Individual Consultation - Assignment Example

Person Centred Counseling Running Head: PERSON CENTRED COUNSELING IN A DIVERSE SOCIETY Person Centred Counseling in a Diverse Society in APA Style Name of Student Name of University Person Centred Counseling 2 In order to define the phrase main cultural divisions, it is necessary to list the meaning of the word culture. Wikipedia (2006) gives the definition of culture, "'to cultivate', generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. Different definitionsreflect different theoretical bases for understanding, or criteria for evaluating, human activity." Values, norms, and artifacts all make up culture. If you value something, then you hold it as important and of top priority. Norms include the way people in various cultures behave and act. Artifacts are the material objects that the culture creates, grasps, and possesses. With each area, peoples, and society, there are cultural divisions especially in the areas of race, religion, class, disability, age, gender, and sexual orientation. It is critical that that one recognises the main social divisions and the cultural heritages of people and their influences on the counseling process and relationships. These social divisions can be a possible source of covert, or overt, discrimination and misunderstanding. The cultural and social divisions also include stereotypes, language issues and differences, differing belief systems, family life experiences and family patterns. An example of these differences which may create division include the counselor having to counsel a female whose main language is Chinese and she is just now learning English. She was raised in an alcoholic home who were faithful Buddhists. Their family patterns included worship Buddha, a gold statute that was set in the middle of the dining table. It was customary to wait until the deceased and Buddha "ate" before the family could eat. Obviously, this is extremely unfamiliar to a counselor of the description of this report. The counselor must be prepared to handle such differences. It is important that the counselor becomes aware and educated of his/her own culture. The Person Centred Counseling 3 views and beliefs that a counselor has based on his/her experiences can interfere with the counseling process if one is not aware of the need to be educated and open minded on such matters. Bolten-Brownlee (2000) quotes Ibrahim (1985) and Lauver, 1986), "A major assumption for culturally effective counseling and psychotherapy is that we can acknowledge our own basic tendencies, the ways we comprehend other cultures, and the limits our culture places on our comprehension. It is essential to understand our own cultural heritage and world view before we set about understanding and assisting other people." Ibrahim (1985) also states that "This understanding includes an awareness of one's own philosophies of life and capabilities, a recognition of different structures of reasoning, and an understanding of their effects on one's communication and helping style." Counseling and intervention may not be effective and patients may not get the assistance they need. Underlying assumptions, stereotypes, racism, etc. will influence the counseling. Sticking with one, or only a few, counseling methods will also hinder the treatment and services to the clients as the clients' cultural and social heritages are different. The counselor must do a history check and research clients' background in order to fully be open-minded, knowledgeable, and to provide complete counseling. Counselors should learn about the clients' cultural diversity and be aware of the main differences to keep from being narrow-minded and to provide multicultural counseling which will fully be beneficial. An example of the need to recognise the main social divisions and the cultural heritages of people as these can influence the counseling process and relationships is reported by Bolten-Brownlee (2000) who quotes Ching and Prosen (1980), "In the cultural value system of Chinese Americans, passivity rather than assertiveness is revered, quiescence rather than verbal articulation is Person Centred Counseling 4 a sign of wisdom, and self-effacement rather than confrontation is a model of refinement. Since humility and modesty are so valued, it is difficult for counselors to draw out a response from a Chinese American in a group setting. The reticence which reinforces silence and withdrawal as appropriate ways of dealing with conflict may be interpreted as resistance by the uneducated counselor. Democratic counselors may also be uneasy with the role of the "all-knowing father" that the Chinese respect for authority bestows on them." Without being aware of these differences, the counselor will not be able to provide a productive and effective theory or method. Being aware of one's own biographical information indicates an awareness of one's own culture which will allow the counselor to realize the impact that he/she has on the clients. