Download chapter 1 the multicultural journey to cultural competence

CHAPTER 6
BARRIERS TO
MULTICULTURAL
COUNSELING AND
THERAPY
Marginal Person
The marginal person, coined by Stonequist
(1937) refers to one’s ability to form a dual
ethnic identification due to a bicultural
membership
GENERIC CHARACTERISTICS
OF COUNSELING/THERAPY
 1. Culture-bound values — individual centered,
verbal/emotional/behavioral expressiveness, communication patterns
from client to counselor, openness and intimacy, analytic/linear/verbal
(cause-effect) approach, and clear distinctions between mental and
physical well-being.
 2. Class-bound values — strict adherence to time schedules (50-minute,
once-or-twice-a-week meeting), ambiguous or unstructured approach to
problems, and seeking long-range goals or solutions.
 3. Language variables — use of Standard English and emphasis on
verbal communication.
CULTURE BOUND VALUES
OF COUNSELING/THERAPY
 1. Focus on the individual.
 Most forms of counseling and psychotherapy
tend to be individual centered — that is, they
emphasize the “I-thou” relationship.
CULTURE BOUND VALUES
OF COUNSELING/THERAPY
 2. Verbal/Emotional/Behavioral Expressiveness.
 Many counselors and therapists tend to emphasize
the fact that verbal/emotional/behavioral
expressiveness is important in individuals.
 We like our clients to be verbal, articulate, and to
be able to express their thoughts and feelings
clearly.
CULTURE BOUND VALUES
OF COUNSELING/THERAPY
 3. Insight.
 This characteristic assumes that it is mentally beneficial for
individuals to obtain insight or understanding into their deep
underlying dynamics and causes.
 Born from the tradition of psychoanalytic theory, many
theorists tend to believe that clients who obtain insight into
themselves will be better adjusted.
CULTURE BOUND VALUES
OF COUNSELING/THERAPY
 4. Self-Disclosure (Openness and Intimacy).
 Most forms of counseling and psychotherapy tend to value one’s ability
to self-disclose and to talk about the most intimate aspects of one’s life.
 Self-disclosure has often been discussed as a primary characteristic of
the healthy personality.
 People who do not self-disclose readily in counseling and psychotherapy
are seen as possessing negative traits such as being guarded, mistrustful,
and/or paranoid.
CULTURE BOUND VALUES
OF COUNSELING/THERAPY
 5. Scientific Empiricism.
 Counseling and psychotherapy in Western culture and society has been
described as being highly linear, analytic, and verbal in their attempt to
mimic the physical sciences.
 It emphasizes the scientific method - objective rational linear thinking.
The therapist is objective and neutral, rational and logical in thinking.
Quantitative evaluation that includes psychodiagnostic tests, intelligence
tests, and personality inventories are used.
 This cause-effect orientation emphasizes left-brain functioning.
CULTURE BOUND VALUES
OF COUNSELING/THERAPY
 6. Distinctions between Mental and Physical Functioning.
 Many American Indians, Asian Americans, Blacks, and Hispanics hold a
different concept of what constitutes mental health, mental illness, and
adjustment.
 Among the Chinese, the concept of mental health or psychological wellbeing is
not understood in the same way as it is in the Western context.
 Latino/Hispanic Americans do not make the same Western distinction between
mental and physical health as their White counterparts.
 Thus, nonphysical health problems are most likely to be referred to a physician,
priest, or minister.
CULTURE BOUND VALUES
OF COUNSELING/THERAPY
 7. Ambiguity.
 The ambiguous and unstructured aspect of the therapy situation may
create discomfort in clients of color. Culturally diverse clients may not
be familiar with therapy and perceive it as an unknown and mystifying
process.
 Some groups, like Hispanics, may have been reared in an environment
that actively structures social relationships and patterns of interaction.
 Anxiety and confusion may be the outcome in an unstructured
counseling setting.
CULTURE BOUND VALUES
OF COUNSELING/THERAPY
 8. Patterns of Communication.
 The cultural upbringing of many minorities dictates different
patterns of communication that may place them at a
disadvantage in therapy.
 Counseling demands that communication move from client
to counselor. The client is expected to take the major
responsibility for initiating conversation in the session,
while the counselor plays a less active role.
Implications for Practice
 Become aware of the generic characteristics of
counseling
 Advocate for multilingual services
 Provide community counseling services in the
client’s natural environments (schools, churches,
etc.)
 Help clients deal with forces such as poverty,
discrimination, prejudice, immigration stress in
contrast to developing personal insight through selfexploration
Implications for Practice
 Focus on action orientation and expand your
repertoire
 Do not overgeneralize or stereotype
 Do not become arrogant and think that
clinical work is superior to other forms of
helping