Counseling and Diversity

Abstract

People of different cultures, including immigrants of today seem to differ from past generations in that they seek to retain many of their cultural values and are less interested in becoming homogenized within the U.S. culture. This distinctness can create a potentially complex situation for both the client and therapist who may differ substantially in their own cultural values. For successful therapy to take place, it is important for therapists to be culturally sensitive of clients and avoid stereotyping. Stereotyping is detrimental to the client/therapist relationship.
Therefore, to minimize the risk of misunderstanding and misinterpreting our clients we should acknowledge the influence of culture and respond respectfully to these cultural differences, values, and beliefs. This paper will define counseling and diversity and its disparities such as stereotypes and how they can be influenced from a counselor’s perspective. This paper is an expression of my current thinking regarding a theoretical perspective of counseling and diversity.

Introduction
Counseling is a conversational process that can be instrumental in the development of skills that help those effectively confront and cope with uncertainties and conflicts. Counseling is for folks who are courageously facing their fears, who want more from their life, who want to expand their lives and achieve goals both personally and professionally. It’s a relationship that builds Confidence (Edwards, 2009 p90).
Counseling is where a professional will give advice, opinions or direction based on what the patient has discussed with them. In some ways, a counselor could almost be seen as a guide. Counseling is done in an informal and comfortable environment where the patient is free to discuss what bothers them. They are free to express their feelings and emotions to someone they know are listening to them.
It’s easy for people who don’t really know what counseling is to not realize there are many different types of counseling for different problems. Counseling is very much like therapy (Radcliff, 2009 p93) in that there are individual areas in which counseling focuses on. It is not simply one broad thing that one person covers. There are actually different subjects that different counselors will specialize in. There is marriage counseling, family counseling, career counseling, mental health counseling, substance abuse counseling, debt counseling, child development counseling and grief counseling, to name a few.

Diversity means differences such as different religious beliefs, different cultural traditions, music, art, dancing etc.(Patchell & Broussard,2009,p88)
In the context of society and culture, diversity is usually mentioned in discussing multicultural societies. What do people from other cultures contribute when they migrate and become part of a new society. Why should these different traditions and customs be valued?
They enrich a society because they allow people to experience different thinking processes, to see that there is more than one way of approaching issues or living one 's life.
Why is diversity important? Educating managers and staff on how to work effectively in a diverse environment helps the University prevent discrimination and promote inclusiveness. There is evidence that managing a diverse work force well can contribute to increased staff retention and productivity (Ogans, 2009 p91). It can enhance the organization 's responsiveness to an increasingly diverse world of customers, improve relations with the surrounding community, increase the organization 's ability to cope with change, and expand the creativity of the organization. In addition to contributing to these business goals, diversity can contribute to goals unique to the University as a public institution, such as increased accessibility and accountability to all residents of the state.
Cultural Norms and Differences
Cultural norms are behavior patterns that are typical of specific groups. Such behaviors are learned from parents, teachers, peers, and many others whose values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors take place in the context of their own organizational culture.
According to Patchell 2005,(p32)Some norms are healthy and some are not. Some contribute to the betterment of individuals, families, and communities; others are precisely the kinds of high-risk behaviors that mainstream American society would like to reduce or eliminate. Conflict or uncertainty over which cultural norms should be acceptable in which circumstances has contributed to change and instability in the fields of education and prevention during recent years.
Cultural norms often are so strongly ingrained in an individual 's daily life that the individual may be unaware of certain behaviors. Until these behaviors are seen in the context of a different culture with different values and beliefs,( Patchell,2005) the individual may have difficulty recognizing and changing them. Experiencing a period of adjustment to a new place and culture is normal. Encountering cultural differences is part of the excitement of going abroad, but it also poses a challenge. Upon arrival in a foreign country, you may experience an immediate sense of euphoria as everything that is new seems intriguing and exciting. Inevitably, however, the newness wears off.
Values
American sociologist Robert K. Merton suggested that the most important values in American society are wealth, success, power, and prestige, but that everyone does not have an equal opportunity to attain these values. A culture 's values are its ideas about what is good, right, fair, and just. A culture, though, may harbor conflicting values (Patchell, 2005). For instance, the value of material success may conflict with the value of charity. Or the value of equality may conflict with the value of individualism. Such contradictions may exist due to an inconsistency between people 's actions and their professed values which explains why sociologists must carefully distinguish between what people do and what they say. Real culture refers to the values and norms that a society actually follows, while ideal culture refers to the values and norms that a society professes to believe.

