Challenges in Multicultural Counselling

Briefly, what is your response to this discussion about the many different challenges in multicultural counseling? Do you agree with this discussion?

In order to ensure counselors meet the needs of different cultures, counselors must become culturally competent, able to strategically adjust their practices based on the cultural, racial, and religious backgrounds of their clients.

Every culture has specific values that can be used in treatment, such as the support of extended families and of religious or spiritual communities. By appreciating a client's culture, counselors can tap into the most effective treatment strategies—those based on the personal and social strengths of each individual.

Counsels must identify barriers and bias in treating individuals from different cultures. Utilize culturally sensitive and appropriate interventions based on the race, ethnicity and language spoken. Also, counselors need to identify resources that are available to eliminate the language barriers and communication barriers. Further, by counselors understanding different cultures; it helps them to avoid stereotypes and bias that can undermine their efforts.

Although it is impossible to change backgrounds, counselors can avoid the problems of stereotyping and false expectations by examining their own values and norms, researching their clients' backgrounds, and finding counseling methods to suit the clients' needs.

In addition, traditional counselor training is based on American culture, which contributes to the lack of a broad perspective regarding world cultures. Counselors cannot adopt their clients' ethnicity or cultural heritage, but they can become more sensitive to these things and to their own and their clients' biases. With that being said, if counselors implement what I have stated above they can devise a plan of treatment that truly cultivates the optimal development of their client.