CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY Copyright 2007 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning Cultural Factors in Counseling Children

Training to be Culturally Competent Copyright 2007 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning Increase awareness of culturally learned attitudes, beliefs, and values. Knowledge of culturally relevant facts. Develop skills for interventions that are culturally appropriate.

Awareness of Culture Goal: Awareness of culturally learned attitudes, beliefs, and values. Scenario: You want to start working with parents of seven recent immigrants from Bulgaria. Tasks:  What do you already know about individuals from Bulgaria?  Do you have any preexisting negative or positive feelings about individuals from Bulgaria?  Do you have any personal fear of working with someone not of your cultural group?  What type of beliefs do you think your own cultural group subscribes to (e.g., family structure, power in the family, education, health care providers, child raising, etc.)?

Knowledge of Culture Goal: Knowledge of culturally relevant facts. Scenario: You want to start working with parents of seven recent immigrants from Bulgaria. Tasks:  Which parent(s) would you expect to come?  How would you greet them?  What topics or gestures might you avoid?  What educational experience did the child have before?  What are some important things you need to know before getting started?

Culturally Appropriate Interventions Goal: Develop skills for interventions that are culturally appropriate. Scenario: You want to start working with parents of seven recent immigrants from Bulgaria. Tasks:  What type of information do you think that these parents might need?  What type of intervention might you wish to provide?  Using what you know about this culture, what alterations might you make to the intervention?  What might that look like in terms of a first session?

HELPING THOSE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS Copyright 2007 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning Chapter 19 Counseling with Children

Awareness of the Disability Goal: Awareness of your own learned attitudes, beliefs, and values concerning a disability. Scenario: You want to start working to provide services to a child with Asperger’s Syndrome. Tasks:  What do you already know about individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome?  Do you have any preexisting negative or positive feelings about individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome?  Do you have any personal fear of working with someone with Asperger’s Syndrome?

Knowledge of Disability Goal: Knowledge of relevant facts related to a disability. Scenario: You want to start working to provide services to a child with Asperger’s Syndrome. Tasks:  How would you expect to interact with this child?  How would you greet this child?  What topics or gestures might you avoid?  What educational experience did the child have before?  What are some important things you need to know before getting started?

Disability Appropriate Interventions Goal: Develop skills for interventions that are appropriate for the disability condition. Scenario: You want to start working to provide services to a child with Asperger’s Syndrome. Tasks:  What type of information do you think that these children might need?  What type of intervention might you wish to provide?  Using what you know about this disability, what alterations might you make to the intervention?  What might that look like in terms of a first session?

WORKING WITH TRANSLATORS Linguistically Diverse

Things to teach the interpreter… Know the purpose of the session and any materials needed. Ask questions when you are unclear. Introduce yourself and everyone else Interpret everything (not just the gist) do not make assumptions that this bit of information is unimportant and doesn’t need translating. Remain neutral throughout. Maintain confidentiality throughout.

Tips when using interpreters… Allow time before testing to train the interpreters (long before) and reacquaint the interpreters (right before) with tests. Speak in short, simple sentences. Avoid idioms or jargon. Use specific terms. Allow time to translate all messages. Frequently check for understanding. For first one or two times, have someone else sit in who speaks both languages to evaluate.

More tips… Speak naturally in brief but complete sentences. Look at the person talking, not the interpreter. Monitor facial expressions for confusion. Monitor body language to judge acceptance of the information. Allow extra time for this type of testing and these types of meetings in your schedule. You administer the tests, not the translator. Allow for breaks when needed. Nothing said should be left out of translation.

You try it…translator Your administrator has requested that you find a German translator to provide counseling with newly immigrated parents of a child with a disability. Where would you look inside of the school? Where would you look outside of the school? What would you tell your administrator that is needed prior to the first meeting?