The Impact of Race, Gender, and Political Views on Psychological Counseling - Essay Example

The Is Counseling Political? Discuss in Relation to any Two of the Following: Gender, Ethni Race/ Sexuality/ Age/ Class/ Disability. Introduction The political involvement and evolving consciousness within the gender community devises significant implications for the field of counseling. The creations of gender role concepts have led to a false irreconcilable difference, whether reinforced by feminists or traditionalists. On close investigation, gender role ideals have turned out to be generalizations and misrepresentations. The indiscriminating use of gender role ideas takes care of authority differences between women and men, and ignores the complications and shared aims of human experience. Counseling faces criticisms since it focuses on the internal life of the client and the psychology of the client while paying no attention to the impact of the political, economic, cultural, and social environment in which people live (Feltham & Horton 2000, pp. 21-60). This paper seeks to indicate that counseling does not entail politics only, but politics influences the process of counseling. Ethnicity None of the techniques used in counseling recognizes the divergent nature of ethnicity as having their own values and rules. Cultural awareness would be of importance even though it would be difficult to state, define or otherwise remove ethnic boundaries. Psychological therapists need to understand the distinctions inherent to demographic aspects, and respect the client’s differences in ethnic aspects. These would include active obligation to eradicate ethnicity and respect diversity, understanding and analysis of ethnicity, awareness of psychological therapists’ own cultural practices and beliefs, and commitment to enhance cultural sensitivities. Studies done by Leong et al. (2002, pp. 169-173) revealed that a belief in people that counseling processes across ethnic lines would be intrinsically problematic. From their views, no outside psychological therapist could overcome ethnic biases. This would result into their inability to perfectly judge another ethnic groups understanding of aspects that constitutes healthy or unhealthy, normal or abnormal behavior. Psychological therapists interact with diverse clients from various ethnic backgrounds whose definition of therapy may differ from the standards and ethics of practice of counseling. Hence, they may perceive counseling as a political tool. This would lead to the inclusion of realistic and accurate multiethnic practices, competencies and experiences as the basic standards of the profession. Since no psychological therapist is immune to stereotyping, it could be assumed that most of these therapists would become immersed to their own cultural conditioning. Therapists would be required to explore their personal images and stereotypes of several minority groups of society. The greatest hindrances to this process would be the fear of sexism, biases, racism, and heterosexism (Sue & Sue 2008, pp. 62-64). As children become of age, they undergo physical, social, and cognitive changes. Psychological therapists need to be aware of the normative deviations and the series of activities at different childhood stages. Politics as one variable of the economy would enhance or impede children’s well-being. The level of knowledge and skills needed for psychological therapists to provide competent therapy to children should be well established. They should always assess the cultural outcomes of all potential therapies and select strategies that would focus on ethnic strengths (Thompson & Henderson 2010, pp. 65-67). Problems in ethnic groups arise from cultural characteristics that would otherwise be noticeable strengths of other ethnic groups. An ethnic group would feel unrecognized if dependence on the group would be the only prevalent way of ensuring survival. Any transitions in the life cycle would create conflicts in relation to ethnic identity. Psychological therapists should help families in preserving ethnic continuity by assisting the members in building and maintaining their ethnic identities (McGoldrick et al. 2005, pp. 24-26). The absence of internal validity from previous researches makes it difficult to make conclusions without incorporating some level of credibility or convincing. On the other hand, the absence of external validity would render outcomes meaningless. Ethnic values would vastly dominate research when greater emphasis may be placed on the internal validity of research conducted on ethnic values (Sue 1999, p. 1072). A culture-centered counseling perspective need to incorporate the ever-changing context and experience of the interrelationship between the psychological therapist and the client, regardless of the absence of convenience. The cultural or ethnic identity of both the client and the psychological therapist influence how they define problems and appropriate counseling processes and goals. The allegation that discrimination against ethnicity would be considered to be fair under any given circumstances would be inconsistent with the acceptable counseling principles. Effective counseling requires psychological therapists and clients to consistently review counseling goals in ensuring effectiveness, viability and the respect for the client’s freedom of selection. A psychological therapists working from a one-dimensional perspective that disregards ethical differences would not notice the dynamic and potential, significant balance between the client’s and therapist’s numerous