A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR CULTURALLY COMPETENT CAREER COUNSELING PRACTICE.pdf

7/24/2019 A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR CULTURALLY COMPETENT CAREER COUNSELING PRACTICE.pdf

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h pter 1

A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR

CULTURALLY COMPETENT CAREER

COUNSELING PRACTICE

by Courtland C Lee

bstr ct

Am ong the contemporary issues facing career counseling professional

addressing the career development and choice issues of the growing

number of clients from culturally diverse backgrounds is, perhap s, the

most challenging. Contem porary career counseling theory and practice

has been greatly impacted by changing demographics and social dynam-

ics that characterize the 2 P ' century. For exam ple, projections of the

United States population indicate that by the year 2050 , the non-Hispanic

W hite population w ill decrease to 46 per cent of the total population,

while 30 per cent of the population will be Hispanic; 13 per cent Black;

1 per cent Am erican Indian, Eskim o, and Aleut; and eight per cent Asian

and Pacific Islander (U .S. Bureau of the Ce nsus, 2008).

Cultural diversity, therefore, has become widely recognized as a major

factor deserving increased understanding on the part of career counsel-

ing professionals. Within this context, career counselors m ust provide

services that help people to make career decisions in the midst of sweep-

ing demographic and sociological change. The past two decades have

seen a growing realization that career counseling services often do not

have broad applicability across the range of cultural backgrounds rep-

resented by clients (Bow man, 1993; Fouad Bing ham , 1995; Fouad

Byars-Winston, 2005; Leo ng, 1995; Pop e,2003;Walsh, Bingham,

Brown Ward, 2001). With this awareness has come fmstration that in

attempting to promote career development, the values inherent in career

counseling and those of culturally diverse clients often come into conflict

in the career exploration and choice process (Fouad Bingham , Leong).

In order to resolve this conflict and the fmstration which often accompa-

nies it, cultural differences must be effectively addressed in the provision


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acquisition of multicultural career counseling competence from a devel-

opmental perspective. The conceptual framework examines the founda-

tional aspects as well as the aspects of culture that must form the basis of

multicultural career counseling com petency. It is based on the knowledge

and skills considered essential in relating to diverse populations that

impact the career counseling and development process that are outlined

in the National Career Development Association's Career Counseling

Competencies (1997).

The Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework focuses on the development of culturally

competent career counselors who apply their practice in a diverse society.

The framework is comprised of eight themes organized into three areas:

foundational dimensions, multicultural dimensions, and m ulticultural

competency.

Foundational Dim ension.

The foundational dimension consists of four

them es. While these themes are the foundation of multicultural career

counseling competency they can also be considered the essence of com-

petent counseling in general.

Self Awareness

The basis for culturally competent career counseling practice is coun-

selor self-awareness. It is important that counselors fully experience

themselves as cultural beings. An individual who expects to work

cross-culturally must first be anchored in his or her own cu ltural rea lities.

This process should start with explorations of how one's own cultural

background has influenced his or her career development. It is of criti-

cal importance that a person considers the role that cultural heritage and

custom s play in shaping his or her personality characteris tics. It is also

cmcial that a person assess his or her own process of cultural identity de-

velopment .The significant questions that one must ask in this regard are

How do I experience myself as a member of Cultural Group X ? How

do I experience others members of Cultural Group X? and How do I

experience people of other cultural backgrounds?

As part of this self-exploration process, it is also important that a coun-

selor evaluate the influences that have shaped the development of his

or her attitudes and beliefs about people from different cultural back-


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Multicultural competency begins with an exploration of personal issues

and questions, no matter how uncomfortable, in an attempt to discem

how one's own cultural heritage, values and biases might impact upon

the career counseling p rocess. Self-exploration leads to self-awareness,

which is crucial in developing a set of personal attitudes and beliefs to

guide culturally com petent career counseling practice. Culturally com pe-

tent career counselors are sensitive to cultural group differences because

they are aware of their own identity as cultural beings.

Global L iteracy

Global literacy refers to the knowledge base that every culturally com pe-

tent individual should possess in the contemporary interconnected world.

