Multicultural Counselling and

Psychotheraphy.

Lecture 1
Introduction

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 THE COUNSELOR'S CULTURE
 A major assumption for culturally effective counseling
and psychotherapy is that we can acknowledge our own
basic tendencies, the ways we comprehend other
cultures, and the limits our culture places on our
comprehension. It is essential to understand our own
cultural heritage and world view before we set about
understanding and assisting other people (Ibrahim,
1985; Lauver, 1986). This understanding includes an
awareness of one's own philosophies of life and
capabilities, a recognition of different structures of
reasoning, and an understanding of their effects on
one's communication and helping style (Ibrahim, 1985).
Lack of such understanding may hinder effective
intervention (McKenzie, 1986).

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 THE COUNSELOR'S CULTURE
 Part of this self-awareness is the acknowledgement that
the "counselor culture" has at its core a set of white
cultural values and norms by which clients are judged
(Katz, 1985; Lauver, 1986). This acculturation is
simultaneously general, professional, and personal
(Lauver, 1986). Underlying assumptions about a cultural
group, personal stereotypes or racism, and traditional
counseling approaches may all signal acquiescence to
white culture. Identification of specific white cultural
values and their influence on counseling will help to
counter the effects of this framework (Katz, 1985).

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 THE COUNSELOR'S CULTURE
 Adherence to a specific counseling theory or
method may also limit the success of counseling.
Many cultural groups do not share the values
implied by the methods and thus do not share
the counselor's expectations for the conduct or
outcome of the counseling session. To counter
these differences, effective counselors must
investigate their clients' cultural background and
be open to flexible definitions of "appropriate" or
"correct" behavior (LaFromboise, 1985).

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 THE COUNSELOR'S CULTURE
 Another counseling barrier is language.
Language differences may be perhaps the most
important stumbling block to effective
multicultural counseling and assessment
(Romero, 1985). Language barriers impede the
counseling process when clients cannot express
the complexity of their thoughts and feelings or
resist discussing affectively charged issues.
Counselors, too, may become frustrated by their
lack of bilingual ability. At the worst, language
barriers may lead to misdiagnosis and
inappropriate placement (Romero, 1985).

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 THE CLIENT'S CULTURE
 As counselors incorporate a greater awareness of their
clients' culture into their theory and practice, they must
realize that, historically, cultural differences have been
viewed as deficits (Romero, 1985). Adherence to white
cultural values has brought about a naive imposition of
narrowly defined criteria for normality on culturally
diverse people (Pedersen, 1986). Multicultural
counseling, however, seeks to rectify this imbalance by
acknowledging cultural diversity, appreciating the value
of the culture and using it to aid the client. Although the
variety of cultures is vast, the following examples
indicate the types of cultural issues and their effects on
the counseling situation.

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 THE CLIENT'S CULTURE
 In the cultural value system of Chinese Americans,
passivity rather than assertiveness is revered,
quiescence rather than verbal articulation is a sign of
wisdom, and self-effacement rather than confrontation is
a model of refinement (Ching and Prosen, 1980). Since
humility and modesty are so valued, it is difficult for
counselors to draw out a response from a Chinese
American in a group setting. The reticence which
reinforces silence and withdrawal as appropriate ways of
dealing with conflict may be interpreted as resistance by
the uneducated counselor. Democratic counselors may
also be uneasy with the role of the "all-knowing father"
that the Chinese respect for authority bestows on them
(Ching and Prosen, 1980).

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 THE CLIENT'S CULTURE
 Africans place great value on the family, especially their
children, who are seen as a gift from God, and on social
relationships, with a great emphasis on the community
and their place in it. In this context social conflict
resolution becomes important, so that peace and
equilibrium may be restored to the community, while
personal conduct becomes secondary (McFadden and
Gbekobov, 1984).
 Many African values also influence contemporary
American Black behavior, including the notion of unity,
the survival of the group, oral tradition, extended kinship
networks, self-concept, concept of time, and control of
the environment.

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 THE CLIENT'S CULTURE
 In his discussion of counseling the Northern Natives of Canada,
Darou (1987) notes that counseling is seen as cultural racism when
it does not fit native values. These values are: cooperation,
concreteness, lack of interference, respect for elders, the tendency
to organize by space rather than time, and dealing with the land as
an animate, not an inanimate, object.
 Bernal and Flores-Ortiz (1982) point out that Latin cultures view the
family as the primary source of support for its members. Any
suggestion that the family is not fulfilling that obligation can bring
shame, added stress, and an increased reluctance to seek
professional services. Involving the family in treatment will most
likely insure successful counseling outcomes with Latinos.

