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CROSS-CULTURAL COUNSELING.
Term Paper ID:18766
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Essay Subject:
Misconceptions of non-minority counselor, racism, cultural ignorance, expectations, miscommunications.... More...
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10 Pages / 2250 Words
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Paper Abstract:
Misconceptions of non-minority counselor, racism, cultural ignorance, expectations, miscommunications.
Paper Introduction:
Introduction
There are myriad issues that impact the provision of cross-cultural counseling, particularly when counselors are ill-advised of or ignorant to the many differences between their ethnicities and/or cultures and those of their clients. Further, there are many political factors of cross-cultural counseling that negatively influence treatment approaches and treatment outcomes.
Faulty Conceptualizations by the Non-minority Counselor
Sue (1981) reports that the concept of cultural encapsulation entails the substitution of model stereotypes for the real world and the disregarding of cultural variations in a dogmatic adherence to some universal notion of truth (p. 5). This concept when held by the nonminority counselor typically results in the use of a technique-oriented definition of the
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. New York: Guilford. Staples, R. Beyond these, Sue(p. The concept of ideal mental health (Sue, 1981) is as well infeasiblewhen nonminority counselors assign this to African-American families basedupon their conceptions for all clients. (1987, March-April). Given these differing frames-of-reference for African-Americans,nonminority counselors must come to understand that such goals as self-actualization and creativity, though possible to be realized, are for themost part divergent. 51) reports that for the most part African-Americanclients perceive of their nonminority counselors as being representative ofthe establishment solely based upon the ethnicity of the latter. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. Second, there is the issueof language barrier (p. As an example of this, nonminority counselorsmust come to understand that African-Americans are systematically deniedaccess to those institutions and positions which could afford them societalmainstreaming and higher rates of mental healthfulness. As an example of how the Culturally Deficient Model influences thetherapeutic process, note that considerable literature has consistentlyespoused negativism towards African-American families and their structure(Jones, 1972). Faulty Communication by the Non-minority Counselor Sue (1981) reports that, perhaps, the second most pressing divergencethat flaws the therapeutic process and, therefore, therapeutic outcomes, isthe type of communication used by the nonminority counselor. 29). Moreover, there can be seen a wide variety of negative andself-destructive ways in which African-American families have generallyreacted to such discrimination, including: abandoned family values;denigration of the integral role of the father in the home, contrasted byenhancement of the role of the mother; an unprecedented abuse ofsubstances; engagement in violent behavior, particularly regarding childabuse and gangs; failure t o assertively compete for promotionalopportunities; inadequate educational achievement, etc. In M.McGoldrick, J.K. The acceptance of thesewould result in the counselor relying upon a technique to drive thecounseling process that may not be culturally sensitive. While the African-American familysystem has survived the vagaries of the institution of slavery, thereremain myriad problems relative to the manner in which they perceive lifeand that quality of life to which they are generally privy. Given their reliance on familism, African-Americanfamilies stress the importance of their children seeking out marriagepartners who are of the same ethnicity. 85-1 8). Hines and Boyd-Franklin (1982) and Taylor-Gibbs (1988) report thatthat language used by African-Americans is far different from thatstandardized English espoused by the majority of society's institutions.There exist numerous divergences in that language used by such clients,often indicative of ". Ethnicity and family therapy(pp. 13); Culturally Deficient Model (i.e., assuming thatcultural difference indicates environmental disadvantage resulting indeficient stimulation, nutrition, etc.) (p. This is particularly the case,given that differing frames-of-reference for African-Americans, as opposedto that for their nonminority counterparts, do not necessarily make certaintherapeutic goals feasible. 91) reports that theunderlying attitude of prejudice entails ". First, given that secrecywas needed to insure survival during slavery as well as when confrontedwith hostile environments, African-Americans have been socialized to keepprivate many of their thoughts and skills. Sue (1981) notes that, even when African-Americansare capable of circumventing those limitations stemming from racism andtheir personality deficits, there remain phenomena that occur between themand the nonminority counselor that literally sabotage treatment approaches,the therapeutic process and, thus, treatment outcomes. Of thosenumerous types of communication used by such counselors, three proverelevant. This institution, infact, resulted in African-Americans being considered "chattel," or propertyof their slave-owners (Franklin, 1965). Faulty Conceptualizations by the Non-minority Counselor Sue (1981) reports that the concept of cultural encapsulation entailsthe substitution of model stereotypes for the real world and thedisregarding of cultural variations in a dogmatic adherence to someuniversal notion of truth (p. As a result, such counselormust understand and accept that the treatment approach for African-Americans will of necessity entail acknowledgement of those social factorsinfluencing their mental health, including racism and other forms ofdiscrimination. Sue (1981, p. Sue (1981) notes that such an attitude onthe part of the nonminority counselor