It is a reflection of one's exposure to and know ledge of the contemporary

world. Global literacy is the breadth of information that extends over the

major dom ains of human d iversity. In modem society a globally liter-

ate person, for example, would be one who has a knowledge of ethnic

variations in history, has travel experience, and is knowledgeable about

current world events (Lee, In Press).

Foundational Knowledge of Traditional Career Development/Coun

seling Theory

The concept of multicultural career counseling competency must also

rest on an understanding of traditional counseling theory. Although there

have been criticisms of the Eurocentric nature of traditional career coun-

seling theories (Fouad Bing ham , 1995; Le ong , 1995), each has impor-

tant aspects that contribute to best practice in career counseling. There-

fore, it is important that the foundation of career counseling practice laid

down by pioneering thinkers such as Anne Ro e, Donald Super and John

Holland are incorporated into culturally diverse concepts and approaches

to career counseling.

Ethical Knowledge and Aspirations

Another cmcial foundational aspect of multicultural career counseling

competency is know ledge of ethical standards. Indeed , the integrity of

the entire counseling profession rests on ethical practice. Importantly, the

ethical standards of the Am erican Counseling Association call on coun-

selors to actively attempt to understand the diverse cultural backgrounds

of the clients they serve (A CA , 2005). Best practice in career counseling,

therefore , is putting ethics in the forefront of all professional activity. It is


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M ulticultural ounseling Theoretical Know ledge

In addition to knowledge of traditional career counseling theory, it is im-

perative that counselors have a knowledge base which includes culturally

diverse ideas on the nature of career development from which to plan,

implement and evaluate services in a cross-cultura l context. Signifi-

cantly, Sue, Ivey, and Petersen (1996), proposed a theory of m ulticultural

counseling that forms the basis for understanding career development

and counseling from culturally d iverse perspectives. The basic assump-

tion of this theory is that it is a metatheory of counseling that recognizes

that both counselor and client identities are embedded in multiple levels

of experience and context. It posits that cultural identity development

is a major determinant of both counselor and client attitudes, which are

also influenced by the dominant and subordinate relationships among

groups. Cultural identity refers to an individual's sense of belonging to a

cultural group and the part of one's personality that is attributable to cul-

tural group membership. Multicultural theoretical knowledge must also

include an understanding that career counseling is most likely enhanced

when modalities and goals are consistent with the life experiences and

cultural values of the client.

Another crucial aspect of multicultural knowledge is an understanding of

how social systems operate with respect to their treatment of culturally

diverse groups of people (Lee, 2007; Ra tts,Toporek , Lew is, 2010).

Culturally competent career counselors must have an understanding of

the impact that systemic forces such as racism and classism can have on

career development and career choice.

ross ultural Encounters

Multicultural career counseling competency must be predicated on one's

ability to acquire working knowledge and information about specific

groups of peop le. This should include information about the histories,

experiences, custom s, and values of culturally diverse groups. How ever,

the acquisition of such know ledge m ust not be limited to book s, classes,

and workshops. A crucial way to acquire such knowledge is through on-

going professional, and perhaps m ore importantly, personal encounters

with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Such encounters may

entail getting outside of the familiarity of one's own cultural realities and

experiencing diversity first hand. An im portant component of any cross

cultural encounter is the ability to get beyond stereotypes and ensure that


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and cultural values of their clien ts. Such skill developm ent should be

based on the following prem ises. First, cultural diversity is real and

should not be ignored in career counseling interactions. Second, cultural

differences are just that - differences. They are not necessarily deficien-

cies or pathological deviations. This suggests having the ability to meet

clients where they are , despite obvious cultural gaps between helper and

helpee. Third, when working with clients from culturally diverse groups,

it is important to avoid stereotypes and a monolithic pe rspective. It is

cmcial that career counselors consider clients as individuals w ithin a

cultural context.

