Relational Cultural Theory In Mental Health Counseling

A therapist will face problems, issues and client troubles everyday. The professional must understand how their client relates to the world around them. These feelings and ideas affect how the client sees the problem and how they respond to their situation. Their actions, in turn, have bearing on individual thoughts, needs, and emotions. The therapist must be aware of the client's history, values, and culture in order to provide effective therapy. This paper will outline and provide information as to the importance of cultural competence and diversity in family therapy.

    In many ways Cloud and Townsend’s (1999) approach to developing and maintaining healthy relationships is comparable to the model of change proposed in Dr. Wilson’s book Hurt people hurt people. Although Dr. Wilson (2001) takes a much etiological approach to addressing

NASW Code of Ethics plays an important role in how social workers should conduct themselves with clients: “A code of ethics cannot resolve all ethical issues or disputes or capture the richness and complexity involved in striving to make responsible choices within a moral community. Rather, a code of ethics sets forth values, ethical principles, and ethical standards to which professionals aspire and by which their actions can be judged”(NASW, 2017) Using

A career in Social Work requires conviction to personal values that reflect and uphold the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics. Professional ethics are the foundation of social work, as the trade has an innate obligation to endorse ethical principles and basic values to advocate for the wellness of others. The core values adopted by all social workers, as distinguished by NASW, are service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. As a Clinical Social Worker, I will honor the NASW Code of Ethics in addition to my personal values of respect, self determination, responsibility, motivation, and wisdom. My personal values complement the NASW Code of Ethics and will resonate in my work as a social worker.

Cultural competence as it pertains to counseling is a vital skill to possess in today’s ever-changing society. Counseling is a high demand profession which involves interaction with person from all walks of life and all types of backgrounds. As we become more sensitive to cultural diversity around us, we must make an effort to understand those who are different from us. The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender or LGBT community has come to the forefront of our social consciousness with much media attention given to the issue of marriage equality in many states.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURE ON MENTAL HEALTH AND HOW THIS CAN AFFECT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEN THE HEALTH CARE PROVIDER AND THE CLIENT

I am committed to embracing cultural diversity and social responsibility in my counseling practice (Corey, et al., 2015, p. 112). I am committed to my own cultural competency and, although I am not perfect, I am open to learning and growth (p. 118). I invite you to challenge my assumptions. Many therapy approaches reflect Western patriarchal values that do not fit the needs of all cultural perspectives (p. 117-118). I consider your disclosure of personal information to be an important aspect of therapy, but I will encourage you to self-disclose according to your own timeline, not mine (p. 120). Some people hesitate to speak due to respect and cultural norms, so I encourage you to let me know when I am being too direct or assertive in my questions (p. 122). Therapy sometimes assumes a goal of individualization, buy I realize this might not be your goal, so I am open to exploring issues of collective responsibility as well as self-actualization (p. 123). Finally, I come from a Western cultural orientation, both personally and professionally, and am often unconscious of my nonverbal behaviors, so I encourage you to let me know when I treat you disrespectfully in my use of eye contact, facial expression, or gestures, or when my interventions feel uncomfortably personal or intrusive (p. 123). “Recognizing our own cultural and historical embeddedness can remind us that our assumptions about what a person is and what a person should be or become

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has written a code of ethics that serves many purposes. The main purpose is to identify the core ethics and values that provide the foundation for the profession. It details six basic principles for social workers to follow: service, social justice, dignity and worth, human relationships, integrity, and competence (National Association of Social Workers, 1999). The code acts as an ethical guide for students, and those professionals just

Relational – Cultural Theory (RCT) began as a feminist perspective that allowed psychologists a more appropriate measure of women’s experiences in terms of relationships that were not created by and for other male researchers. The inception of this theoretical perspective originates from the recognition that most research and consequent response considers the male as the norm and makes assumptions about the experience of women based on that norm that may not give a correct account of the female experience. This standpoint, however, has evolved and “may also include a better understanding of male growth and development” (Robbins, Chatterjee, & Canda, 2012, p. 125). It allows for a greater understanding and ability to serve those who experience any number of situations and circumstances during the life course. Robbins et al. explain, “it has expanded to better account for all human experience, both male and female” and connects the individual problem to the greater social world; that is, it looks at the individual relationships and consequent suffering within the context of the greater culture (2012, p. 125).

Zunker informs us that Sue, Ivey and Pederson recognized that a theory for multicultural counseling was necessary; the premise of this theory is that learning occurs within a cultural context, that cultural identity changes and that culture is both inclusive and broad (Sue, Ivey & Pederson 1996; Zunker, 2006).The sociopolitical

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.

While one is in the discipline of becoming a Social Worker, one must read, listen to lectures, have serious class conversations and value how the philosophies of each culture is distinctive. Lindsey states “A culture contribute to differences in social policy, legislation, and social work practice” (2005). As a result, in to relation of the last sentence this is when ones’ personal beliefs sometimes interfere with ones’ judgments towards others. Further, the NASW Code of Ethics does not specify which values, principles, and standards are most important and ought to outweigh others in instances when they conflict. The Code of Ethics is an outline that helps the worker stay within the boundaries that helps them deal with personal values, decision

Since the profession was recognized many concerns arose regarding the values and ethics of social workers. The key points of the NASW Code of Ethics, the CSWE Educational Policy and Standards, and HIPAA will be summarized. Some of the most challenging ethical issues facing social workers and the social work profession today, have been explored. The core values of the

This essay will also discuss the cultural congruence of SFBT as a therapeutic method for counseling in a therapeutic relationship.

To identify intangible underpinning socio cultural elements that associate with therapeutic relationship in an Indian outpatient physiotherapy settings