can literally sabotage thetherapeutic process by summarily discounting many of those values that areheld as important by African-American clients. (1981). While this may be truefor some African-Americans, it is not absolute for the entire population.With such counselors wholesally holding these beliefs, there are bound tooccur inappropriate interpersonal interactions between them and theirAfrican-American clients, particularly regarding treatment approaches andtreatment outcomes. Los AngelesSentinel, p. (199 , December). Given this, the nonminority counselor mustbecome aware of and accept the fact that cultural difference does notnecessarily make for psychic deficiency among African-American clients.They, like their nonminority counterparts, are subject to personalitydeficits due to the socialization processes experienced from the internal(i.e., home and individual client) and the external (i.e., society)environments, their interactions with them, and how they have learned andchoose to mediate them. Third, African-American clients often perceive of nonminoritycounselors as being "symbols of the establishment" (pp. Further, there are many political factors of cross-culturalcounseling that negatively influence treatment approaches and treatmentoutcomes. Jones (1971) reports that the manifestation of openness,psychological mindedness, and/or sophistication is clearly evident amongsome African-Americans, with qualification. a negative attitude towarda person or group based upon a social comparison process in which theindividual's own group is taken as the positive point of reference." Therecan readily be provided numerous examples for the manifestation of thisphenomenon being perpetrated Against African-Americans by certain membersof the majority group, including: attack on the family system; highunemployment and/or underemployment rates; illegal exclusion frompromotional opportunities; the provision of inadequate education, etc.(Jones, 1972). 82).Thus, when such clients are communicating with nonminority counselors,there will more than likely be misunderstandings based upon divergentlanguage concepts. Culturally sensitivetreatment of black alcoholic families. Daedalus, Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,94(4), 134-151. (1988). Social Work, 13 -135. Beyondsuch clients expecting oppression and subjugation, they also compound thisissue by assuming that the superiority of nonminority counselors willmandate their exploitation. Given this, such clients often feel that theirnonminority counselors will not be able to relate to their feelings, norms,values, or beliefs. (1985, November). This concept when held by thenonminority counselor typically results in the use of a technique-orienteddefinition of the counseling process as regards African-American families.As examples of the operationalization of this concept, consider thatnonminority counselors perceive the definition of mental health for African-Americans as the same as that for nonminorities. New York: John Wiley. Those limitationsto which African-American families are subjected are primarily the resultof institutional racism, which cannot exist lacking individual racism.While such racism is seldom overtly experienced by African-Americanfamilies, this is not an indication that it does not exist. Further, when such acounselor then resultantly lowers his or her expectations for therapeuticoutcomes solely based on the Culturally Deficient Model, clients are notonly likely to be deprived of invaluable assistance, but will also haveimportant personality deficits that are unrelated to their cultureoverlooked by the counselor. Jones, J.M. A1. (Moore, 199 , p.Al). Given this dehumanizing set ofcircumstances, African-American families were cruelly separated duringslavery based upon the whimsy of slave-owners, resulting in an almost totaldestruct-ion of the family system. broken standardized English, misuse of words,adjectival abuse, and incomplete sentences" (Taylor-Gibbs, 1988, p. Prejudice and racism. Moore, X. Second, given that racism and otherforms of discrimination against African-Americans have traditionally madethem more vulnerable and open to damage than members of the majority group,they withhold in order to "protect" themselves from the nonminoritycounselor. (1972). While there are those African-Americans who hold such attributes, they may well fail to exhibit them tononminority counselors for a variety of reasons. Beyond these, the treatment outcomes for African-Americans may well defy the traditional criteria of nonminority clients,given these difficulties associated with racism and other forms ofdiscrimination. 49)) notes that,for this reason, African-American clients may well withhold these skillsfrom the nonminority counselor due to the illusion that trust is not givenin such a setting. References Franklin, J.H. Thenonminority counselor must as well affirm the concerns of such clientsregarding frustration in their attempts to find ways in which to mediatesuch discrimination, that behavior resulting from same, and otherpersonality deficits. The impetus for suchdiscriminatory practices against African-American families is theinstitution of slavery, which systematically and unquestionably strippedslaves of their right to exist as humans and, consequently, denied them ofany civil rights and resulted in their subsistence. There are as well intrafamilialand ethnic-group pressures for African-Americans to wed those who areacademically and financially equal or similar, particularly in the middle-and upper-middle classes. Pearce, & J. Moreover, this counselor must accept that underlyingissues (e.g., low self-esteem, hostility, self-destructiveness, avoidanceof success, etc.) resulting in impaired functioning may well be in partrelated to the residue of slavery and the continued racism and other formsof discrimination to which African-Americans are subjected. Further, such a counselorwould perceive that all cultures are the same. Here, the counselor wouldexpect African-American clients to communicate in standard English, despitethe fact that the use of nonstandardized English may be the norm for suchclients. . These phenomenainclude nonminority counselors adhering to models such as the GeneticDeficient Model (i.e., assuming that cultural differences of African-Americans make for their being seen as lacking certain desirableattributes) (p. First, there is the notion on the part of such counselors thatopenness, psychological mindedness, and/or sophistication are imperativefor the provision of counseling and that it is a given for African-Americanclients (Sue, 1981, p. Politi Ziter (1987) reports that there is considerable evidence ofthe prevalence of the Genetic Deficient Model, in that numerous nonminoritycounselors hold the belief that African-Americans lack a variety ofdesirable attributes. An example of this iswhen nonminority counselors perceive that all cultures have the sameunderlying frame of reference and values that would foster an ideal goal ofself-actualization and creativity. 