Counselling Men - Coursework Example

Counselling Men. Instruction: Counselling Men. Counselling is a wide domain of psychology that tries to look into the elements that define difficulties in personal behavioral traits and conduct. There are different aspects that have to be considered when looking into human behavior when faced with situations that call for insight into personal or intrinsic actions. In certain instances, individuals are not aware of the most appropriate way of dealing with such situations such that it is necessary to invoke counselling ideas in order that such persons can be helped in identifying themselves (Erickson et al. 2010, p. 199). This idealization is what entails counselling. However, counselling in itself involves a lot of aspects in light of the different characteristics that define humans. As such, the different cultural backgrounds have to be taken into account when dealing with counselling of persons, as it is through a cultural connection that an effective approach can be used to transform individual behavior under counselling psychology (Kilmartin 2005, p. 97). Therefore, there are different approaches that different counsellors use when dealing with multicultural or culturally diverse forms of counselling. In light of this, an analysis of the different social, cultural, and historical contexts that define individual behavior and counselling of men have to be viewed as these are the major aspects that form the framework for multi-cultural counselling of individuals. In light of the above, counselling men calls for different approaches in light of the different stereotyping that characterize men in different societies. Different cultures and societies have different expectations from men, and these expectations subsequently define how men react to the different elements of counselling psychology especially on a multicultural level. Apart from the societal beliefs, norms and expectations, there is the variable of age that also plays a critical role in evaluating how men react to counselling. Additionally, there are developmental stages that have to be incorporated in multicultural counselling with respect to men, and as such, these different aspects have varying degrees of impact on the counselling of men. One major source of contention for the counselling of is the largely similar yet diverse idealization of the roles of men in the society. This essentially means that while the general theory is that men are the heads of the society and should always take care of situations, there are virtually no institutions or thoughts that are geared towards understanding the different ways that men behave in different societal situations. From a multicultural counselling perspective, this means that a counsellor has to be flexible enough to cater for the different elements that define men in diverse societies. Additionally, there are aspects of the hierarchical roles that have to be met when dealing with the counseling of men. The roles and responsibilities designated for men are essential in understanding how they behave in various situations. Additionally, it is imperative to understand these different behavioral traits that result from societal responsibilities as a way of effectively having a good perspective of tackling the different counselling needs of men. In many situations, women have restrictive roles such that they are not subject to different views on elements of life. This is as opposed to men who are generally flexible and have various degrees of dynamism in terms of their expectations and responsibilities in the society. In many aspects, this means that they successively have to deal with a wide variety of decisions that subsequently have an impact on their behavior. Therefore, this shows the approach for counseling men has to look into the different factors that characterize the existence of men in the different societies. Literature Review. Various literature have been written in line with trying to understand the intrigues behind cultural implications in psychology. Consequently, Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice, and Organizational Change for Psychologists tries to look at the tenets that define psychological practice. It posits that in all psychological interactions, there is communication between members of two or more cultures such that these interactions are always in governed by some form of inter-cultural communication. Additionally, the literature looks at the various characteristics that lead to different cultural or societal inhibitions that make individuals different. These include race, ethnicity, culture, and even socio-political orientations that tend to divide individuals more often than not. Additionally, this is where the aspect of gender comes in, trying to discern the various gender-based factors that affect psychology and counselling. Therefore, one of the major strengths of this literature is that it looks at the different external forces that mold an individual’s behavior. This can then be used as a framework for understanding the different traits that people exhibit during counselling in line with their distinctive characteristics. Moreover, this approach is based on the realization is that societies are getting more diverse by the day, and the factors that delineate individuals, and those that make them unique are expanding continuously. However, despite this approach, one of the major shortcomings of this literature is that it fails to narrow the research down to one factor and have a conclusive recommendation or approach. While it rightly identifies the different factors that affect individual behavior, it fails to offer an in-depth and interactive analysis of any of the factors in detail. This means that the literature is wide enough, but fails to be specific enough and focus on a single factor that affects counseling. This shortcoming affects the precision and conciseness of the overall literature. Of particular interest is the fact that counselling men is excessively sidelined and is touched on in a very minimalistic way. This subsequently highlights the fact that the male gender is very much relegated to the side in favor of other groups such as women