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000) defines the word biographical as, "Containing, consisting of, or relating to the facts or events in a person's life." It is extremely important that a counselor critically evaluates his/her own biographical information and cultural heritage in order to be aware of the positive and negative impacts it may have on clients. The counselor/author of this paper is a white working class heterosexual male, 35 years old, has no physical or mental disability, and has no religious beliefs. With his biographical background, it is obvious that he will need to be aware of his culture in order to relate to someone from a different social and cultural background and environment. I.e., the author will find that counseling to an Asian female with Buddhist religious beliefs will require an understanding of the diversity, an open mind, and an understanding of the cultural divisions that may cause problems if he chooses on the methods that he is familiar with. The biographical background, social, and cultural environment in which the counselor/author is Person Centred Counseling 5 familiar with will not be applicable or understandable to the client. Most likely, neither party would understand where the other is coming and cannot relate. A suggestion from the counselor might be against the clients religious beliefs or abnormal to the customs of her country. In trying to follow the counselor's advice, it may be impossible, ridiculous, or out of the question. In other words, the methods and counseling styles will, most likely not be effective for the Asian client. The author/counselor must be aware of his own background and social and culture environment along with that of the client's. Wade (2006) suggests that "One of the common myths about counseling is that all that the therapist does is sit there and listen. Nothing could be farther from the truth - listening is a very active process. Effective listening is a collaborative process between the client and therapist in which the client comes a a greater understanding of the factors that have contributed to the difficulty and potential solutions. This often involves the counselor asking questions to help the client look at things more completely or from a different perspective. When we feel stuck our thinking and perspective is usually restricted - it if difficult for us to see things being any other way." Effective listening requires understanding the differences that a client brings and in order not to "feel stuck in (our) thinking" and to avoid having a restricted perspective, the counselor must be aware of the main cultural divisions. Another example would be that the author is to counsel and have interaction with a client who is a 70-year-old female, middle class Italian with strong Catholic beliefs, and is partially deaf (uses hearing aid). The first main difference listed is the age. He is much younger than she is and needs to be aware of the unique needs and concerns of senior citizens such as health, Person Centred Counseling 6 money (Medicare, retirement, etc.), travel, news, and living which apply specifically to the client's age group. (Guide to Senior Living For Seniors, n.d.) The author/counselor should be aware of her religious beliefs and although he may not need to know the in-depth details, the knowledge of such basics as the fact that Catholics believe in "one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen" as reported by Nicola (2000)). The client's partial loss of hearing is a factor that can cause division too as "research shows that hearing loss can affect relationships, school performance, job productivity, and emotional well being," as reported by Hearing Aids (n.d.). "Inherent power differences and perception of power can exist in relationships such as student-faculty, employee-supervisor, (and client-counselor) have inherent power differences that compromise the ability of some people to protect their own rights(the counseling environment) must be an environment that respects the value of each person and that does not tolerate discriminatory conduct of any kind," as suggested by Santiago (2005). Despite inherent power differences, Robbins, (2005) quotes Stahl (n.d.) reports that "people of different ages, experience, and influence levels can learn from and work with each other to address generational issues." Many legislations, policies, and procedures have been created to insure that prevent or minimize inherent power differences and discrimination. Joint Submission (1999), lists a portion of a discrimination bill, "1.1 The Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Bill, 1999 [hereafter referred to as 'the Bill] must properly fulfill the constitutional mandate to enact national legislation "to prevent or prohibit unfair discrimination." Role dissonance influences people's attitudes, behaviors, and decision making. Dissonance can provide hindrance to proper decision making, which is very crucial when counseling. (Louie, Person Centred Counseling 7 1997). Traditional and electronic communications can create "greater equality through an increase in accessibility of opinions, without often having to reveal status cues such as interactants' occupational standing, gender, and the like, to other individuals. It is thus maintained that lower status individuals should have the opportunity to participate on a more equal basis with higher status individuals by using this medium (Bernard quotes Spears & Lea, 1994). Inherent powers are defined by Black's Law Dictionary (1990) as "powers over and beyond those explicitly granted in the Constitution or reasonably to be implied from express grants." Inherent powers are generally and broadly believed to be essential to existence and functionality for an orderly, effective, and efficient administration (operation). (Knowledge and Information Services Online, 2004). Perceived powers are not actual powers given or set out in law, ordinance or policy. The word perceived is defined by Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) as "knowledge of through the senses; to receive impressions from by means of the bodily organs; to take cognizance of the existence, character, or identity of, by means of the senses; to see, hear, or feel; as, to perceive a distant