Multicultural is relating to or

containing several cultural or When working with people from

ethnic groups within a society.
different cultural backgrounds, it
is important to remember that
their experiences, perceptions,
values and view of the world may
be distinctly different.

Cultural difference within our

own society can affect counselling
success.
The challenge for counselors in
training is to learn to work with
all types of client.

Attaining greater awareness of

the differences between and INTRODUCTION
similarities among people and
learning how to work with the
differences is very important.
1950’s – 1960’s
 1. Little attention given to the ethnic minorities and their special counselling
needs
 2. The difficulties they encountered in counselling black clients.

1962
 1. Gilbert Wren's discussing the culturally encapsulated counsellor.
 2. He used counsellors to broaden their monoculture perspectives in order to
be more responsive to needs of clients from culturally different backgrounds
(counsellors will be effective with all their clients).
1950’s – 1960’s
 Critics began to accuse the mental – health profession of
being ethnocentric & racists in all phases of service,
counselling process & outcome (based on observation of
counsellors and till 1970’s – researches began to collect
the data)
 The focus of multicultural counselling has shifted from an
emphasis on the client (1950’s) to the counsellor (1960’s),
to the total counselling process (1970’s) to the present.
Ramirez (1983)
 1. Recognized the importance of individual development
of pluralistic identity or multicultural personality.
1970’s
1. Writers (counseling) were discussing how culture
affected counseling & the effects of race on diagnosis. Eg:
(mental health delivery – white middle – class mental
clients – non white)

Late 1980’s
1. Multicultural counseling was described as “the hottest
topic in the profession and throughout the 1990’s
“counselling in which the counsellor and the client
differ.”
(Locke, 1990)

(a) Ethic perspective

- Stating universal qualities exist in counselling
that are cultural generalize able.

(b) EMIC perspective

-Assumes that counselling approaches be
designed to be culturally specific.
 CULTURE & CULTURE PLURARISM
Culture
“The configuration of learned behaviour and
results of behaviour whose components and
elements are shared and transmitted by the
members of a particular society.”

Cultural Pluralism
exists where individual ethnic groups maintain their own cultural uniqueness
while sharing common elements of the dominant culture.

An appreciation of the variety of cultural groups in our

society and the contribution that these groups make
to society is a vital factor in avoiding ethnocentrism.

What is ethnocentrism?
“ It refers to the situation where the values of the dominant culture are considered to
be more important than those of minority group culture.” (Atkinson 1983).
STAGES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MULTI-CULTURAL AWARENESS

At some time, people become aware of their position in

relation to that of other people of different race/ ethnicity.

Christensen (1989) formulated a five- stage model in

developing multi- cultural awareness.

All counselors should be striving to reach stage five

 2. Beginning 3. Conscious 4. Consolidated 5. Transcendent
1. Unawareness
awareness awareness awareness awareness
• Never • Growing sense • Is a pre • People have • Individual are
seriously of easiness for occupation full knowledge able to
thought about the first time with matter and of identify with
culture/ racial/ examine relating to different all human kind
ethnic issues of injustice, in social status, and transcend
differences cross-cultural equality etc. life chances societal
counselling etc dictates
regarding
culture, racial
and ethnic
group.
BARRIERS
Counselor and client must share similar
experiences does not appeal to be a barrier.

• “Cultural differences do result in unique experiences

for both the client and counsellor”. (Atkinson 1983)
the critical importance between the counsellor and
client???
• How counsellors perceive and respond to the differences between
them?
• What are the assumptions, misperceptions and inappropriate
responses?
 if counsellors are not careful, the situation can create
barriers and destroy therapeutic relationships.
Barrier #1 the intrapsychic approach

Predominant intra-psychic view assumes – client’s problems are clue

to personal disorganization rather than to some dysfunction within
the institution of the society (Belkin 1984)

Clients generally have – huge environmental control over them –

they are not able to change easily in constructive ways.
• Thus, The role of the counselor
 facilitator change agent

 As change agent (to confront/modify institutional

bureaucracies)
Barrier #2 class-bound values.
 Values held within socioeconomic class can affect counselling
relationship and resulting in faulty diagnoses and ineffective
treatment.

 Example : lower socioeconomic class people may be less time-

oriented/often late for appointment/ more survival oriented.

 Quite Difficult to council client from a different socioeconomic class

thus; personal awareness of class- bound values is important.
Barrier #3 culture-bound values
 culture differences require more time to ;
1. Establish a deep personal relationship
2. feel comfortable to disclose very deep personal thoughts and
feelings

• Not realistic to – expect counsellors to be aware of all cultural

differences.
• Reasonable to – expect that counsellors be familiar with differences
within groups.
If the differences in culture values are too great?

• Suggestions : necessary for clients to go for counsellors with

the same background.
Barrier#4 language barrier
• Verbal interaction is crucial in – developing a therapeutic relationship
• Cannot be achieved if the counsellor speaks a different language than the
client.
• May lead to – misinterpretation, faulty diagnoses and negative outcomes.
• Task of the counsellor : 1. relate to client’s message from their reference in
their language.
2. The counsellor have to be direct and constantly ask meanings of given words or
phrases
 Problems and issues #1
 multi-cultural counselling : 1. still relatively new
2. lack of solid identity
3. little agreement on many issues
Problems and issues #2- counselling decisions
affected by cultural factors.

 Cultural differences can affect – decisions & outcomes of

counselling interventions, diagnoses and treatments.

 Testing is an another concern ;

“test develop in the us to measure personality and
other psychological characteristics are not transferable
across cultures”. (ahia 1984)
Problems and issues #3 – lack of theories,
approaches and research (limitations)
• Lack of empirical research
• Lack of consensus – as to what emphasis the research should have
• Fail to address – practical concerns of program development, service
delivery and treatment techniques.
• Not enough interdisciplinary collaboration
  Counsellor Training???
• Use standard counselling themes – without making any adjustments for cultural
differences.
• Need to be open and flexible – always be ready to change their approach to meet
needs of variety of clients with different cultural backgrounds.
• For cross-cultural counselling- should be multifaceted approach to train students
• e.g; the training involves 1.reading ethnic literature
2.engaging in multicultural action planning
• gain knowledge of client’s cultural background – to broaden counsellor’s
awareness and understanding of their client’s problems.
Beliefs &
Knowledge
Attitudes

Skills
Beliefs & Attitudes
Being more
aware and Aware of their
sensitive own values and
Valuing and biases
respecting the And how it will
culture affect minority
differences clients

Are comfortable
Sensitive to
with differences
circumstances
that exist in
(personal, bias,
terms of race
ethnic identity
and belief
Knowledge
Must possess specific knowledge and Aware of institutional barriers that
information about the particular present minorities from using mental
group they are working with health services.

KNOWLEDGE

Must have a clear and explicit

Have a good understanding of
knowledge and understanding of the
sociopolitical systems operation that is
generic characteristics of counseling
present.
and therapy.
Skills Different cultural groups may
require different counseling goals
and strategies to be helped
effectively (Sue 1981).
Skills used are
similar, whether
different or from
the same culture;

Skills must
Need to be
emphasis and consistent
encourage the with the life
clients’ experiences.
continuous
development.
Culturally skilled counselors (in terms of
skills).

are able to
must be able to
are able to enter exercise
must be able to send and receive
the client’s frame institutional
generate a wide both verbal and
of references and intervention skills
variety of verbal nonverbal
understand the on behalf of their
and nonverbal messages
client’s world clients when
responses. accurately and
view. appropriate (Sue
appropriately
1982).