In developing culturally competent career counseling skills, a number of

theoretical approaches should be included in a helping repertoire. It is

important that one's counseling approach be eclectic enough that he or

she can use a variety of helping interven tions. Any counseling approach

should incorporate diverse world views and practices.

Upon actually encountering a client from a different cultural context, a

career counselor's skill set must proceed from important answers to the

following questions, W hat 'b utto ns,' if any, does this client push in me

as a result of the obvious cultural difference between us? W hat are

some cultural bhnd spots I may have with respect to this client? As a

result of my cultural realities, what strengths do I bring to this counseling

relationship? As a result of my cultural realities, what limitations do I

bring to this counseling relationship?

Multicultural Career Counseling Competency

The apex of this conceptual framework is multicultural career counsel-

ing competency. This is based on a constm ct that has received significant

attention in the cross cultural literature - multicultural counseling compe-

tency (Arredondo, Toporek, Brown, Jon es, Locke, Sanchez, & Stadler,

1996;Roysircar Arredondo, F uertes, Ponterotto, & Toporek,2003;Sue,

Arredondo & McDavis, 1992). Multicultural counseling competency

defines a set of attitudes and behaviors indicative of the ability to estab-

lish, maintain, and successfully conclude a counseling relationship with

clients from diverse cultural backgrounds. Given this therefore, multi-

cultural career counseling competency can be conceptualized as a set of

attitudes and behaviors indicative of the ability to establish, maintain and

successfully conclude a career counseling relationship with clients from


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multicultural career counseling com petency. First, those counselors who

demonstrate multicultural career counseling competency possess

self

awareness that is grounded in an exploration of the question, W ho am I

as a cultural bein g? Second, in addition to knowledge of traditional ca-

reer counseling theory and ethical principles, multiculturally competent

career counselors consider the question, W hat do I know about cultural

dynam ics? Th ird, the counseling practice of career counselors who

exhibit multicultural competency is predicated on the question, How do

I promote career development and facilitate the career choice process in a

culturally competent manner?

Conclusion

American society in the 21st century is characterized by ever-increasing

cultural pluralism . This phenom enon has had a profound effect on

career counseling. No longer can career counseling theory or practice be

considered exclusively within the confines of one cultural perspective.

Instead, important aspects of cultural diversity, such as race/ethnicity

must be factored into effective career counseling practice . Therefore,

if career counselors are to have an impact on the career development of

increasingly diverse client groups, then their practice must be grounded

in multicultural competency. The development of such competency m ust

be an integral part of the personal and professional growth process of all

career counselors. This process involves acquiring not only the aware-

ness and knowledge, but also the skills for effective multicultural career

intervention.

References

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chez , J. and Stadler, H. (1996)Operationalization of the Multicultural

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Bowman, S.L. (1993). Career intervention strategies for ethnic minori-

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Fouad, N . A ., & Bingham, R. P. (1995). Career counseling with racial

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of vocational psychology: Theory research and practice

pp. 331-365).

M ahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.


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Lee,c e .

(In Press). Global literacy: The foundation of culturally com-

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R. L. (2003).

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& M cDav is, R.J. (1992). Multicultural coun-

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About the author

CourtlandC .Leeis Professor of Counselor Education at the Univer-

sity of M aryland, College Park. He eamed the PhD at Michigan State

University. He is the author, editor, or co-editor of five books on m ulti-

cultural counseling and two books on counseling and social justice. He


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Associate Editor of theJournal of Coun seling andDevelopment. eis

the President of theInternational Association for Counselling. He is

also aEellow and Past President of the Am erican Counseling A ssociation

and a past President of the Association for M ulticultural C ounseling

andDevelopment.He is also aEellow of the British Association for

Coun selling and Psychotherapy,

the first and only Am erican to receive

this honor Contact him as follows;

Courtland C. Lee, PhD , Professor, Counselor Education Program

Department of Cou nseling, Higher E ducation, and Special Education

College of Education, University of Maryland

Benjamin Building, M 3214

CollegePark MD 20742

301) 405-8904

e-mail:


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A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR CULTURALLY COMPETENT CAREER COUNSELING PRACTICE.pdf