Introduction to the Counseling Profession

Chapter 3

Cross Cultural Counseling

Chapter Topics

What is Cross-Cultural Counseling?“Cross cultural counseling can be defined as the working alliance between a counselor and a client(s) that takes the personal dynamics of the counselor and client into consideration alongside the dynamics found in the cultures of both of these individuals.”

Six Basic Principles Foundational to Cross Cultural Counseling

1.Culture refers to any group of people who identify or associate with one another on the basis of some common purpose, need or similarity of background.

2.Cultural differences are real and they influence all human interactions.

3.All counseling is cross-cultural in nature.

What is Cross Cultural Counseling?

Six Basic Principles Foundational to Cross Cultural Counseling

4. Cross cultural counseling places an emphasis on human diversity in all its many forms.

5. Culturally competent counselors develop an awareness, knowledge, and skills to intervene effectively into the lives of people from culturally different backgrounds.

6. Culturally competent counselors are globally literate human beings.

Counseling Across Cultures“A set of professional competencies have been developed within the context of the definition and principles of cross cultural counseling, which form the basis for best practice when counseling across cultures.”

Professional Competencies for Best Practices

1.These competencies describe the counselor’s:

a) Awareness Levelb) Knowledge Basec) Skill-set

Counseling Across Cultures“The framework is comprised of three areas: The foundational dimension, the cross cultural dimension, and cross cultural counseling competency.”

Cross Cultural Counseling Framework

1.The Foundational Dimension

a) Self-Awarenessb) Global Literacyc) Foundational Knowledge of Traditional Counseling Theorya) Ethical Knowledge and Aspirations

Counseling Across Cultures

Cross Cultural Counseling Framework

2.The Cross Cultural Dimension

a) Cross Cultural Counseling Theoretical Knowledgeb) Cross Cultural Encountersc) Cross Cultural Skill Development

Counseling Across Cultures

Cross Cultural Counseling Competency

3.The Cross Cultural Counseling Skill Development

a) Defines a set of attitudes and behaviors indicative of this ability to establish, maintain, and successfully conclude a counseling relationship with clients from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Cross Cultural Counseling Encounter“Entering a counseling relationship with a person from a different cultural background brings with it certain unique challenges and inherent opportunities. Engaging in such a relationship involves entering an important and potentially problematic zone of helping . This helping space can be conceptualized as the cross cultural encounter.”

The cultural gaps that exist between counselor and client in a cross cultural encounter may also consist of distinct differences in aspects such as gender, religion, social class, sexual orientation, ability status, and age.

Cross Cultural Counseling Encounter“Metaphorically, these counselor-client differences in a cross cultural encounter can be perceived as a wall that impedes or negates counseling.”

A Cross cultural counseling encounter can produce one of two possible outcomes:

1. Multicultural incompetence, which can spawn unintended cultural disregard, or worse, cultural disrespect.

2. Cross cultural competence, where the client’s culture is validated and respected.

Cross Cultural Counseling Encounter“It has been long been noted that the theoretical and practical traditions of counseling reflect European-American middle class culture. In many respects the counseling process is uniquely reflective of major North American culture, class, and language values.”

Issues to Consider

Culture-Bound Characteristics The Socio-Political Process Power and Privilege Social Justice

Counseling with Culture in Mind“If counselors are to exhibit competence in cross cultural encounters, then they must approach the counseling process with culture in mind. This means that cultural factors must be considered in any counseling interaction.”Cultural Identity Development

Refers to an individual’s sense of belonging to a cultural group and the part of one’s personality that is attributable to membership in that group.

It forms the core of the beliefs, social forms, and personality dimensions that characterize distinct cultural realities and worldview for an individual.

Counseling with Culture in Mind“Language is an important variable in all counseling interactions. The practice of counseling is predicated on an understanding of Standard English, while many clients from diverse cultural backgrounds may not necessarily value this language tradition as a primary means of communication.”

Language Preference

Language is culture. It is a cornerstone of cultural identity.

Verbal and nonverbal communication is a cultural phenomenon involving the use of symbols of meaning that are culturally defined.

Counseling with Culture in Mind“Not all cultural groups traditionally value or understand the nature of formal counseling as a source of help. It might be necessary, therefore, to step outside the confines of the traditional helping setting to offer counseling services.”

Help-Seeking Attitudes and Behavior

As appropriate, it might be necessary to form consultative relationships with religious/spiritual leaders or other indigenous helpers/healers for the benefit of clients.

Counseling with Culture in Mind“Immediate and extended kinship networks must be considered as primary sources for promoting mental health and normal development among many cultural groups.”

Involving Key Others in the Counseling Process

Kinship networks may include immediate and extended family, friends, or community cultural resources.

Kinship and other collective support networks are crucial in providing resolution to both situational and developmental problems.

Counseling with Culture in Mind“Historical hostility can be observed anywhere in the world where there has been a long-term pattern of exploitation or oppression between one group of people who is favored on the basis of ethnicity, religion, gender, social class, politics, etc., and another who is devalued in a common relationship.”Historical Hostility

In their collective experience, people from the devalued group harbor conscious and unconscious negative emotions produced by traditions of brutality and frustrations, which they and their forbearers suffered at the hands of the group that is favored.

Counseling with Culture in Mind

Historical Hostility

Historical hostility may lead to resistance in counseling. This might include:

Denial of problemsViewing counseling as something that is done “to them”

(as opposed to “with them.”) Distrust of the counselor and the process

SilencePassive-aggressive behaviorsPremature termination