Multicultural Counseling/Therapy

CP6651

Helping Role and Process

• The more passive and objective stance taken by therapists is only one method of helping.

• Teaching, consulting, and advocacy can supplement the traditional counselor role

Life Experiences and Cultural Values

• Recognizes that race, culture, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation are pertinent in counseling

Individual, Group and Universal

• Recognizes each of our individual, group and universal identities

Individualism and Collectivism

• The individual approach toward clients also recognizes our embeddedness with families, significant others, communities and cultures. A client is both an individual and a product of her/his social and cultural context.

Universal and Culture specific

• Different groups might respond best to culture specific strategies for helping. There are common features in helping relationships that cut across cultures and societies.

Client and client systems

• The problems a client is having may be individual or may lie in systems – prejudice, discrimination, racism, or in organizational policies (schools, government, business, etc.). If appropriate, the focus must shift to altering systems rather than individual clients.