A counselor’s approach is also unique based on belief systems and personal values. Counseling is an activity where personal values are an important part of the development of the individual and the community at large. Counselors are in a unique position to be able to affect the society in which we live, guiding clients in decisions that often have a dramatic life changing impact.

Beliefs
Cholewa and West-Olatunji (2008) states that cultural beliefs are the commonly held norms and moral standards of a culture, the standards of right and wrong that set expectations for behavior. These beliefs are usually rooted in the culture 's symbolic inheritance and include the roles that are appropriate for particular persons.
Cultures have beliefs about socialization, the process by which people acquire the behaviors and beliefs of their culture.
According to Richard Shweder, the postconventional level of moral reasoning is biased in favor of the individualistic thinking of “Western elites.” He argues that people in many cultures routinely make reference to objective, universal principles in moral reasoning but, because they view these principles as being established by tradition or religion, Kohlberg classifies the reasoning as conventional. He also states that children learn their culture 's moral beliefs at an early age, and these beliefs are well ingrained by adolescence and stable through adulthood. Moral reasoning is not simply a reflection of cognitive development but is rooted in cultural beliefs.

Stereotypes
Stereotypes are generalizations about a group of people whereby we attribute a defined set of characteristics to this group. These classifications can be positive or negative, such as when various nationalities are (Xu, Davidhizar & Newman, 2005 p92) stereotyped as friendly or unfriendly.
Stereotypes are as old as human culture itself. They reflect ideas that groups of people hold about others who are different from them.
It’s been very popular lately for counselors to get multicultural training or cultural sensitivity training. Some of this training may not be as effective because people often take in information and forget it. There’s so much information about different cultures, and every person is different, it can’t be taught or learned effectively (Dickson, Jepsen & Barbee,2008 p59). In general, say, if you’re African American coming to see a white counselor, it’s important to see if they acknowledge the difference; they are white, and there will be limits to their experience. They will need to ask questions. That’s what you want to look for in a counselor; one who knows the limits of their experience in relation to cultural differences. Whether you’re Russian, Jewish, or Chinese, it’s crucial that the counselor demonstrates sensitivity to your cultural needs, and acknowledges differences in their experience and yours.
Human beings are each unique and different and yet very much the same in many ways. Every cultural experience adds to the diversity of individuals. Including the African American sub-culture in the United States, who have a legacy of being discriminated against by a dominant white culture. Whether we’re talking about African race, Caucasian or Asian, in all cases there are differences simply because of race, but there’s more individual differences due to personal development than there is from cultural differences (Burkard & Juarez-Huffaker & Ajmere, 2003).
Misunderstandings and Misinterpretations
Religious belief and identity are currently major divisive factors in global society. Violent conflicts between members of different religious groups rage in most world regions. Prejudice and discrimination impedes the realization of the full range of human rights, even in societies with long democratic traditions. In the United States religious misunderstandings and misinterpretations were not new problems at the outset of the “war on terrorism.” However, the general public ignorance of the multiple religious beliefs guiding people’s lives, and especially the lack of knowledge about religious teachings on peace and justice, have been socially costly and personally painful for persons and communities. Peace education seeks to overcome this lack of knowledge and understanding of the peace beliefs of our communities (Cholewa, 2008).

