Multicultural Counselling Practice - Essay Example

Scenario One A 37-year-old minister of a Christian religion seeks counseling because of his struggle to come to terms with his own homosexual interests and is weighing up whether or not to come out. The notion of homosexuality is in complete opposition to the values and beliefs of his religion and congregation. He currently is in a dilemma not knowing what to believe anymore. The Reflection Multicultural counseling creates a platform that recognizes the diversity and plurality of the human condition in the contemporary period (Ponterotto, Casas, Suzuki & Alexander, 2001; Sue & Sue, 2007). It responds to the reality that the common ground with which people of today encounter is through the truism of differences and similarities. However, despite the fact of plurality and diversity, what cannot be denied is the supposition that our world is still plagued by social divisions that establish a divide that maybe invisible but utterly obvious. Scenario one presents the reality of the divide that is perpetuated in terms of our sexual differences. Gender and sexuality are two different ideas; however, the discrimination and harassment of sexual minorities are intertwined with the cultural structure of gender (Marshall, 2004). As such, it frames sexual preferences and sexual identities within the accepted parameters of the society, which is heterosexual, and anything that counters it is considered as abnormal, corrupt or even criminal (Corrigan & Matthew, 2003; Ji, 2007; Marshall, 2004). Thus, the reality of stigma, fear, exclusion and being considered as mentally ill is the current vulnerated condition of the client. Moreover, the situation of our client is confounded further by two immensely influential factors – religion and his work. In this regard, the client –counselor relationship opens the opportunity for an authentic encounter between two persons. This is claimed base on the supposition that both the counselor and the client are coming from two different perspectives, different view of the world, variegated values, different perception and acceptance of sexuality and identity. This does not constitute a schism, but instead, it proffers the prospects for the counselor to remove the invisible veil that is consisted of his/her own prejudice and bias (Marshall, 2004). Furthermore, as it accounts for the reality that each of us is working within the frame of own culture and traditions, the counselor is required to become knowledgeable not only of his own cultural context, but is also keen to understand and respect the cultural context of the client and at the same time bridge the gap between the two to establish a relationship that is built on trust (Sue, Arrendondo & Davis, 1994). However, the moment that the counselor starts seeing his/her values and perspectives as superior over that of the client, the problem begins. Since, there is the increase likelihood that we will fail to see and understand the patient from his own circumstances and within his own story and this counters the ethos of multicultural counseling. As such, the circumstances of the minister have the potential of establishing a strain on the client-counselor relationship if the counselor will act as a big brother instead of an equal. On the other hand, the quality of the relation between the client and the counselor is such that it becomes the arena wherein the meeting of two different persons at the time of the need of the other (client)becomes an authentic encounter, an affirmation of each other’s being, an attestation of life (Ponterotto et al., 2004, Ricouer, 1990). However, considering the actual context of the minister vis-a-vis support services, realistically he cannot get support from his friends, family and work. The closest person that he has now is us- his counselors (Corrigan & Matthew, 2003). Coming out of the closet is one of the most difficult decisions that gays and lesbians have to make (Corrigan & Matthew, 2003; Marshall, 2004). In this context, as the counselor, it is our responsibility to be accessible to the Minister anytime. Likewise, we should uphold the confidentiality of the nature of the treatment –relation and finally, if there is a need, refer him to various organizations that will help him in the process of the changes that he will be undergoing. Sexuality whether it is heterosexual, homosexual or any-other-sexual is about diversity, change and choice and the notion that there is sexual identity negates the supposition that sexuality is fix and that it is within the range of acceptable behavior (Marshall, 2004, pp. 125-126). In this regard, the best- practice approach that we can provide for the minister is gay affirmative counseling (Corregan & Matthew, 2003; Marshall, 2004; Sue & Sue, 2007; Wilton, 2001). This means that gay and lesbian sexuality are positive human experience and an expression of humanity equal to heterosexuality (Marshall, 2004). This means that we have to understand the socio-political condition from where he is coming from. This means the stigma, fear, marginalization, homophobia, exclusion are all part of the socio-political-religious context of the client. Likewise, we