Cultural Bias In Counselling

There is no doubt that the counsellor needs to be aware of the complexity of culture (Pedersen & Ivey, 1993). Culture results from the interaction of a number of variables including ethnographic, demographic, socio-economic, and relational factors. Within a culture, people develop patterns of behaviours based on a number of assumptions they have learned either directly, observationally or vicariously (Mitchell & Krumboltz, 1996). People also develop a cultural identity by

In all psychological and biological assessment, the use of culturally attuned assessments is top priority. “We may define culturally informed psychological assessment as an approach to evaluation that is keenly perceptive of and responsive to issues of acculturation, values, identity, worldview, language, and other culture-related variables as they may impact the evaluation process or the interpretation of resulting data” (Cohen, Swerdlik, & Sturman, 2013). Through this process key individuals contribute to the understanding of the client including family, friends, and coworkers input and information. Through the use of translators and other cultural affiliates clinicians are able to demonstrate a clearer understanding, a culturally applicable assessment, and ensure that the client understands the ins and outs of the assessment process. One important aspect of the implementation of the “one size fits all approach” to culturally attuned treatment and care in our mental health facilities (Cohen, Swerdlik, & Sturman, 2013). Assessment and clinical evaluations should not be a cookie cutter experience. The amount of patients that are

an American Indian male with diabetes who receives care at a non-tribal clinic. He reports that he does not feel much of a connection with his provider or his clinic, and says that he feels misunderstood when he tells his provider about his traditional healing practices.  He struggles to remember to take his medications and sometimes does not take them because he feels that they don’t work.

Introduction: Cultures, social, ethnicity, English proficiency are factors that my significantly affect the quality of healthcare. Patient’s perspective, values, beliefs and behavior are highly influenced by the sociocultural background pf the patient (1-5). These factors can affect dealing with patient’s symptoms, seeking care, pain toleration, care adherence, preventive measure, and health care expectations.

1 Anti-Discriminatory Practice in Counselling identifies the ease with which individuals can be disadvantaged merely on the basis of their gender, race, culture, age, sexuality or ability.

Case conceptualization explains the nature of a client’s problem and how they develop such problem ( Hersen, & Porzelius, p.3, 2002) In counseling, assessment is viewed as a systematic gathering of information to address a client’s presenting concerns effectively. The assessment practice provides diagnostic formulation and counseling plans, and aids to identify assets that could help the client cope better with concern that they are current. Assessment is present as a guide for treatment and support in the “evaluation process. Although many methods can be employed to promote a thorough assessment, no one method should be used by itself” (Erford, 2010, p.269-270). Eventually, it is the counselor's job to gain adequate

War is hard on anyone involved; however, it is especially hard on the children who are forced to live with it or in close proximity to it. Children typically lack the worldview to process the level of violence that occurs during war. The Nigerian children who were rescued from the refugee camp lived in extremely poor conditions and before arriving there were subjected to serious events that may change them forever. They are likely suffering from some severe psychological effects of war-time violence that need to be addressed in order to break the cycle of violence they may be in, but also to ensure their mental health both now and in the future. There are several aspects of psychological recovery that need to be

I consider mental health assessment to be a collaborative process, and I am trained in a variety of assessment instruments that will address your unique needs and provide us with a holistic picture of your experience (ACA, 2014, § E.2 Competence to Use and Interpret Assessment Instruments; Corey, et al., 2015, pp. 392). Together, we will look carefully at the assessment results and co-create a diagnosis that takes into account your strengths, resources, cultural orientation, family background, and social context, as well as your individual concerns (ACA, 2014, § E.5. Diagnosis of Mental Disorders; ACA, 2014, § E.8. Multicultural Issues and Diversity in Assessment; Corey, et al., 2015, p. 385). This assessment process will allow us to formulate a treatment plan uniquely designed to meet your individual needs, and we will continue to use tools throughout the course of therapy to evaluate the progress of our work together (Corey, et al., 2015, p. 378-379). I strive to achieve cultural sensitivity in my practice and I believe that you are the final expert in your own life; therefore, I invite your active involvement in the assessment

In the past, counselors have lacked the knowledge and skills to interpret ethical guidelines in multicultural counseling. The ethical guidelines dictate how a counselor should have the necessary tools when conducting a counseling session. There is a shortfall of training and education when dealing with race, ethnicity, and cultural backgrounds in today’s society. Ethics is a hot topic for counselors, partially because there are so many different situations that can be affected by ethical behavior. These situations can range from betraying the clients trust to injustice. There tends to be a lot of ambiguity for how to handle a situation ethically since there are a lot of

People behave accordingly to their culture which makes them to behavior in a certain direction. Thus, it is important for to a counselor to treat a client according to his or her culture. Some peoples' culture consists of religious beliefs, certain customs, rituals, which involves social, morals and values. Likewise, the part of a researcher is to deliver knowledge about the participant’s background and lifestyle which is essential for cultural competence (Sue & Sue, 2013, p. 9745). Also, (Code # A.2.c.) a researcher must respect their client’s culture and be culturally sensitive. Thus, it is important that researchers are culture competence when participants partake in a research study (ACA, 2014, p. 3). For this reason, the researcher most

The relationship of a counselor to his or her client can be troubled when the two come from different cultural backgrounds. "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" (Bolton-Brownlee 1987). The challenge for counselors today is to balance multiculturalism and sensitivity for the client with the need to move the client forward and enable him or her to reach productive life goals. Cultural acceptance cannot be synonymous with complacency.

Starting this course in August, I didn’t realize the power that multicultural counseling had instilled in it. The fact that its central focus is around social justice and equality is a characteristic our society much needs today. Throughout the duration of this class, I learned about multicultural counseling as a whole, new theories that can be applied specifically to different racial/ethnic minorities, the ACA code of ethics, and who I want to be as a future counselor.

Culture may be defined in a broad and narrow context. The broad definition includes demographic variables ( age, gender), status variables ( social, educational, economic) and affiliations ( formal and informal), as well as ethnographic variables, such as ethnicity, nationality, language. Narrow definition of culture is limited to the terms of ethnicity and nationality, which are important for individual and familial identity, but the concept of culture in Counselling usually goes beyond national and ethnic boundaries. It interprets culture in a broader aspect, it aims to go beyond its more obvious and verifiable symbols toward the more subjective perspectives its members hold. Counselling deals

Many assessments fail to gather much information on a broader multi-cultural spectrum, this assessment proves that its makers are interested in finding how multiple cultures deal with issues within their family when they may arise. The cultures and the languages that the FAD addresses include: English, Arabic, Armenian, Chinese, French, Dutch, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Thai, and Turkish. This assessment is made to be completed within a 10-15 minute time frame and is made to be scored within the same amount of time it takes to administer the assessment. This is a self-reporting assessment which can pose the risk of a client not being entirely truthful while completing the assessment however; when this assessment is given it is typically given to the entire family to identify what each individual family member is feeling to ensure that an effective treatment plan is put into place for the clients. This assessment should be completed before the family begins treatment and according to Whiston (2013) when making a treatment plan we have to consider the degree that the problem is affecting the client, the environmental or social factors that are contributing to the clients problems, the clients strengths, as well as should cultural issues

Tino Rangatiratanga is a Maori vernacular meaning absolute sovereignty or full chieftainship (Orange, 2012).The phrase was coined in the Treaty of Waitangi Maori version signed both by the British Crown and Maori chiefs in 1840 when referring to the governance of the Maori chiefs. It was repeatedly used over the Treaty even if it varies from its English translation as compare to its original meaning in Maori language.