous practices of Catholicism and conversion to Christianity. I learned about
important holidays/festivities, one of which I was able to witness Noche Buena, which presents would be opened
on Christmas eve as opposed to traditional American customs for presents to be opened on Christmas Day.
Discussions about her native language and views of physical contact/touch in the Hispanic culture were also noted
because I felt these would be sensitive areas I would need to be aware of in potential opportunities for working with
this population in the future. She discussed the challenges with English being a second language however she
continues to use her native language Spanish regularly due to her mother speaking no English and through
employment as a dental hygienist with indigenous groups of the Hispanic culture. Common misperceptions about

Continued Journal IV
the Hispanic culture and acculturation issues she experienced were also enlightening and confirmed the information
gained through this class. Issues pertaining to racism/discrimination were also discussed as well and shed some light
on other key features such as issues of trust especially of the African American culture and Hispanics
views/perspectives of an individual with similar background on seeking assistance/therapy would be key in a
counseling relationship with those of the Hispanic culture. I learned a great deal from this interview and will definitely
apply the knowledge learned within the context of this interview to counseling those of the Hispanic culture.
Cultural Interview Questions
Interview: -48 y.o. female from Ecuador/ Immigrated to USA/ Hispanic Culture

1. What is your definition of culture?

Where youre from, food clothing, country/nationality a person is from. Ecuador- lived
she was 7 years. Spanish

there until

2. How do you define family?- Family for us is a tight family, take care of each other, and go places
together, fellowship together with food. Growing up family consisted of mom/dad and sisters/no
brothers.
3. Who holds the most status in your family? Why? - Mother because parents split up. She took the role
of raising 6 girls independently.
4. How important is education in your family? - Growing up at home our parents always influenced us that
education was very important to go forward and future/finish school. Schooling in Ecuador- back
home they had to pay for education from kindergarten up and migration to America, people dont realize
that the privilege and take advantage of education.
5. What is the most important meal of the day? - Breakfast was the most important meal of the day due to
culture/it is the biggest meal of the day and the other meals are smaller. Breakfast was your main
course until you get home. Because people worked, Breakfast and dinner. It was like a buffet.
Rice/fried fish, coffee and bread. There were 2 meals a day. Lunch was not considered. Dinner was
considered after work. Dinner was at 5pm.
6. Do you eat foods that are indigenous to your culture? Why or why not? If you answered yes, name
some of the foods that you eat. If you answered no, what types of foods do you eat? Rice pudding,
common.
7. How important is religion in your family? Why? - Usually Spanish culture, you were raised Catholic
(Sachet of Myrrh). In the perspective of Catholicism in Ecuador was very similar to USA. She does
remember the Catholic faith, she has broadened, worship, and have adapted to Christianity.-Spoke of
repentance/Priest and it did not make sense to her, - But when she was old enough to make her own
decision.
8. Are the roles of men and women specifically defined in your family? If so, what are they? Men were
perceived as the head of the household, most women did not work and remained home with the
children and housework.
9. Do you have any eating habits/rituals that are specific to your culture? - Eat more rice than anyone.
10. Define and describe the most important (or most celebrated) holiday of your culture.- Christmas, was
the most celebrated holiday, family would get together, festivity, Would open gifts on Christmas eveSpanish culture celebrates Christmas eve/traditions.

Continued interview for Journal IV

11. If you are from a culture that speaks English as a second language, do you speak your native
language? If not, why? If so, will you teach your native language to any children you have? - English
was a second language, and she still speaks her native language, (Spanish), She uses it regularly
where she works (and speaking with mom). Her mother, and dad only knows language. She spoke of
friends she had who were Spanish who felt that they did not need to speak the language anymore and
were more adaptive to the American culture.
12. How is physical contact viewed in your culture? - Use to be writing letters to keep in contact because
they did not have phone in their household. Spanish culture, would greet one another with a hug and a
kiss, no handshakes and touch was pretty much welcomed. .
13. What is considered most disrespectful in your culture? - Coming over to ones house and speaking,
greeting the person, and acknowledging them.
14. What would you say is, from your perspective, the most commonly held misconception about people of
your culture? - A lot of people misunderstand Spanish culture and acculturation and feeling that they
have to change. She relayed information in regards to healthcare and how things were different in
Ecuador. Money is really tight back home, so it may not be perceived as important. Most of them do
not drive so they have to find someone to take them to their appointments. America is often quick to
judge and should understand the adjustments that have to be made.
15. What is the best thing about living in the USA? - Have the opportunity to better yourself and your life.
16. What is the worst thing about living in the USA? - People judging you without finding out who you are as
a person.
17. Have you ever felt excluded based on your gender or culture? Have you ever experienced racism? In
what form? - US forget that there is different cultures Spanish/Mexican, Easy to categorize, figure she is
from Mexico. Easy to label them when she is from South America.
18. Do you remember excluding others based on Culture or Gender?-Spanish cultures do not mix well with
African Americans, I dont know why. They prefer, marrying within their own cultures and there is no
mixing, they will go more for whites than African American. No interracial mixing. New generation, there
tends to be mixes. - Viewed older sisters, had a mix of friends- Mom was used to other cultures. Most
of friends were of the mix cultures, Spanish, white, African American so it was accepted.
19. Is there anything you would like others to know that we have not included here about you or your
culture..? Issues of trust with other cultures. And sharing or disclosing personal information, and
this is why Spanish cultures do no seek counseling, it is not instilled in them at home. Back home, there
is no assistance, no priest and you depend on yourself, and if one is in an abusive relationship, you
stay with that partner and attempt to work it out. Commented on the amount of support America has.
Culturally Hispanics are not accustomed to sharing issues outside of the family. My dad was the
breadwinner, and was abusive to her mother. She witnessed the abuse and her mom would try to hide
it. He was fixated on things being neat and when things were not in order. As a child, she was aware of
things going on. Private culture. The first thing in ones mind is not to go get help outside, i.e.
counseling. It is something adapt to, culture wise, you still try to instill culture in her children. As one of
six girls were raised to know how to cook, hem, sew and how to do things.

