Caption: Muslim
Little Boy and His Mushaf
URL: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/181410691220039336/
Culture
refers to a community that provides members of a particular group of people
with information about their worldview, personal identity, and social behaviors
(Meir & Davis, 2011). Cultural norms can be very powerful amongst the
individuals, so it is imperative that the counselor educates him or herself on
the specifics of the client. These norms could simply be described as the rules
that the group uses for stating what is seen as appropriate and inappropriate
behaviors, values, beliefs, attitudes. Due to the diverse population in which
the counselor ministers to, he can at times find himself caught between
cultures rather in a particular one (Heyer, 2012). The counselor must be
competent in these areas of diversity. However, being competent does not mean
being an expert. Competency is typically described as awareness of our own
attitudes and possible biases towards other cultures, understanding another’s
culture in a non-judgmental and empathetic way, and using strategies that are
culturally appropriate for the client (Meir & Davis, 2011). We as
counselors, should strive to better understand our client’s behaviors in
context to their cultural background. The client is there for assistance and it
is the counselor’s responsibility to best help him or her. This can be quite
challenging due to so many cultures in the world. If the counselor lacks
knowledge on a particular culture, he or she should seek supervision to help
with the current situation. Kennedy (2000) shares that receiving supervision is
a lifelong process which is used to enhance and refine counselors’ skills
throughout their professional careers. We as counselors, will never completely fulfill
this cultural competency, but it is our job to try.
References
Heyer, G. (2012). Caught between cultures: cultural norms in Jungian psychodynamic process. Journal of Analytical Psychology, 57: 629–644.
Kennedy, A. L. (2000). Supervision for
practicing genetic counselors: An overview of models. Journal of Genetic
Counseling, 9(5), 379.
Meir, S., & Davis, S. (2011). Elements of Counseling. 7th edition. Belmont, CA:
Brooks
Cole.
Cengage.
Tyler, I really enjoyed reading your post about cultural competence. Culture is so important because it is something that an individual has grown up in and been a part of for most of their life. As you stated, the cultural norms can be extremely influential in the life of the client. It might be difficult to understand or remember all of the information pertaining to a certain culture. However, proper supervision as well as researching the culture can be beneficial. I think it could also be important to address the client's culture in session in order to determine how important it is to him or her.
ReplyDeleteTyler,
ReplyDeleteI agree we must strive to learn the most we can about the culture of each individual client we have. However, I know one challenge I may have is not making eye contact with male clients of certain cultures. I view eye contact as a sign of respect of what the other person is saying and before taking this course, it was difficult for me to even break eye contact. Thus, I will have to do research and be more conscious of who I should and should not make eye contact with in counseling. Fortunately, as you said, we will not be experts of every culture and I do know it is ultimately important to be genuine, understanding, and empathic in our relationships.