According to Shaw, H. K. and Degazon,C. (2008) "although 10 percent of the US civilian labor force is employed in the healthcare field, the healthcare workforce does not mirror the diversity of the general US population; ethnic and racial minorities are severely underrepresented." This fact can only exacerbate communication problems caused by misinterpretations, misunderstandings, or stereotyping.
Cultural competence
Companies like Hewlett-Packard, Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare and IBM consider cultural competence an important (important enough to hold managers accountable with financial incentives) management requirement. Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare 's Vice- President of Diversity Barbara Stern, explains, "Cultural competence should be a part of everyone 's strategy. We need to be good at working with people of all walks of life." R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr., founder of The Institute for Managing Diversity and well known author asserts, "Companies that want to compete successfully must hold managers accountable for underutilizing people who are not like them." He adds, "This has nothing to do with prejudice or guilt. Managers must perform their role or be removed to another area where they can be effective. Understanding differences helps individuals learn how to get along." In essence, cultural competence and strong diversity management will help companies effectively draw upon talent, intellectual capital, and motivate more employees (Flowers, Forbes, Crimando & Riggar,2005) The researchers conducted a survey of cultural diversity within CIL’s. to minority counseling professionals.
Alan Richter, partner at QED Consulting and creator of The Global Diversity Game, explains, "One dimension of cultural competence is the ability to deal with ambiguity. The more you deal with it the more effective you can be -- it 's adaptive. Dealing with complexity is another skill. From a cultural perspective, it might the ability to switch between cultural paradigms." Dupre & Goodgold authors of Development of Physical Therapy Student Cultural Competency through International Community Service adds: "Cultural competence is knowing what I don 't know and learning to understand what other 's expectations are. You have to ask questions to be on the same page." M. Hardy-Bougere, author of Cultural Manifestations of Grief and Bereavement: a Clinical Perspective expert, adds, "a critical skill is the ability to see issues from another person 's perspective. Although it is a mistake to claim total identification with someone of a different culture, one can empathize with the person 's feelings and communicate recognition, respect, and caring. Enhancing questions, listening and responding skills is essential to demonstrate this understanding."
Client and Therapists Relationships
The Counseling Relationship is one that exists between a person with caring expertise and a person with discouraging isolation around difficult life experiences. It is a relationship that emerges through a sharing of personal history and exploring powerful emotions.
Because the counselor is a real person who typically cares genuinely about the client, a relationship develops between the person of the counselor and the person of the client. Genuine connection, defined by a closeness between two persons out of the trust-based sharing, emerges between them.
However, according to Balkin, Schlosser and Levitt (2009) because the counselor typically self-discloses very little in the counseling relationship in order to maintain a focus on meeting the client’s needs, and because the counselor’s job is to “hold up the mirror,” you, the client are actually forming a new relationship with yourself-- in more emotional detail and with a more accepting perspective.
Thus, the client in pain and confusion begins to form a close relationship with the client as a growing individual, increasingly equipped to take care of him or her Self. This point is important to emphasize because it explains Counseling as a venture aimed at helping clients become autonomous rather than fostering dependence on professionals.
Counselors of all types need a "framework to consider diversity of values, interactional styles, and cultural expectations," as well as "language differences."
Most counseling in the U.S. and many other mostly white nations focuses on the majority culture. This is probably true of other countries as well, but we cannot truly help everyone until we recognize that cultural and language diversity effects the way people need counseled. There are also differences within cultures depending on many factors. Counselors need to recognize that there is no 'one size fits all ' psychological patter for counseling everyone.
Biblical Values and Insights
Our world view on "human nature" might manifest itself in the workplace in a variety of ways. One kind of conflict that occurs within this value category, according to Dickson, Jepsen and Barbee (2008) is how much to trust people or not. They explain, "These conflicts manifest themselves in terms of how much of our work we share with other people, how much we trust co-workers or subordinates to carry through with a project; and how much we allow a group to empower themselves to develop policies and procedures for the organization or allow people to make decisions for themselves."
Jesus grew up in such a pluralistic society. The twelve disciples that were selected by Jesus had different personalities and gifts, which were valued by Jesus. In addition, Jesus had numerous disciples who were women or men with diverse gifts, drawn from different communities. When the account of the life and work of Jesus was compiled, the disciples did not produce a singular monograph. Instead they produced a number of gospels (four of which are included in the New Testament canon) honoring the diverse needs of the existing Christian communities. Even the subsequent attempts to consolidate the four gospels into one gospel narration were rejected by Christian leadership. Thus, plural and diverse existence was a core component of Christianity.
Diversity and connectedness will go hand in hand when Christ returns. Diversity is a mark of the Holy Spirit.
Personal Reflections
Many women coming from diverse cultures experience cultural barriers. These barriers could be anything from their accents, appearances, languages, or lifestyle. It doesn’t matter whether they are from another country, relocating to another state, or city. It is not easy to leave a familiar lifestyle to one of uncertainty but yet, hopeful. I sometimes wonder about the experiences going through such a process. One thought that comes to mind is that of a wilderness experience.