Reactions to 3 rd level Cultural Immersion Experiences: Journal VFortunately within my work experience, I have the opportunity to work with many diverse cultures
and groups of people different from my own. I believe it is important to reflect on a few of these experiences
as they highlight the many of the concepts learned within the Cultural counseling course , that I am sure I
will implement in future practice as a counselor . I recall two accounts, both involving working with young
children with behavioral challenges and their families. The first case involves cultural differentiation
experiences working with a young Hispanic child and his family and second a Caucasian child, adopted by
a same sex couple. Both experiences are descriptions of the challenges of working with diverse cultural
groups differing from my own- as I am of African American culture.
I had the pleasure of working with a Hispanic male client, as part of a multidisciplinary team in the
challenge to address behavioral issues that impacted his ability to be successful in school and the
community. I recall initial barriers in establishing rapport with the child and also conveying information in
regards to the childs progress to the family who spoke no English. I was very observant of the efforts
collectively as a team having awareness of this cultural barrier, how we collaborated on meeting the needs
of this family recognizing the need for cultural sensitivity which was evident at admission. On the scale of
working with the family, I learned through observations and interactions with the team efforts implement
adaptations to the daily behavioral sheet, converting it to Spanish from English in order for the parents to
understand his progress in treatment and how we were to support him. Also soliciting the assistance of an
interpreter during Child and Family team meetings to aid in familys ability to successfully engage in their
childs treatment and reciprocate their needs and desires. Although they considered the team the experts
they rarely questioned approaches and means but had difficulties with medication compliance as time went
on. I remember feeling uncertain and unsure how to work with this child and could only imagine how the
family must have felt, not being able to fully understand the English language and having to navigate a
system that was set up to support them.
Although my direct work with the family was limited, my work with the child, who in turn spoke
English, presented barriers as well such as with his inability to open up and disclose his feelings and
tendencies to withdraw and internalize. The more opportunity I had to work with him, the more apparent
potential expressive and receptive issues were considered as well as how much of the English language he
could relay/understand. I learned over time the importance of building rapport with the child helped him to
open up more. In addressing feelings of anxiety, it was difficult to distinguish between the childs behavioral
responses of withdrawal, refusal to talk and limited direct eye contact related to his anxiety to some degree
these responses had cultural significance . I also had to take into account culturally, the childs view of
females in authority which also affected the amount of disclosure that occurred during sessions and that he
was more apt to respond to males better. I remember the discussion among the team in attempts to staff
his case in regards to over pathologizing and looking beyond the surface and implications of behaviors from
a cultural perspective.

Journal V continued
A second case, involves a male child adopted by same sex couple/family. I had the opportunity to
work with this child regularly and the parents in finding leisure supports in the community. I admit my initial
insecurity in working with such a diverse family due to my lack of knowledge and competence level
however I pressed on, assessing the familys perspectives, beliefs, and needs considering the nature of
societal views related to same-sex couples and having a child with a disability in efforts to seek community
supports. Along with assessing the familys needs and barriers impacting the childs ability to participate in
leisure/recreational activities, (behaviors, transportation, finances, I encountered other issues to consider
that were more cultural. I recall the family bringing to my awareness in seeking supports for this child in the
community, to consider looking into any activities involving religious affiliations due to potential
stigmatization. Family disclosed personal experiences about being ostracized by particular religious groups
which further impacted the familys ability to seek supports through community churches. Along with
assessing the needs of the family in providing leisure counseling, I also had to be aware or culturally
sensitive during therapy sessions with the child involving discussions pertaining to ones family, ensuring
that I was aware of the child having two mothers, as compared to typical family homes consisting of a
mother and father. This often brought up inquiries from other same age peers and prompted discussions
as it relates to the perception of what a family looks like and how their family may look different from
someone elses (discussing single parent homes, traditional families, and families comprised of same sex
partners and even grandparents serving as caregivers), therefore teaching other children the value of
accepting the diverse groups of what defines a family.
Working with these diverse familys, helped me to reach beyond my comfort level and fully
embrace the differences. Being able to unite with each of these familys on the common ground of
achieving the beneficial supports each child needed, in which each family was committed to seeing their
child succeed. These two experiences provided an avenue for professional and personal growth. These
opportunities provided a unique experience to reflect on in the context of this course. I can truly state that I
learned through both of these experiences which could not have been gained in a classroom and speak
volumes to the value of experiential learning. I hope that I continue to use every opportunity to learn and
evolve as a person and professionally on the journey to helping others. This truly has been an enriching
course on both of these levels!