concurrent ethnic identities. On the other hand, a psychological therapist working from a multidimensional perspective would be able to notice the need to discriminate in the midst of the client’s numerous and potentially noticeable ethnic identities (Lonner et al. 2002, pp.12-17). Gender The political ideology includes the power and interests of power relations that would help in sustaining social order in society. It influences how conflicts are expressed and managed, and how power works. Gender remains subject to the influences of various political ideologies to the extent individuals believe they represent their own view of concepts. Any counseling relationship between two individuals would be informed and shaped by the process the two parties involved take along in to the process. The processes would be internal, external, and relational in nature. These dominant political processes act as significant contributors to the discriminatory or oppressive practices and beliefs in counseling. (Lago & Smith 2010, pp. 4-6). Political knowledge accelerates effectiveness in social conscience in many ways where promoting commitment and participation in politics are part of them. Individuals, thus, comprehend the political world and develop attitudes on politics consistent with the orientations and basic values of people. This creates a link between political influences and attitudes. Gender differences on the political orientation remain entrenched in situational and structural descriptions. These differences act as negative reinforcements that prevent women from taking the opportunity to do the same in counseling (Tolleson-Rinehart & Josephson 2005, pp. 22-29). The political economy shapes the delivery of counseling services in the way people live and through the policies of those controlling the economy. The objective effects of politics cannot be absconded regardless of the distinct, subjective beliefs people hold regarding psychological counseling and its relationship to the social and political environment. Politics interferes with the socioeconomic background in which counseling takes place. It endangers the political status or nationality of clients such as refugee, citizen, alien, or immigrant. In this regard, there is a need of addressing the political concepts and outcomes of clients in counseling practices. Counselors working with multiethnic clientele need to be well prepared for the highly politically oriented nature of counseling. However, it would be worth noting that counseling could never be neutral and could not adequately respond to the problems of exploitation, dehumanization, and denial emanating from political circumstances (Chin et al. 1993, pp. 95-98). Traditional male norms center on men remaining as tough, sexually active, not expressing vulnerable feelings, independent and professionally successful. However, the firm adherence to these standards could be problematic in creating and maintaining interpersonal relationships during the counseling sessions. Some of the norms could be directly harmful such as restricted emotionality and non-relational sex. Conversely, traditional female norms center around being emotionally open, self-disclosure and connecting with others. Given the experience and variations in gender norms of upcoming female and male psychological therapists, female therapists need to learn about the socialization traits on men and how norms related to males could affect their clientele. When therapy becomes largely practiced in keeping with female norms, the course of counseling could be threatening to several men (Sweet 2012, pp. 4-8). Conclusion A counselor or psychological therapist who endeavors to adopt such practices would be weighed down by challenges and difficulties. The attempt to adhere to such political values would in itself entail a move towards politics, leading to suspicions over the ideological principles applied. In the same way, charges of unprofessional and unethical worries with politics would arise leading to resignation, unstable job security, and frustration to the psychological therapist. It would be recommended that psychological therapists continuously examine the association between the psychosocial distress of individuals, ethnicity, and sociopolitical certainties of their clientele. Psychological therapists should always avoid dual relationships with clients having the same social, personal, familial, business, or financial relationships. Such relationships would impair the professional judgment while increasing the potential to risk harming clients. Psychological therapists should adjust, clarify, or withdraw from performing potentially ambiguous or conflicting counseling tasks. This would be because most ethnic contexts would inevitably involve conflicting roles for those participating in the counseling process. Psychological therapists should always practice within the confines training, level of education, competence, supervised experience, relevant professional experience, and their national or state professional qualifications. The ethnic or cultural inclusion endangers the counseling profession in general. Psychological therapists deeply immersed into ethnic adherence would be least expected to notice their own biases, and as a result their judgment would be reflective of their own concepts and perspectives of the client under assessment. Contemporary ethical guidelines for psychological therapists emphasize their obligation to following the laid down rules rather than trying to think in ethical terms. 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