inquisitive orientation in order to engage in self‐reflection and to learn from clients and marginalized communities, which are key ingredients of cultural competence. In a therapeutic context, cultural humility of therapists (a) is considered very important to many
socially marginalized clients, (b) correlates with a higher likelihood of continuing in treatment, (c) strongly relates to the strength of the therapeutic alliance, and (d) is related to perceived benefit and
improvement in therapy (Hook et al., 2016). Thus, cultural humility as a dispositional orientation may be equally important as three major cultural competence domains (awareness, knowledge, and skills) in MCT. We further discuss the relevance of cultural humility in Chapter 4 and throughout the text.
SOCIAL JUSTICE AND CULTURAL
(a) a White counselor working with a racial or ethnic minority client, (b) a White counselor working with a White client, (c) a racial or ethnicity minority client working with a White client, and (d) a racial or ethnic minority counselor working with a racial or ethnic minority client. Analysis and research regarding these dyadic combinations have seldom been carried out in the multicultural psychology field.
Further, little in the way of addressing counseling work with interracial/interethnic combinations is seen in the literature. We address this topic in the next chapter. We will also cover the issues raised in the MSJCC framework more thoroughly in Chapters 3–5. In Chapter 3, we focus on enumerating the quadrants of power and
privilege relationships between counselor and client, in Chapter 4, we address the importance of social justice advocacy and action on
behalf of the client, and in Chapter 5, we deal with individual and systems‐level work.
REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. If the basic building blocks of acquiring cultural competence in clinical practice are awareness, knowledge, and skills, how do you hope to develop competency? Can you list the various educational and training activities you would need in order to work effectively with a client who differed from you in terms of race, gender, or sexual orientation?
2. What are your thoughts about the basic building blocks of cultural competence? What are your thoughts regarding cultural humility, especially as a conduit to developing cultural awareness, knowledge, and skills? How would you define cultural competence?
3. Look at the six characteristics that define alternative roles for helping culturally diverse clients. Which of these roles are you most comfortable playing? Why? Which of these activities would make you uncomfortable? Why?
IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE
1. Know that the definition of multiculturalism is inclusive and encompasses race, culture, gender, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, age, disability, and so on.
2. When working with diverse populations, attempt to identify culture‐specific and culture‐universal domains of helping.
3. Be aware that persons of color, LGBTQ people, women, and other groups may perceive mental illness/health and the healing process differently than do EuroAmerican men.
4. Do not disregard differences and impose the conventional helping role and process on culturally diverse groups, as such actions may constitute cultural oppression.
5. Be aware that EuroAmerican healing standards originate from a cultural context and may be culture‐bound. As long as counselors and therapists continue to view EuroAmerican standards as normative, they may judge others as abnormal.
6. Realize that the concept of cultural competence is more inclusive and superordinate than is the traditional definition of clinical competence. Do not fall into the trap of thinking
“good counseling is good counseling.”
7. If you are planning to work with the diversity of clients in our world, you must play roles other than that of the conventional counselor.
8. Use modalities that are consistent with the lifestyles and cultural systems of your clients, as well as with your training.
9. Understand that one's multicultural orientation (cultural humility) is very important to successful multicultural counseling.
Video Lecture: Cultural Competence in the Helping Professions
SUMMARY
Traditional definitions of counseling, therapy, and mental health practice arise from monocultural and ethnocentric norms that may be antagonistic to the lifestyles and cultural values of diverse groups.
These Western worldviews reflect a belief in the universality of the human condition, a belief that disorders are similar and cut across societies, and a conviction that mental health concepts are equally applicable across all populations and disorders. These worldviews also often fail to consider the different cultural and sociopolitical experiences of marginalized group members. As a result, counseling and therapy may often be inappropriate to marginalized groups in our society, resulting in cultural oppression. The movement to redefine counseling/therapy and identify aspects of cultural competence in mental health practice has been advocated by nearly all multicultural counseling specialists.
MCT is defined as both a helping role and a process that uses
modalities and defines goals consistent with the life experiences and cultural values of clients; that recognizes client identities to include individual, group, and universal dimensions; that advocates the use of universal and culture‐specific strategies and roles in the healing
process; and that balances the importance of individualism and collectivism in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of clients and client systems. Thus, cultural competence is the ability to engage in actions or create conditions that maximize the optimal
development of clients and client systems.
On a personal developmental level, multicultural counseling
competence is defined as a counselor's acquisition of the awareness, knowledge, and skills and the cultural humility needed to function effectively in a pluralistic democratic society (ability to communicate, interact, negotiate, and intervene on behalf of clients from diverse backgrounds); on an organizational/societal level, it is defined as advocating effectively to develop new theories, practices, policies, and organizational structures that are more responsive to all groups.
Another attribute, cultural humility, seems central to effective
multicultural counseling. Cultural humility appears more like a “way of being” than a “way of doing.” The attitudinal components of
respect for others, an egalitarian stance, and diminished superiority
over clients mean an “other‐orientation” rather than a self‐focus.
Finally, it appears that there is a strong need to integrate social justice competencies with cultural competence. Becoming culturally
competent is a lifelong journey but promises much in providing culturally appropriate services to all groups in our society.
GLOSSARY TERMS
Awareness Collectivism
Cultural competence Cultural humility Cultural relativism Culturally responsive Culture bound syndromes Emic (culturally specific) Etic (culturally universal) Group level of identity Individual level of identity Knowledge
Multicultural counseling and therapy (MCT) Multiculturalism
Skills
Social justice
Universal level of identity Worldview
Video 2.10: Counseling Session Analysis Introduction to the counseling session.
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