Impact of History on Culturally Diverse Populations

Impact of History and Counseling Theories on Culturally Diverse Populations

Impact of History and Counseling Theories on Culturally Diverse Populations

Impact of History and Counseling Theories on Culturally Diverse Populations

In counseling clients from diverse cultural groups, there are several factors to bear in mind for the counselor. Since most American counselors are trained in the Western approach, clients of diverse groups may find some to the approaches and interventions to be ineffective in treating their particular concerns. Counselors will need to stay abreast of the relevant research that pertains to multicultural counseling to be effective, as well as gain an understanding of the history of oppression in the United States that has impacted their clients.

Theories of Counseling: Instruments of Oppression or Benefit?

Sue & Sue (2013) explained most therapists are trained according to the Western approach, and as such lack the expertise to work with culturally diverse clients. The monocultural, ethnocentric approach has proven to be ineffective with non-White clients. In addition, Erford (2014) asserted the Western model of psychotherapy in terms of counseling theories can often be inappropriate with clients of diverse cultures, primarily as they are based on the belief system and values of the White dominant society. The researcher clarified often times, the counselor may use interventions related to a counseling theory that may conflict with the client’s worldview.

For example, a counselor who lacks cultural competence may suggest a Gestalt empty chair exercise to a female, Asian client and recommend she imagine her father sitting in the chair, and that she may tell him what is on her mind. Since respect for elders is important in Asian cultures, it is unlikely the client will feel comfortable disclosing her feelings to her father. She may decide to terminate counseling. As a result she would be harmed as her issues would not be addressed. Further, Erford (2014) points out Western values that focus on areas such as “individualism, action oriented approaches to problem solving, work ethic, scientificmethods, and rigid emphasis on time schedules,” which are inherent in many counseling theories will not work when the client’s values stand in conflict, hence Western counseling theories can be oppressive in nature, and have tended to oppress diverse cultural groups. For example, Erford (2014) observed the notion of abnormality in American culture may translate as normal in other cultures. Sue & Sue (2013) noted as a result of the knowledge base of psychology having its origins in “Euro-American or Western culture” (p. 121), many practitioners in the mental health field lack the training to work effectively with marginalized groups. The researchers explained this accounts for why the field of psychology has been accused of being “ ethnocentric, monocultural, and inherently biased against racial/ethnic minorities… and other culturally diverse groups.” (p. 121.) In order for clients to benefit, they would require a culturally competent counselor with experience working with cultural groups different from their own. Sue& Sue (2013) advises therapists to be aware of their own biases when attempting to counsel the culturally diverse, and gain an understanding of how it is paramount to gain trust from the client, although the clients will continually test the level of trust. Psychotherapy can benefit the culturally diverse and many counseling theories are described as being effective cross-culturally, yet it requires a culturally competent counselor who can be sensitive to the concerns and needs of the culturally diverse, has an understanding of the history of oppression in the United States, and a keen knowledge of the cultures of the population they chose to serve. For example, in counseling clients of mixed race, Sue & Sue (2013) asserted, therapists need to be aware of their experiences as mixed race persons. The researchers explain further, “Our society is one that tends to force people to choose one racial identity over another, or imposes a singular racial identity upon them.” (p. 426.). In treating mixed race persons, knowledge of the pressures they face and the stressors they experience make a difference in being an effective counselor.

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Application Assignment: The Impact of History and Counseling Theories on Culturally Diverse Populations

Having knowledge of and experience with culturally diverse groups will help you to understand the role culture plays within the context of counseling interactions. The effects of historical events, ideologies, and policies that permeate systems such as education and health care have significantly influenced the experience of various cultural groups.

In this Application Assignment, you explore how the field of counseling has impacted the well-being of culturally diverse populations.

For this Application Assignment, review the Learning Resources. Consider the history of counseling and the intersecting perceptions of counselors and clients, as well as the consequences of those perceptions. Why is an understanding of history important for cultural competence?

The Assignment:

In a 3- to 4-page paper:

· Explain how the history and theories of counseling have both benefited and oppressed cultural groups.

· Briefly describe the experience of a specific cultural group to support the points made in your explanation.

· Explain how one of the following modern controversies, or another of your choice, benefits or oppresses a specific cultural group: IQ debate, standardized testing, history of naming, use of psychotherapy, the deficit model.

Support your Application Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation.

Required Resources

Readings

· Sue, D. W., & Sue, D. (2016). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

o Chapter 4, “The Political and Social Justice Implications of Counseling and Psychotherapy” (pp. 107-144)

o Chapter 5, “The Impact of Systemic Oppression: Counselor Credibility and Client Worldviews” (pp. 145-178)

o Chapter 6, “Microaggressions in Counseling and Psychotherapy” (pp. 179-212)

· Hays, P. A. (2016). Addressing cultural complexities in practice: Assessment, diagnosis, and therapy (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

o Chapter 3, “Doing Your Own Cultural Self-Assessment” (pp. 39-60)

Media

· Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012a). Emotional roadblocks on the road to cultural competence. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 12 minutes.
In this video, Drs. Derald Wing Sue, Teresa LaFromboise, Marie Miville, and Thomas Parham discuss some of the emotional challenges that come with learning cultural competency.

Accessible player  –Downloads– Download Video w/CC Download Audio Download Transcript

Optional Resources

· Hays, P. A. (1996). Addressing the complexities of culture and gender in counseling. Journal of Counseling and Development, 74(4), 332–338.

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

• Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
• Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
• One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
• I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.

Weekly Participation

• Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
• In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
• Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
• Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.

APA Format and Writing Quality

• Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
• Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
• I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.

Use of Direct Quotes

• I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
• As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
• It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.

 

LopesWrite Policy

• For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
• Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
• Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
• Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.

Late Policy

• The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
• Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
• If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
• I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
• As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.

Communication

• Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me: 
  • Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
  • Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.

Impact of History on Diverse Populations