14); inappropriateinterpersonal interactions (i.e., the use of class and culture-boundvalues) (pp. Last, inappropriate interpersonal interactions (pp. In support of the nonfeasibility of the concept of culturalencapsulation, Jones (1972) reports that there are several variables thataffect the lives of African-Americans that evidence the routine occurrenceof micro-aggressions being perpetrated against them by certain members ofthe majority group of society. . Black families. Jones (1972, p. In most cases, this model is affirmed by suchcounselors equally supporting the Culturally Deficient Model, whichpostulates that African-Americans lack the necessary home-environmentalattributes that are enjoyed by their nonminority counterparts, includingstimulation, sufficient and/or healthful nurturance, cognitive development,emphasis on education and success, nutrition, etc. 32), which occurs when the nonminority counselorexpects African-American clients to have the same language concepts thatare espoused by the use of standardized English. (1982). Rather, racismis more subtle than overt, which of necessity makes it constitute an evengreater threat to that quality of life to which African-American families,as human beings, are entitled. Dover: Auburn House.----------------------- 11 5) contends that the concept of ideal mental health, which refers tocriteria used by mental health professionals when judging normality andabnormality, emphasizes the attainment of a given ideal goal, such as self-actualization and creativity among all cultures. Young, black and male in America. Further, such a counselor expects that African-American clients, like their nonminority counterparts, will be open,verbal, emotional, and behaviorally expressive. Sue (1981) and Politi Ziter (1987) indicate,however, that if nonminority counselors hold the belief that African-American families are culturally deficient and, thus, cannot providesustenance to their children resulting in healthful growth and development,the treatment approach may prove negative and injurious to such clients.This is particularly the case if such counselors buy in to the notion thatmothers, as opposed to fathers, are more important in African-Americanfamilies and that fathers are generally irresponsible regarding insuringthe welfare of their families. 51-52). 5). Introduction There are myriad issues that impact the provision of cross-culturalcounseling, particularly when counselors are ill-advised of or ignorant tothe many differences between their ethnicities and/or cultures and those oftheir clients. With this,they perceive their counselors as having the goals of oppression andsubjugation as do other racist members of the majority group. Changes in black family structure:The conflict between family ideology and structural conditions. Black families in crisis. Journal ofMarriage and the Family, 47, 1 5-1 5 , Sue, D.W. Prejudice and racism(pp. The two worlds of race: A historicalview. Here, the nonminority counselor believes thatthe above-noted attributes must be in place in order to facilitate thetherapeutic process. Of note is that this groupis systematically subjected to a variety of forms of discrimination,foremost of which is racism, which is due to their racial and culturaldifferences from the majority group of society. Giordano (Ed.). 28, 34 & 37). This technique may well differ from that used for same-ethnicity/culture clients, who can be encapsulated relative to theirculture. (1965, Fall). Counselingthe culturally different-- Theory and practice. Given this, it then follows that African-American families are similarly under attack. . Hines, P.M., & Boyd-Franklin, N. 9 -94). Hines and Boyd-Franklin (1982) note that the importance offamily life to African-American families, contrary to popular belief amongcertain majority group members of society, is integral and, consequently,acts to sustain the existence of this ethnicity and cultural integrity.The value of familism, its role in the socialization process, the manner inwhich it can be used to solve individual, family, and societally-perpetrated problems are what make for the continued underlying sustenanceof African-Americans. 32-33) ensuedue to the nonminority counselor's using his or her frame-of-reference forcommunicating to African-American clients, which may be highly divergent. As an example of this is that African-Americans typicallyevidence either low self-esteem or vacillating self-esteem, which generallyproves resistant to therapeutic mediation, particularly when the counseloris nonAfrican-American in ethnicity and/or culture (Politi Ziter, 1987;Jones, 1972). Politi Ziter, M.L. Further, in response to these perceptions, they oftenremain neutral in the therapeutic process, thus failing to express feelingsof hostility, anger, and distrust. In fact, nonminority counselors typically expectAfrican-American clients to have the same considerations of trust andmistrust as do the majority group. There is,therefore, no question that the nonminority counselor providing counselingto African-Americans can ill-afford to assume that all cultures are thesame and, thus, fit into a common perception. Sue (1981, p. Taylor-Gibbs, J.
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