must understand and become aware of the emotional, psychological, cognitive or physical challenges that they are facing. It has been observed that stigma and marginalization of sexual minorities has caused them mental stress, as such, we have to recognize that there is a need to understand the client from his own perspectives, life experiences and challenges. Moreover, affirmative counseling demands respecting the client in his own person, recognize his vulnerated condition, understand, and respect his circumstances (Wilton, 2001). In lieu with this, recognizing that we cannot free ourselves from our own bias, the counselor should not discriminate, should take the encounter as a chance to re-learn his/her notion of sexuality and be made aware of his/her own bias (Marshall, 2004; Wilton, 2001). Likewise, there is the ethical demand that the counselor should be informed of developments in LGBT communities. Most importantly, it is essential that we should respect the dignity, integrity, humanity and personhood of our client. Their sexual orientation does not make them less of a human person, but, in fact, they give us with the opportunity to view life from their perspective, to understand our humanity from their experiences and further see our common vulnerable human condition. Diversity in sexual orientation creates a gap that negates the humanity of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered persons. The reality of their suffering is not just confined in the limited flourishing of their self and life, and in the microaggression that they continually experience. It is now made more noticeable by the violence being committed against them. As counselors, we should create venues where they can freely express themselves in their own unique humanity. 2. Scenario Two A 20 year old woman seeks counseling due to the level of distress she experiences at her work. She is a receptionist for a building company of which the majority of employees are men. Specifically she is finding it difficult to cope with the level of harassment in the office that she says is of a sexual nature. Specifically she complains of being made fun of through sexually orientated comments and vulgar jokes. She said that she used to enjoy caring for her appearance and looked forward to dressing up when going to work, but now she dresses down her appearance to try and stop the sexually orientated comments about her looks. The Reflection The idea and reality of women as equals of men have long been fraught with issues that continue to deny women the fact that they share the same humanity as that with men. The history of humanity is filled with stories of women trying to assert their humanity in the midst of male dominated society and of the continuous subjugation of women stories as evincing an authentic articulation and expression of positive human experience. Scenario Two brings us to the reality of the continued ‘oppression’ of women. Although others may think that women had gone a long way from the ancient period down to the 17th century when women were still considered not as human beings, but still, the subtle forms of sexism that women experiences today are still as harsh and dehumanizing as before even if it comes in a new form- microaggression. Microaggressions are “the everyday verbal, non-verbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, messages to the target person based solely on their marginalized group membership” (Sue, 2010, p. 3). It also commonly occurs in situations where there are alternative explanations and that it represents unconscious and embedded biased beliefs and attitudes. Finally, microaggressions are more likely to occur when people pretend not to notice differences, thereby denying that race, sex, or sexual orientation had anything to do with their action (Sue & Sue, 2007). Unfortunately, existing literatures focus more on racial microaggressions and minimal studies and research are being conducted to clarify gender microaggression (Capodilupo, Nadal, Corman, Harmit, Lyons & Weinberg, 2010). In this scenario, the woman is experiencing some of the identified types of gender microaggression and these are sexual objectification, sexist language, and assumption of traditional gender roles. This brings to the fore one of the oldest social divides – gender. Gender is a social construct. Our being feminine or masculine is defined by society. It is not an inherent part of our being humans. However, as the reality of who we are is shaped and communicated by the culture where we belong, we cannot deny that unconscious bias and prejudiced that we imbibed is reality that we carry with us. In this regard, the quality of client-counselor relation is defined by the social divide perpetuated through unconscious and learned bias and belief. As such, the counselor ought to go beyond the discourse and identification of the microaggression and move towards the establishment of a working relationship or alliance with the client in such a way that their every meeting becomes an encounter between equals. In this regard, it is required that the counselor should manifest multicultural skills and knowledge required in tackling the concern