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 INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
 There is always the danger of stereotyping clients and of confusing
other influences, especially race and socioeconomic status, with
cultural influences. The most obvious danger in counseling is to
oversimplify the client's social system by emphasizing the most
obvious aspects of their background (Pedersen, 1986). While
universal categories are necessary to understand human
experience, losing sight of specific individual factors would lead to
ethical violations (Ibrahim, 1985). Individual clients are influenced
by race, ethnicity, national origin, life stage, educational level, social
class, and sex roles (Ibrahim, 1985). Counselors must view the
identity and development of culturally diverse people in terms of
multiple, interactive factors, rather than a strictly cultural framework
(Romero, 1985). A pluralistic counselor considers all facets of the
client's personal history, family history, and social and cultural
orientation (Arcinega and Newlou, 1981).

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 INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
 One of the most important differences for multicultural counseling is
the difference between race and culture. Differences exist among
racial groups as well as within each group. Various ethnic
identifications exist within each of the five racial groups. Some
examples include: Asian/Island Pacific (Japanese, Korean, and
Vietnamese); Black (Cajun, Haitian, and Tanzanian); Hispanic
(Cuban, Mexican and Puerto Rican); Native American (Kiowa, Hopi,
and Zuni); and White (British, Dutch, and German). Even though
these ethnic groups may share the physical characteristics of race,
they may not necessarily share the value and belief structures of a
common culture (Katz, 1985). Counselors must be cautious in
assuming, for instance, that all Blacks or all Asians have similar
cultural backgrounds. McKenzie (1986) notes that West Indian
American clients do not have the same cultural experience of Afro-
American Blacks and are culturally different from other Black
subculture groups. Counselors who can understand West Indian
dialects and the accompanying nonverbal language are more likely
to achieve positive outcomes with these clients.

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 CONCLUSION

 Although it is impossible to change backgrounds, pluralistic counselors can

avoid the problems of stereotyping and false expectations by examining
their own values and norms, researching their clients' backgrounds, and
finding counseling methods to suit the clients' needs. Counselors cannot
adopt their clients' ethnicity or cultural heritage, but they can become more
sensitive to these things and to their own and their clients' biases. Clinical
sensitivity toward client expectation, attributions, values, roles, beliefs, and
themes of coping and vulnerability is always necessary for effective
outcomes (LaFromboise, 1985). Three questions which counselors might
use in assessing their approach are as follows (Jereb, 1982): (1) Within
what framework or context can I understand this client (assessment)? (2)
Within what context do client and counselor determine what change in
functioning is desirable (goal)? (3) What techniques can be used to effect
the desired change (intervention)? Examination of their own assumptions,
acceptance of the multiplicity of variables that constitute an individual's
identity, and development of a client centered, balanced counseling method
will aid the multicultural counselor in providing effective help.

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 Multicultural Counselling is a primer designed to
teach counselling students how to deal
effectively with such discrepancies.
 It provides a complete introductory framework
and addresses a wide range of topics, including
the past, present, and future of multicultural
counselling, assessment issues, understanding
differences, cultural identity development, and
developing counselling competencies.

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 To recognize the individuality of a client
while simultaneously acknowledging and
honoring the deep cultural values held by
the client.
 counselor or therapist must be extremely
sensitive to cross-cultural issues: to the
individual, to the culture of the client, and
to his or her own prejudices and racism.

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 Belief and attitude, they contend, might
rank as high on the building-trust scale as
cultural awareness, which would augur
against my being right .
 Eg. because I’m Gay; and so I backed off.
But not without reservations about the
groups’ understanding of cultural
differences (including the Gay man and
the Lesbian!)

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 THE POLITICS AND PITFALLS OF
MULTICULTURAL COUNSELLING

 First, racism is a basic and integral part of

U.S. life and permeates all aspects of our
culture and institutions.
 Second, Whites are socialized into U.S.
society and, therefore, inherit the biases,
stereotypes, and racist attitudes, beliefs,
and behaviors of the society. In other
words, all Whites are racist whether
knowingly or unknowingly.

