The Danger of Familiarity: An Invitation to a Multicultural Mindset Lewis T. Kola, D.Min. Licensed Professional Counselor Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Master Addiction Counselor 1

Objectives… Participants will be able to identify ways in which “clinical familiarity” can become a danger, therefore a barrier, to growth and transformation within ourselves, as clinicians, and with our work with clients. 2

Objectives Cont… Participants will recognize ways in which a multicultural mindset can add value to our clinical work, and make our clinical work more effective. 3

Objectives… Participants will develop appreciative and critical perspectives about their own cultural orientation as well as other people’s cultural orientation. 4

Exploring rationale for this Workshop… What motivates you to take this class? 5

#1 MCT is a metatheory of counseling and psychotherapy Six Basic Assumptions of a Theory of Multicultural Counseling and Therapy (MCT), Dewald Wing Sue #1 MCT is a metatheory of counseling and psychotherapy

Basic Assumptions, MTC #2 Both counselor and client identities are formed and embedded in multiple levels of experiences ( individual, group, and universal) and contexts (individual, family, and cultural milieus). The totality and interrelationships of experiences and context must be the focus of treatment.

Basic Assumptions, MTC #3 Development of cultural identity is a major determinant of counselor and client attitudes toward the self, others of the same group, others of a different group, and the dominant group. These attitudes are strongly influenced not only by cultural variables but also by the dynamics of a dominant subordinate relationship among culturally different groups.

Basic Assumptions, MTC #4 The effectiveness of MCT theory is most likely enhanced when the counselor uses modalities and defines goals consistent with the life experiences and cultural values of the client.

Basic Assumptions, MTC #5 MCT theory stresses the importance of multiple helping roles developed by many culturally different groups and societies. Besides the one- on-one encounter aimed at remediation in the individual, these roles often involve larger social units, systems intervention, and prevention.

Basic Assumptions, MTC #6 The liberation of consciousness is a basic goal of MCT theory. MCT theory emphasizes the importance of expanding personal, family, group, and organization consciousness of the place of self-in-relation, family-in relation, and organization-in-relation. This emphasis results in therapy that not only is ultimately contextual in orientation but also draws on traditional methods of healing from many cultures.

The Danger of a single story Our Default Position… The Danger of a single story Ted Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 16

What is the single story that you bring to your clinical work? Discussion… What is the single story that you bring to your clinical work? 18

Strengths and Limits of… How has your single story served you in your clinical work? How has your single story limited your effectiveness in your clinical work? 19

Theoretical Perspective: (Emmanuel Lartey) Every human person in some respects is like all others. Every human person in some respect is like some others. Every human person in some respects is like no other. 20

Like all others… This means human characteristics that we all share, e.g., physiological, cognitive, and psychological… 22

Like some others These are socialization mechanisms that shape us, e.g., world views, values, language, customs, forms of social relationship. 23

Like no other This can be both physical, e.g., fingerprint or dental structure, or psychosocial, which is the way we have particularly storied our lives. 25

Exploring Social Differences Visible Invisible Voiced Unvoiced 26

GRRAACCEESS… Gender Race Age (Dis)Abilities Culture Class Education Ethnicity Sexual Orientation Spirituality 28

Social Differences and Clinical Work (Singh & Dutta) Which differences from clients are most salient for you? Which one of the differences is most important to you (what do you notice in yourself?) How could awareness of these be useful in your clinical work with your clients and your relationship with your colleagues at work? 29

Attributes of the Culturally Competent Counselor, Dr. Dewald Wing Sue Values clients and their beliefs No assumptions of cultural superiority Contextual clinical work, by helping clients within their cultural framework Makes deliberate effort to understand the dynamics of: Bias and prejudice Racism and stereotype Oppression and discrimination

GRACE… Attributes of the culturally competent counselor Gratitude Resilience Abundance Compassion Energy 33

Closing Quotes “The ocean deserves our respect and care, but you have to know something before you can [properly] care about it.” Sylvia Earle

Antoine de Saint-Exupery Closing Quotes “He [She] who is different from me does not impoverish me – he [she] enriches me. Our unity is constituted in something higher than ourselves - in Man... For no man[human being] seeks to hear his[her] own echo, or to find his[her] reflection in the glass.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery

New Horizons Counseling Center New Horizons @ Turner Chapel FYI Lewis T. Kola, DMin. New Horizons Counseling Center 6000 Live Oak Parkway, Suite 100 Norcross, Georgia 30093 New Horizons @ Turner Chapel 480 North Fairground, NE Marietta, Georgia 30060 678.291.9029 37