in order to present credibility (Sue & Sue, 2007). Likewise, it is imperative that the counselor endeavors to establish a relationship with the client that is anchored on trust. It is in this way that the oppression and abuses committed against women because she is a woman, are countered as it reveals its true colors –gender microaggression. Our client should be given the list of community services and other necessary support services that she may need. Her circumstances are frightening on the assumption that she is working in a highly hostile environment wherein she is treated, not as a person but as a sexual object. Furthermore, her current working status is not cognizant of her unique abilities as she is performing a traditional work attributed to women – receptionist. I do not overlook the fact that it is a decent job and even necessary in the face of the economic slump. However, her current job and what they are doing against her calls for a red flag – the microinsult that she maybe experiencing may turn into something more if left unchecked. The danger is already manifested by the fact that she has opted to recreate herself in an image that does not speak of her identity, but of an effort to stop the insult. In this regard, she must be given all the support – legal, moral and if possible job transfer. The best approach for our case will not come from us, but must start with her, our client. This approach will determine if she is ready to assert her own feminine identity. We cannot make her to fight back, if she is not ready. Victims of gender microaggression know that they may risk everything - job, relationship, opportunities- and that it posits a real threat to them if they fight back (Marshall, 2004; Sue & Sue, 2007). In this way, as we let the woman decide what she ought to do and that we become the support that she needs, we slowly emancipate her and present to her the truth that the problem is not her, but the existing microaggression that is being committed against her. ‘She’ is not the problem. She should not be changing her image of herself. The fact that she has changed her perception of herself presents to us the extent of the negative impact of gender microaggression. The subtlety of this oppression, which is happening every day, is negative and insidious. In lieu with this, what is ethical for the counselor to do is to validate the microaggression and not downplay it. The reality of microaggression is not something that are just imagined but it is a part of day-to-day experiences of women and that it is not something that they can just free themselves (Sue & Sue, 2007). At the same time, we must also be on guard as we are also in the constant danger of unconsciously engaging in unintended microaggression (Sue & Sue, 2007). If this happens, then we have to admit that we have committed a mistake and use it as the way of unlearning our own gender bias. Finally, we have to help our client be conscious of the reality that gender microaggression is something that pervasive, whether intentional or unintentional, is happening in our everyday experiences. This scenario presents to us the truism as women continues to struggle to be authentically considered as subjects, persons with inherent human dignity and integrity, both the subtle (microaggression) and the blatant objectification, denigration and oppression of women continues. As such, we have to inform our clients that the problem is not because they are women, but the problem lies on the fact that our pluralist and diverse world are still influenced by the age-old gender bias against women. References: Capodilupo, C.M., Nadal, K.L., Corman, L., Hamit, S., Lyons, O.B. & Weinberg, A. (2010). The Manifestations of Gender Microaggressions. In D.W. Sue Microaggressions and marginality: Manifestation, Dynamics and Impact (pp.193 - 241). New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Corrigan, P.W. & Matthews, A.K. (2003). Stigma and disclosure: Implications for Coming Out of the Closet. Journal of Mental Health, 12 (3), 235 – 248. Ji, P. (2007). Being a Heterosexual Ally to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Community: Reflections and Development. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy,11(3/4), 173 – 185. Marshall, S. (2004). Difference & discrimination in psychology & counseling. London: Sage. Ponterotto, J. G. Casas, M. Suzuki, L., & Alexander, C. M. (2001). Handbook of multicultural counseling: Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Sue, D.W. & Sue, D. (2007). Counseling the Culturally Diverse (theory & Practice) 5th Edition. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sue, D.W. (2010). Microaggressions and marginality: Manifestation, Dynamics and Impact (pp.193 - 241). New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Wilton, L. (2001). Where do we go from here? Raising The Bar Of What Constitutes As Multicultural Competencies in Working with Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual and Transgender Communities. In J.G. Ponterotto, M. Casas, L. Suzuki & C.M. Alexander, Handbook of multicultural counseling (pp. 313 – 327). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Read More