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 Third, how Whites perceive themselves as
racial beings seems to follow an
identifiable sequence that can be called
stages.
 Fourth, the stage of White racial identity
development in a cross-cultural encounter
(counseling minorities, counselor training,
etc.) affects the process and outcome of
an interracial relationship.

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 Last, the most desirable stage is the one
where the White person not only accepts
his/her Whiteness, but defines it in a
nondefensive and nonracist manner (Sue
and Sue, 1990, p. 113).

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Counselors like mental health professionals, have
a personal and professional responsibility to
(a) confront, become aware of, and take actions in
dealing with our biases, stereotypes, values, and
assumptions about human behavior,
(b) become aware of the culturally different client’s
world view, values, biases, and assumptions
about human behavior, and
(c) develop appropriate help-giving practices,
intervention strategies, and structures that take
into account the historical, cultural, and
environmental experiences/influences of the
culturally different client
(Sue and Sue, 1990, p. 6).

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 Sometimes the Counselor thinks that it is
important to look also at our sometimes
unconscious attachment to the idea that
our world view (as individuals) is better
than anyone else’s, regardless of race.
 It is far too easy to assume that a client
will "get better" after seeing the world
though "the Counselor’s" ideological eyes.
 The hard part is to work with a client,
helping him or her find his or her own best
way (within the laws of the country).

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 Moral values
 Moral values are much harder to assess in
a multicultural environment, since there
are so many different ones.
 The work a therapist must do is around
feeling threatened by the client’s values
or, worse yet, ignorant of what exactly a
client is expressing by espousing certain
values.

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 An example is about monogamy. In Gay
culture, or in Lesbian culture, open
relationships are considered acceptable.
 When a Gay man or Lesbian comes to see
a counsellor with personal problems and
mentions the fact that they are in an open
relationship, the counsellor cannot help
thinking if this is really a part of the
problem, and further, whether his values
around monogamy are going to interfere
with his treatment planning.
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 Sue and Sue (1990) state that much of
the reason minority populations generally
tend to avoid counseling is the counselor’s
(general) lack of cultural sensitivity and
mistrust of a practice that essentially is
geared toward White middle-class
America.

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 There is no question that cross-cultural
counseling needs to be taught to would-be
counselors.
 The curriculum must be designed to stimulate
this awareness not solely at a cognitive level. It
must enable students to understand feelings of
helplessness and powerlessness, low self-
esteem, poor self-concept, and how they
contribute to low motivation, frustration, hate,
ambivalence, and apathy.
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 Each course should contain
 (a) a consciousness-raising component,
(b) and affective component,
 (c) a knowledge component, and
 (d) a skills component
(Sue and Sue, 1990, p. 16).

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An Effective Multicultural Counselor
 the effective person, much less counselor
or therapist must have a wide-world view
to be effective, even if his or her friends or
clients are exclusively from one culture
only!

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 To overcome the politics of
counseling,
 First, the counseling profession must take
initiative in confronting the potential political
nature of counseling (Katz, 1985)....
 Second, the counseling profession must move
quickly to challenge certain assumptions that
permeate our training programs....
 Third, research can be a powerful means of
combating stereotypes and of correcting biased
studies....

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 Fourth, there is a strong need for counseling to
attract more ethnic minorities to the profession,
complex as this issue is....
 Fifth, counselors must realize that many so-
called pathological socio-emotional
characteristics of ethnic minorities can be
directly attributed to unfair practices in
society....
 Last, making research with minorities a
community endeavor can do much to lower
hostility and develop trust between researcher
and subject.

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 Counselor Roles
 alternative roles involve the counselor
more actively in the client’s life
experiences than what we have
traditionally been trained to do.
 Outreach roles, consultant roles, change-
agent roles, or the use of the client’s
indigenous support systems may be more
appropriate.,

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 Client’s Perceptions
 Many minority group individuals find the
one-to-one/in-office type of counseling
very formal, removed, and alien.
 When counselors move out of their offices
into the environments of their clients, it
again indicates commitment and interest
in the individual .

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 Research Finding
 many non-White cultures don’t prize
assertive individuality or instant self-
disclosure, may prefer a more subtle
approach to discussing feelings, may not
deal in direct eye contact, and may, in
fact, be distrustful of the whole concept of
psychology.

