1. Integrating Diversity into Clinical Psychology Neha K. Dixit, M.S. Doctoral Candidate Dept. of Clinical & Health Psychology

2. The Effective Psychologist The most important instrument you have is YOU Your living example, of who you are and how you struggle to live up to your potential, is powerful Be authentic The stereotyped, professional role can be shed If you hide behind your role the client will also hide Be a therapeutic person and be clear about who you are Be willing to grow, to risk, to care, and to be involved

3. Personal Characteristics of Effective Counselors Have an identity Respect & appreciate themselves Able to recognize & accept own power Open to change Make choices which affect their lives Feel alive & make life-oriented choices Authentic, sincere & honest Have a sense of humor Make mistakes & admit them Appreciate the influence of culture Sincere interest in welfare of others Maintain healthy boundaries

4. The Counselor’s Values Be aware of how your values influence your interventions Recognize that you are not value-neutral Your job is to assist clients in finding answers that are most congruent with their own values Find ways to manage value conflicts between you and your clients Begin therapy by exploring the client’s goals

5. Multicultural Counseling Become aware of your biases and values Attempt to understand the world from your client’s vantage point Gain a knowledge of the dynamics of oppression, racism, discrimination, and stereotyping Study the historical background, traditions, and values of your client Be open to learning from your client

6. Issues Faced by Beginning Therapists Achieving a sense of balance and well- being Managing difficult and unsatisfying relationships with clients Struggling with commitment and personal growth Developing healthy, helping relationships with clients

7. If the world were a village of 100 people, there would be… 57 Asians 21 Europeans 14 from the Western Hemisphere (north and south) 8 Africans 52 would be female 48 would be male 70 would be non-white, 30 white 70 would be non-Christian, 30 would be Christian 89 would be heterosexual, 11 homosexual 59% of the entire world's wealth would be in the hands of only 6 people and all 6 would be citizens of the United States 80 would live in substandard housing 70 would be unable to read 50 would suffer from malnutrition 1 would be near death, 1 would be near birth Only 1 would have a college education 1 would own a computer

8. What influences your clinical skills/counseling? 1) Your positionality (perspectives resulting from an intersection of multiple social identities) 2) Your experiences as a function of dynamics created by and resulting from membership in multiple social groups

9. Complexity of Multiculturalism

10. Multicultural Issues Biases are reflected when we: Neglect social and community factors to focus unduly on individualism Assess clients with instruments that have not been normed on the population they represent Judge as psychopathological ~ behaviors, beliefs, or experiences that are normal for the client’s culture

11. Values and the Helping Relationship Value conflicts: To refer or not to refer Referrals appropriate when moral, religious, or political values are centrally involved in a client’s presenting problems and when: therapist’s boundaries of competence have been reached therapist has extreme discomfort with a client’s values therapist is unable to maintain objectivity therapist has grave concerns about imposing his or her values on the client

12. Role of Spiritual and Religious Values in Counseling Spirituality refers to: general sensitivity to moral, ethical, humanitarian, and existential issues without reference to any particular religious doctrine Religion refers to: the way people express their devotion to a deity or an ultimate reality Key issues: Can the counselor understand the religious beliefs of the client? Can the counselor work within the framework of the client?

13. Knowledge of Client Cultures Differing Worldviews Views about family Cooperation vs. Competition Time Orientation Communication Styles Locus of Control

14. Knowledge of Client Cultures Beliefs about psychological problems and therapy Sources of problems Internal vs. External Expectations about how therapy works Counselor’s role Client’s role

15. AreaEuro AmericanAfrican American Hispanic American Asian American Native American Human NatureMixed Good Person and Nature MasterySubjugation Harmony TimeFuturePresentPast-Present Present Activity LevelDoingBeingBeing-in- Becoming Social Relations IndividualCollateral LinealCollateral Handling TimeTime is not flexibleTime is defined by the rhythm of social relationships Time is relaxed Time is a reflection of the eternal Time is flexible AgingRespect youthRespect Elders Belief SystemRational/empirical belief orientation Rational/spiritu al belief orientation Spiritual/magic belief orientation Group Relations CompetitionCooperation

16. Clinician Attitudes Overt racist overtly hostile, homophobic, racist, ageist, sexist, judgmental (should stay out of the field) Covert prejudice tries to hide negative, stereotyped opinions but client picks up cues Culturally ignorant lack of knowledge based on homogeneous background (need to learn about other cultures before working with them)

17. Clinician Attitudes Cont… Color blind denies differences: "I don’t recognize differences; I treat everyone the same." Culturally liberated recognize, appreciate, and celebrate cultural differences; strives for freedom from judgments of diverse clients

18. Assumption Cultural diversity is a fact of life and efforts to build a common culture inevitably privilege the dominant culture (Ortiz & Rhoads, 2000)