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Counselling Psychology

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Please answer the following:

1. How is a counsellor/therapist culturally responsive to increase the likelihood of a good interpersonal relationship with minority children and their families? What factors must a therapist/counsellor consider?

2. What techniques decrease attrition in minority groups? Support answer with research.

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Solution Summary

This solution describes the techniques and interventions of a culturally responsive counsellor/therapist, which are research based. Techniques to decrease attrition in minority group are also explained and supported empirically.

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1. How is a counsellor/therapist culturally responsive to increase the likelihood of a good interpersonal relationship with minority children and their families? What factors must a therapist/counsellor consider? What techniques decrease attrition in minority groups?

According to Vraniak and Pickett (1993), the therapist must be aware of the following five considerations to develop good interpersonal relationships with minority children and their families:

1. A history of harmful relationships with those in power. This contributes to a deeper level of mistrust when forming new relationships. For example, this may mean more discomfort with self-disclosure for African Americans, reflecting a cultural pattern of disguising true feelings from Whites in positions of authority.

2. This history contributes to client behaviors that test the limits of the therapist's practical knowledge of the client's culture. Adolescent skepticism may be especially acute.

3. Clients will explore the clinician as a person, including his or her authority role as well as the clinician's ability to connect with the client.

4. Clients will question how much the clinician actually cares about them, and how much the clinicians can be of help.

5. Clients must be taught the protocol of therapy; an understanding of the purpose, nature of the process, potential content of the sessions, and expected outcomes.

2. What techniques decrease attrition in minority groups?

Paniagua (1994) makes suggestions for preventing attrition, which is an all too common consequences if the therapist does not establish an alliance within the first session. These suggestions include:

- Be certain that the child and family feel the therapist accepts their belief system.
- Communicate to the clients that some relief of symptoms and at least a partial resolution of problems is possible within a relatively short time frame.
- Include therapy modalities that are direct, active, and structured and that provide a potential solution to the primary problem within the first session.
- Be prepared to discuss racial differences with African American families (may apply to ...

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