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 Research Finding
 African Americans may prefer what seems
a more confrontational style of
communicating, and it will probably be
more high-context than White
communication, as is true for most non-
White cultures.

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 counselors in order to be effective in what
is rapidly becoming a truly multi-cultural
U. S., will have to adapt to the cultural
exegencies of their clients in many ways,
and try to accommodate their belief
systems more, perhaps, than trying to fit
them into a neat U. S. psychology which is
no longer (if it ever was) a one-size-fits-all
movement.
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 Additionally, it will become increasingly
important for the culturally-skilled
counselor to have more out-of-office
experiences, sometimes advocating for
their clients and sometimes getting
involved in social and political causes.

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 it is necessary for the culturally-skilled
counselor to have a working knowledge of
the client’s culture, it may be as important
that the counselor bring an attitude and
belief system to the session that the client
perceives to be trustworthy.

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 It is in the fundamental areas of
communication (with self and others),
trust (in self and in others), and the basic
hope and faith that there can be a
reasonably happy future that healing may
begin

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 Different values
 many cultures don’t value verbalizations
the same way U. S. Americans do.
 many Japanese clients respond with
silence to a counselor who is older,
"wiser," and who occupies a position of
higher status

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 Insight
 insight isn’t necessarily prized for many
clients from different cultures
 insight assumes that one has time to sit
back, to reflect and to contemplate about
motivations and behavior.
 the individual who is concerned about
making it through each day, this
orientation proves counter productive.

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 Insight
 Many cultural groups do not value insight.
 In traditional Chinese society, psychology
is not well understood. It must be noted,
however, that a client who does not seem
to work well in an insight approach may
not be lacking in insight or lacking in
psychological-mindedness.
 A person who does not value insight is not
necessarily one who is incapable of insight

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 Client Expectation
 Another important cultural distinction is
what is expected from a counselor by a
culturally different client.
 Many times, a culturally different client will
expect a counselor to effect change just
as a physician might, and at the least, give
directions that will help cure the problem.

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 Disclosure in counseling might bring
shame on the family, and the counselor is
not seen as someone in whom to confide,
but rather as someone to mend the hurt.
 It is significant to note that for some
people, "avoidance of morbid thoughts is
the way to deal with psychological
problems, not sitting down and talking
about them"

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 Effective Counseling
 For effective counseling to occur, both the
counselor and client must be able to send and
receive both verbal and nonverbal messages
accurately and appropriately.
 counseling is a form of communication. It
requires that the counselor not only send
messages (make himself or herself understood),
but also receive messages (attend to what is
going on with the client).

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 The definition for effective counseling also
includes verbal (content of what is said)
and nonverbal (how something is said)
elements.
 most counselors seem more concerned
with the accuracy of communications (let’s
get to the heart of the matter) rather than
with whether the communication is
appropriate.

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 In traditional Asian culture, for example,
subtlety is a highly prized art.
 The direct and confrontive techniques in
counseling may be perceived by traditional
Asian clients as "lacking in respect for the
client," a "crude and rude form of
communication," and a "reflection of
insensitivity."

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 In most cases, counselors have been
trained to tune in to the content of what is
said, rather than how something is said
(Sue and Sue, 1990, p. 51)

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 Culturally Skilled Counselor
 First, a culturally skilled counselor is one who is
actively in the process of becoming aware of
his/her own assumptions about human behavior,
values, biases, preconceived notions, personal
limitations, and so forth.
 Second, a culturally skilled counselor is one who
actively attempts to understand the world view
of his/her culturally different client. In other
words, what are the client’s values and
assumptions about human behavior biases, and
so on?

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 Culturally Skilled Counselor

 Third, a culturally skilled counselor is one

who is in the process of actively
developing and practicing appropriate,
relevant, and sensitive intervention
strategies/skills in working with his or her
culturally different client

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 The Counselor
 In addition to the counselor working on
his or her own internal processes around
cultures different from his or her own, Sue
and Sue (1990) believe strongly that
counselors working with culturally
different people must be prepared to
"exercise institutional intervention...when
appropriate

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 the counselor, whether working with
culturally different people or his or her
own culture must be able to see and step
beyond the traditional roles and barriers
and boundaries where appropriate.
 this action must be done from an ethical
and moral standpoint can almost go
without saying.

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