UNIT 4 SEMINAR HN 220 CULTURAL SENSITIVITY CHAPTER 4 Maria Brown, MS

Stages of Development of Counselor Cultural Sensitivity  Stage 1:  Unawareness of cultural issues Counselor does not consider cultural factors What are the consequences of not considering cultural factors?

Stages of Development (cont.)  Consequences of cultural unawareness:  Counselor does not understand the significance of cultural factors, background, and issues  Counselor fails to incorporate relevant cultural consideration into therapy  Therapy may end due to the counselor’s cultural insensitivity

Stages of Development (cont.)  Stage 2: Heightened awareness of culture Counselor is aware that cultural factors are important in understanding the client Consequences: Counselor likely feels unprepared to with culturally diverse client. Counselor uses his/her own perceptions of the client’s culture rather than understanding client’s perspective of culture Counselor will sometimes recognize the significance of client’s culture in the client’s life What are some ways that counselor’s can become more culturally sensitive?

Stages of Development (cont.)  Stage 3: Burden of considering culture  Counselor is hypervigilant and may be confused in how culture relates to client’s actions  Consequences: Counselor believes that consideration of culture is detracting from clinical effectiveness  Stage 4: Movement toward cultural sensitivity  Counselor entertains cultural hypotheses and carefully tests those from multiple sources before accepting them  Consequences: Counselor has increased likelihood of accurately understanding the role of culture on client’s functioning

Stages of Development (cont)  Counselors aren’t expected to be cultural experts but should be aware of cultural issues that may impact the therapeutic process, crisis intervention, and client’s actions  Counselors should follow the client’s lead in relation to cultural considerations  Clients are the experts on their personal, cultural background and how it relates to their life

Racial and Ethnic Groups  What cultural considerations are significant to:  Mexican Americans?  African Americans?  Asian Americans?

Racial and Ethnic Groups  Mexican Americans  Enmeshed family structure  Language barriers  Different levels of acculturation  Strong Catholic religious beliefs  African Americans  History of racism back to slavery  Group with most salient differences to mainstream  Distrust of mainstream institutions  Clergy as traditional support system (for crises)  Asian Americans  Shame and obligation  Rigid family structure and roles  Counseling should be problem focused and formal

People with Disabilities  Who falls under this category?  Why do we need to give this population special consideration versus other populations?

People with Disabilities  Physical or mental impairment delays, restricts, or prevents typical development  Vulnerable because they are viewed as weak, inferior, dependent, or abnormal  Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) enacted to try and prevent discrimination based on disability

Subgroups of Disabled Persons  Elderly What are some potential disabilities for older adults? Why are we concerned about this subgroup?

Subgroups (cont)  Elderly persons are more likely to experience more than one severe disability at a time:  Intellectual  Physical  Mental  Elderly are more vulnerable than many other disabled groups as they develop compounding issues  Interventions must be holistic

Subgroups (cont.)  Mental Disability  What diagnoses fall under this category?  Why does this population also need special consideration in relation to crisis intervention?  Developmental Disability  What diagnoses fall under this category?

Subgroups (cont)  Mental Disabilities  Protected under ADA  Includes persons with major depressive disorder, bipolar, schizophrenia, panic disorder, OCD, PTSD  Treatment can range from community mental health to institutionalization  Developmental Disabilities  Also protected under ADA  Includes persons with intellectual disabilities (MR), cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism  Rights are an issue  Living to late adulthood  Treatment is complex

Interventions for Persons with Disabilities  What kinds of things are important in providing treatment and crisis intervention services to persons with disabilities?

Interventions (cont)  Crisis can occur when helpers don’t know what to do.  Effective intervention requires knowledge of the population and their rights, community resources, and willingness to advocate for their rights and needs.  Case management is often an essential service to ensure continuity and coordination of services  Societal reactions to persons with disabilities can range from fear to repulsion to avoidance. Workers must develop meaningful relationships with client to be effective.

Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals & Transgenders (GLBTs)  What are some typical issues that GLBTs may face during crisis?

GLBTs (cont)  Potential issues during crisis:  Feeling isolated  Denial or trouble accepting that they are gay or lesbian  Confronted with homophobia  Discrimination  Family expectations  Coming out  Sex-change surgery

Interventions with GLBTs  What are some steps that counselors can take in providing crisis intervention services?

Interventions with GLBTs  Assess regularly for potential suicide  Assist client with identity development issues and internal acceptance  Process the pros and cons of coming out and making a plan for doing so (if client chooses to)  Develop coping skills to rejection  Refer client to support groups

Conclusions  Cultural sensitivity is important when working with racial and ethnic groups, as well as cultural subgroups including disabled persons and GLBTs  Interventions must be tailored to meet the special needs of the individual in context with their cultural background. Comments or questions? Have a great week!