1

Everything is
Changing:
Sharon’s Story
RACHEL C. SYKES
CNGC 529: MULTICULTURAL COUNSELING
BRIDGEWATER STATE UNIVERSITY
Case study outline 2

 Case description
 Additional background information
 Counseling Jewish Americans
 Discussion
 Analysis
 References
Case description 3

Client: thirteen-year old heterosexual American Jewish female

 Presenting problem(s):
 extreme anxiety and social withdrawal
 poor performance in school
 deterioration in self-care (personal grooming and eating behaviors)
 does not want to attend local high school next year; wants to move
to her sister’s kibbutz in Israel

Recent harassment
Sharon has been sexually harassed and the victim of racially motivated
hate speech at school. When reported by school bus driver, principal
was unconcerned (“girls who are too sensitive”), and school counselor
was similarly dismissive, leaving Sharon with the sense that it was her fault.
Additional background information 4

Family of origin
 Mother, father, older sister
 Parents recently divorced; resides with mother
 No discussion of father in initial interview
 Moved from NYC to small town in Western Massachusetts
 Older sister recently moved to Israel

Cultural/religious identification
 Expressed uncertainty regarding her Jewish identity
 Recently experienced anti-Semitic harassment at school
Counseling Jewish Americans 5

History and cultural characteristics

 In US, 4.2 million Jews (religious affiliation), plus 1.1 million more
secular Jews (cultural affiliation); largest community of Jews
outside Israel
 Significant influx immigrated to US around World War I and World
War II; During 1880-1942, >2 million Jews immigrated from Russia,
Austria, Hungary, Romania (Sue, 2016)
 Population on decline due to aging demographics, lower birth
rates, women waiting longer before childbearing, and
intermarriage/assimilation
 High number of reports of Anti-Semitic hate crimes (slides 6-7)
(Sue, 2014)
Counseling Jewish Americans 6

Spiritual and religious values

 Importance of family
 Respect for parents

Cultural strengths
 Judaism is often seen as broader than religion; sense of
cultural community
 Importance of education and charity
Counseling Jewish Americans 7

Cultural challenges
 Higher Jewish population in metro areas
 Long and violent history of anti-Semitism
 The Holocaust genocide continues to weigh on families,
and is of meaningful cultural significance to many Jews
 Internalization of racial hatred and negative stereotypes
Counseling Jewish Americans 8

 In the US, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)
Hate Crimes
police reports
show
significantly In United States

higher racially-
motivated
hate crimes
aimed towards
Jews than all
other groups
combined
(2016)

http://hatecrime.osce.org/united-states-america

(ODIHR, 2016)
Discussion 9

 What negative Jewish stereotypes are personified in the

case of Sharon?
 Do you think it would be beneficial for Sharon to have a
Jewish American counselor? Should the counselor
disclose this fact to her client? What would be a
potential negative of doing so?
 To what degree does her ethnicity/cultural identity play
a role in Sharon’s experience? Consider her family’s
move from NYC to Western Massachusetts.
Discussion 10

 How important is it that Sharon’s sister Amy recently

moved to Israel? How important is it that she moved to
Israel versus another location?
 What is a kibbutz, and what role does it play in Jewish
identity?
 What do you envision as Sharon’s treatment priorities?
To what extent do you think her Judaic culture and
values will play a role?
Analysis 11

 Major changes
to family of origin Parents divorce, lives with mother; no
mention of father; sister moved to Israel

Jewish population in NY State

Population by metro area
11.3%

Culture shock
as a percentage of total population

 Recent move from NYC to a small town in
Western Massachusetts 1.1% 1.5% 2.2%
3.0%

 NYC has largest Jewish population (11.3%)

outside Israel; Western Massachusetts (2.8%) Buffalo,
Niagra
Other
non-
Rochester
area
Albany
area
New York
area
Falls area metro
areas

American Jewish Population Project

http://ajpp.brandeis.edu/authmap
Analysis, continued 12

 American Jewish identity

 Sharon’s recent move triggered questions
 Much variation in cultural and religious Jewish identity
 Cultural challenge of discrimination
 Transition plan for high school
 Longer-term approach for determining if a change in high
school is possible and optimal
 Counselor research into Sharon’s area high school
 Investigate whether a visit to the kibbutz is possible – maybe a
future consideration
Analysis, continued 12

 Bullying and sexual harassment

 Anti-Defamation League (ADL);
collateral material on bullying and
cyberbullying, including relevant
statutes and requirements by state
 Microaggressions by school
leaders – an opportunity for
advocacy?
 ADL provides literacy and training
materials, as well as legal resources
References 14

Anti-Defamation League (2017). Bullying and Cyberbullying Prevention

Strategies and Resources. Retrieved from:
https://www.adl.org/education/resources/tools-and-strategies/bullying-and-
cyberbullying-prevention-strategies
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Office for
Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (2016). 2016 hate crime data.
Retrieved from: http://hatecrime.osce.org/united-states-america
Saxe, L., Tighe, E., de Kramer, R. M., Parmer, D., Victor, R., (2015). American Jewish
population estimates: 2015: summary and highlights. Retrieved from Brandeis
University website: http://ajpp.brandeis.edu/authmap
Sue, D.W., and Sue, D. (2016). Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and
Practice (7th edition). New York: Wiley.
Sue, W.W., Gallardo, M. & Neville, H. (2014). Case Studies in Multicultural
Counseling and Therapy. Hoboken: Wiley.