I personally went through such a challenge and alleviated fear by holding thoughts of my loved ones’ presence - especially my dad - with me. Without that knowing, I could have easily become overwhelmed with doubt, fear, and anxiety. Yet instead, I learned to trust and allowed assurance to hold true to the whole process of a better lifestyle. In so doing, I acquired the necessary relationship skills, learned techniques and strategies on how to break those barriers and adapt to mainstream American culture. I also leaned on my cultural values to guide me in my assimilation process.
I have been privileged to develop and experience authentic professional and personal relationships with other women. What I’ve found out from this experience is that, which is the most important lesson is, even though we all have different paths, speak different languages and come from different cultures, we are all interconnected. Cultural diversity matters to women because we each have a viewpoint to offer to the other. In each woman, whether, she’s African, African-American, Caribbean, Native-American, Eastern-European, Latina, Asian, and Middle-Eastern is the desire to become a transformed being.
My personal belief is that, once we as women appreciate one another for our differences, we can all then, strive to find commonality. We can find our true path by increasing our knowledge of others, our understanding, and compassion for everyone’s individual life story.
As a domestic violence and family counselor, my goal is to teach strategies and techniques that will assist women on how to overcome their challenges and adapt to a different lifestyle. Not only will they learn how to appreciate their differences but, also acquire the relationship skills which will enable them to overcome and cope with these cultural challenges in order to adapt to mainstream American culture. Most important, they’ll learn to enhance their personal and professional relationships and embrace the truth that cultural diversity does matter.

Conclusion
In a world filled with both challenge and opportunity, counseling can be a logical choice for individuals, couples, and families who wish to grow to the next level of faith and well-being. The Bible speaks of the “safety” that exists among counselors. Perhaps it’s time to seek the safe harbor of counseling, and make a few repairs before continuing your life’s journey.
Considering cultural diversity in a counseling session is broader than just considering race and gender, as it considers many of the ways people differ from each other. Not only are age, and gender considered when considering diversity, but race, language, and cultural backgrounds are reviewed. When we are able to accept differences in people, we gain the tendency to accept people, and, appreciate these differences. Diversity affects and is affected by each person in a session, the counselor and the client. Therefore in counseling, it is vital to recognize our own biases, and prejudices as being our own, based on our own backgrounds, and frame of reference. Recognizing and appreciating differences in people of all ages, races, and backgrounds is a key element to effective counseling with culturally diverse populations. Counseling a diverse population, requires that people gain a personal awareness of individual biases and stereotypes, and, work to understand and accept these differences.
As a counselor, you must be open, be well-studied and well-read, and recognize when a particular technique is not working because of cultural or other differences in a client. If a counselor goes in with an open mind, willing to recognize differing needs in differing people, s/he will do just fine. More research is needed in all areas of diversity. In the end, all humans have things in common, and all humans are different in some ways. Knowing this can bring us together with a counselor who will be able to meet the needs of the individual client.

References
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References: Balkin, R.S. , Schlosser, L.Z., & Levitt, D.H. (2009). Religious Identity and Cultural Diversity: Exploring the Relationships between Religious Identity, Sexism, Homophobia, Cholewa, B. and West-Olatunji, C. (2008).Exploring the Relationship among Cultural Discontinuity , Psychological Distress, and Academic Outcomes with Dickson, G.L., Jepsen, D. A., and Barbee, P.W. (2008). Exploring the Relationships among Multicultural Training Experiences and Attitudes toward Diversity Dupre, A. M., & Goodgold, S. (2007). Development of Physical Therapy Student Cultural Competency through International Community Service Edwards, K., Radcliffe, S., Patchell,B., Broussard,K., Wood, E., and Ogans, J. (2009). Outcomes: the Recruitment Enhancement Cultural Affirmation Project Flowers, C., Forbes, W.S., Crimando, W., and Riggar, T.F. (2005). A Regional Survey of Rehabilitation Cultural Diversity within CILs: A Ten-Year Follow-Up Patchell, B. (2005). Mentoring in Multiple Dimensions. Journal of Cultural Diversity, (12), 28-34 Shaw, H. K. and Degazon,C. (2008). Integrating the Core Professional Values of Nursing a Profession Not Just a Career Xu, Y., Davidhizar, R., and Newman Ginger, J. (2005). What If Your Nursing Student is From An Asian Culture