ship; to perceive a discord." There is a great chance that the client can give the counselor perceived powers based on cultural divisions and main differences. Some ways perceived powers can be reduced is by learning about the client's cultural and social background, keeping an open mind as the counselor researches about these differences (cultural and social divisions), and communicating to the client as openly and professionally as possible. Letting the client know the inherent powers of the counseling and method and its goals and objectives and mentioning to the client what is and is not to be expected during a session is another way reduce issues. Always provide counseling in accordance to state laws and the board's rules. Person Centred Counseling 8 I.e., Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors (n.d.) offers a guide which lists what the clients should expect. A small portion of the guide states "You have the right to expect prompt, professional and courteous service. You have the right to be served without discrimination as to sex, race, creed, color, religion, or national origin. You have the right to have the nature of the recommended treatment and any specific risks of such treatment carefully explained to you. You have the right to assist in your treatment plan" Always behaving in a professional manner with respect for others and posting the lawful and ethical responsibilities of the facility/services/sessions, etc. will help to reduce some of these perceived powers as these powers create stress for all. However, because the client is coming to the counselor, whom he/she views as the professional with an issue or problem, there will never be an elimination of the perceived powers but a reduction. The emotional, mental and physical safety needs of the client and counselor should be considered. Screening through formal process, responding to disclosure, safety planning, and acting accordingly to the board's guidelines and in an ethical manner will provide this safety on all levels. (Guidelines for Mental Health Professionals, n.d., refers to Davies, 1998.) Other safety methods to insure client and counselor safety include recruitment and staffing, formal process training, training and ongoing supervision, communication between staff and client. All need to know the procedure of seeking law enforcement assistance at any time, that they have the ability to leave at any time, and the ability to use telephones at any time, etc. (Crisis Counseling Programs for the Rural Community, n.d.). The advantages of safety policies will help the counselor and client gain more knowledge and be aware of safety issues and how to handle them if the need should arise. The disadvantages Person Centred Counseling 9 include listing fears and negative issues that may trigger, increase, and/or stimulate the very safety problems that the policies were created to avoid and minimize. Person Centred Counseling 10 References Black's Law Dictionary 782 (6th ed. 1990). Retrieved May 6, 2006, from http://www.lectlaw.com/def/i085.htm. Bolten-Brownlee (2000). Issues in Multicultural Counseling. Highlights: An ERIC/CAPS Digest. ERIC Clearinghouse on Counseling and Personnel Services Ann Arbor MI, 1987-00-00. Ching and Prosen (1980). Retrieved May 5, 2006, from http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-925/issues.htm. Crisis Counseling Programs for the Rural Community (n.d.). Retrieved May 6, 2006 from http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/sma99-3378/crisiscounseling_ch4.asp. Guide to Senior Living For Seniors, n.d.). Retrieved May 6, 2006, from http://seniors-site.com. Louie, A. 1997). The Role of Cognitive Dissonance in Decision Making, March 3,1997. Retrieved May 6, 2006, from http://www.yetiarts.com/aaron/science/cogdiss.shtml. Guidelines for Mental Health Professionals (n.d.). NYS Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence. Davies, J. (1998). Retrieved May 6, 2006, from http://www.opdv.state.ny.us/health_humsvc/mental_health/guidelines.html. Person Centred Counseling 11 Joint Submission: The Promotion of Equality and Prevention Unfair Discrimination Bill (November 23, 1999). Women's Legal Centre Socio-Economic Rights Project, Community Law Centre (UWC). Retrieved May 6, 2006, from http://www.wlce.co.za/advocacy/submission1.php. Knowledge and Information Services (2004). Retrieved May 6, 2006, from http://www.ncsconline.org/WC/FAQs/InhPowFAQ.htm. Setting the standard for experienced and qualified Mental Health Professionals (n.d.). Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors. Retrieved May 6, 2006, from http://www.lpcboard.org/LPC%20BROCHURE.htm. Nicola, R. (2000). Roman Catholicism. Retrieved May 6, 2006, from http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/roman_catholicism.html. Santiago, C. (2005). Discrimination Conduct Policy (Including Sexual Harassment). Retrieved May 6, 2006, from http://72.14.207.104/searchq=cache:vztKptDb9YcJ:www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/acad%2Badmin_policies/S47.pdf+inherent+power+differences&hl=en&gl=vi&ct=clnk&cd=1. Robbins, E. (2005). PND Newsmaker. Stahl (n.d.). Retrieved May 6, 2006, from http://fdncenter.org/pnd/newsmakers/nwsmkr.jhtmlid=123500012. Person Centred Counseling 12 Wade, J. (2006). Ask the Staff. University of Kansas. Retrieved May 6, 2006, from http://www.caps.ku.edu/askstaff/listen.shtml Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913). Retrieved May 6, 2006, from http://www.dictionary.net/perceived. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (2006). Retrieved May 4, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture. Read More