Diversity in the Counseling Profession
America is often called the "melting pot" of the world. It is the country where all other nationalities are welcome to partake in a life of freedom. The "melting pot" of America results in DIVERSITY. Diversity is made of various elements. And there are multiple ways to view diversity and its related concepts; and of course, there can be resistance to accept diversity. The best part though is that using the RESPECT model, anyone can work to improve their cultural interactions.
What makes diversity? Well, there are two types of characteristics that help distinguish diversity; primary and secondary. Primary characteristics are the characteristics that are visible, may differ between specific groups, and are given traits, not chosen. Examples of primary characteristics include Race or Ethnicity, gender, age, physical and mental abilities, sexual orientation, and physical size. Secondary characteristics are then the traits that are often visible but they may change by the individuals choice or a change in circumstances. Secondary characteristics then include traits such as political ideologies, geography, family/marital status, socioeconomic status, religion, occupation, experiences, and education. These characteristics can affect one another at times, and sometimes determining what is primary versus secondary can be debatable. The important idea is that there are many ways people are similar and different at the same time.
There are some concepts to briefly understand in order to explain further on diversity issues. Here are a few concepts to have a basic understanding of.
Ethnicity - Ethnicity is defined as a group of people who share some common characteristics including religious beliefs and practices, language, historical continuity, and ancestry or place of origin. Ethnicity differs from race because race focuses on genetic resemblance, whereas ethnicity focuses on behavior patterns.
Ethnocentrism - Ethnocentrism is when a person views his or her norms and values as a "baseline" in which they compare all other cultures, and their "baseline" is the "absolutely right" norms and values.
Culture - Culture is a world view that is held by a group of people. The world view is taught socially and influences a person's values, beliefs, customs, and behaviors. Culture is reflected in the groups language, dress, food, materials, and social institutions.
Cultural Tunnel Vision - Cultural tunnel vision occurs when a person of the dominant culture and who lacks cultural experience, takes it upon him- or herself to teach others' of their worldview. This may occur when a person is ethnocentric.
Cultural Pluralism - Cultural pluralism is when a society includes multiple ethnic groups, all of which have preserved their culture, but the ethnicities are loyal to the nation as a whole.
Cultural Competence - Cultural competency is the process of an individual or system responds to cultural diversity. Good cultural competency respects all forms of diversity while effectively recognizing, affirming, and values the diversity in a way that protects and preserves the dignity of the diversities.
Culturally Biased Assumptions - Culturally biased assumptions are when there is an assumption made about society in general based on a specific culture. Some people may assume independence is the goal for each individual, however, some cultures stress the importance of the community and there is not much emphasis on independence.
Resistance
Some individuals are resistant to diversity and hold a number of views on diversity and the cultural bias that forms as a response. These include color blindness, the "one for all", the egocentric style, the "learned helplessness" viewpoint, and blaming society.
Color Blindness - This viewpoint aims to treat each diverse culture/subculture with equal regard. This is good in the sense that there is a lack of discrimination and prejudice; however, it also disregards each cultures differences in values and historical context. It is important to not ignore that a person is of a different diversity than the counselor.
The "One for All" Approach - This approach believes that culture does not influence the effectiveness of a treatment, and if it works with a person of one culture, it will work with some one of any other culture. This is not true as each culture has its own set of values, priorities, and beliefs.
The Egocentric Style - This style views the individuals culture as being better than any other culture. A counselor with an egocentric style may try to change a client's values and beliefs if they are of a different culture than themselves. This causes a sense of disrespect toward the client and will make it difficult if not impossible for a counselor to form a therapeutic relationship with the client.
The "Learned Helplessness" Viewpoint - This viewpoint explains that cultures face different struggles because the individuals in the culture take a victim role and sit in self-pity over the past. This is often seen in the US lately towards the African American population. Many people believe their struggles today are because everyone in their culture blames the dominant culture for the slavery of their ancestors. In reality, there are many forms of discrimination present today, both formal and informal.
Blaming Society - Opposite of The Learned Helplessness Viewpoint, some individuals blame society for all of their struggles. This is also an incorrect viewpoint because neither the individual nor the society is 100% responsible for the struggles an individual faces, its a combination of both that varies by situation.
Although we would like to think that there are no agencies in existence that discourage diversity, the reality is, there are. These agencies use a process called "cooling out" clients to disengage clients of a certain diversity, and discourage them from receiving services. There are a few tactics used in this process which include:
Ambiguous Standards - services are provided with little to no consistency or uniformity, causing the ambivalent client to disengage from treatment.
Status Differential - Providers speak with a large vocabulary and talk condescendingly toward a client, causing the client to feel unworthy of treatment or service.
Inappropriate use of Inquiry - The provider expects the client to share all information, even if the client is not yet ready to expose him- or herself to the provider yet. Essentially the provider rushes the process and causes the client to feel insulted by the insensitivity of the provider.
Inflexible Approach to Helping - This is when the provider expects the client to follow strict expectations, regardless of whether the expectations are respectful of the client's culture.
Being Tentative about Services - The provider may not be confident in how to treat a particular culture and is somewhat disengaged from the client due to their lack of knowledge and/or training.
Gradual Disengagement - Providers may slowly disengage the client in an effort to influence the client to stop treatment. This is a subtle way to disengage the client.
Sidetracking - This is when the provider prematurely refers the client to a different service provider because they are uncomfortable treating the client, do not believe the client can change, or any other reason.
Denial of Services - This is when a specific diversity is denied services because the provider is uncomfortable treating the individuals or because they hold negative views about the potential clients. This can be seen if there were a religious organization that does not believe in abortion, denying services to a woman who is contemplating early abortion.
We Can Improve!
Although it seems like there is a lot of negativity surrounding the topic of diversity, there is a way for anyone to improve their ability to work with the diverse population. It is even easy to remember using the acronym RESPECT.
R - Remember to recognize and respect the differences between yourself and the client.
E - Explore assumptions, beliefs, and social structure when interacting with other diversities. This will help avoid misunderstandings and unintentional insults.
S - Seek various options and solutions to any problem so that the client can decide which fits best with his/her culture.
P - Pursue the "power" differential. When working with minorities, remember that if you are a member of the dominant culture, the client may feel like there is a greater power differential than just because of the therapeutic relationship.
E - Express empathy and educate. Work on feeling the clients experiences as if they were your own, don't make judgments based on your past experiences because those may have been much different and thus influence the experience a different way.
C - Consider the concerns of the client and/or family members when creating a treatment plan. Some cultures stress different values more than others, thus, their concerns may differ from your own.
T - Talk to build an alliance in treatment. Don't let your own discomfort hinder the ability for the client to help you understand their culture when you are unsure. Engage with them to learn more about them, and their culture.
Although diversity is present in the counseling profession, being able to identify the different perspective on diversity, how they affect treatment, and how to improve your interactions can help every client get the necessary help.