and youth. To this end, counselling men is shown as a peripheral topic in the discipline of psychology. Perhaps this is based on the fact that most instances that require psychological expertise are generally by the female gender. However, this fails to represent the underlying fact that men go through equally demanding situations, and it is only the fabric upon which the society is structured that prevents most men from seeking professional help for fear of demeaning their masculinity (Pederson 2007, p. 39). This in itself is the major source of the relatively low number of men seeking counselling and other psychological forms of help. Goals for Counsellors. In light of the above, there are various goals that have to be taken into account when dealing with men in line with incorporating cultural competence in psychology. These goals guide the counsellors in the most effective ways of catering for the needs of men in counseling sessions, as well as coming up with the most result-oriented approach of factoring in the different cultural orientations that men have. As such, the following are the measurable goals aimed at increasing the cultural competencies of counselors dealing with men: The first goal should be to find ways of creating a conducive environment that appeals to the men such that they find it easier to take up the counselling and psychology measures that could be recommended to them in line with their behavioral problems. By taking this approach, a counsellor aims to overcome the underlying fear and stigma associated with men visiting psychological or counselling sessions (Street 2013, p. 139). Additionally, the counsellors could take up awareness campaigns to try and enlighten the public on the need for every member to take part and seek counselling sessions without feeling awkward about it. In many instances, men fail to go to counsellors for fear of what the rest of the society will take of them. Therefore, by taking up an approach that tries to change this perception from the public, the counsellor eliminates the source of men’s embarrassment against going for counselling (Culbertson n.d., p. 48). Consequently, an understanding public will put less pressure on the men thereby enabling men to easily take up counselling sessions. Moreover, the need for cultural competence means that counsellors should be able to understand the way that their male clients think and the instincts that define their behavior. In order to achieve this, counsellors need to take up interactive sessions that give them first-hand experience of the type of environment in which men are expected to survive in. This could be achieved by the counsellors spending some considerable time in the environments so that they get accustomed to the type of behavior they will most likely expect from the men (Erickson et al. 2010, p. 222). Again, this goal is aimed at making sure that the counselors have the ability to easily make up the subconscious thinking of their male clients. This is essential in making sure that they can effectively come up with the most culturally oriented means of curbing any untoward behavior. Activities and interventions. One of the major sources of concern in regards to dealing with male counseling is the fact that men find it hard to express their emotions. One activity that could be used to overcome this challenge is developing an effective emotional vocabulary aimed at giving men the ability of choosing the exact form of response for expressing their emotions. In many instances, men may be able to express what they feel and the exact form of emotion that they feel, but this often has to be structured in such a way that they don’t feel that their ego as a male is being compromised (Lee 2014, p. 187). As such, finding the balance between expressing emotions in such a way that masculine edge is maintained while also divulging enough information to facilitate an effective counselling session should be the most important aim of counsellors. Effectively finding such a balance leads to the most convenient and efficient means for counselling men. Privacy and confidentiality is also another intervention that can go a long way in the counselling of men to lead to the most effective results. In many instances, men like being associated with heroism and great or heroic occurrences. By most standards, going to the counselor is regarded as the last resort after all fails. While this idealization is not necessarily true, it is the yardstick that most men use when trying to find a solution to problems that they may be faced with. Therefore, keeping male counseling sessions under wrap is sure to give men the motivation to divulge more information and seek counseling even more as they have the peace of mind that none of their outpourings will lead to any form of discrimination. In light of the above, counseling men takes various forms in consideration of the different cultural beliefs that define male behavior. Additionally, the dynamism of the current society means that there are a lot of considerations that have to be made when counseling the male population. Therefore, the foregoing goals, activities and interventions play are aimed at ensuring that the most effective outcomes in dealing with the counselling of men. References. Lee, C. (2014). Multicultural issues in Counseling: New approaches to Diversity. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley. Erickson, J. et al. (2010). Handbook of Multicultural Counseling Competencies. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. Culbertson, P. (n.d.). Counseling Men. Texas, TX: Fortress Press. Street, J. (2013). Men Counseling Men. California, CA: Harvest House Publishers. Pederson, E. (2007). Men’s Gender Role Conflict and their Willingness to Seek Counseling: A Mediation Model. Malden, MA: ProQuest. 82 Kilmartin, C. (2005). “Depression in men: Communication, diagnosis and therapy.” JMHG, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 95-99. American Psychological Association. (2002). Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice, and Organizational Change for Psychologists. New York, NY: American Psychological Association. 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