Week 14: Multicultural Counseling

Multicultural Counseling definition

Developed to address limitations of traditional approaches, recognizing the role of culture, context, and systems in mental health

Goals of MC

Address intersectionality (e.g., race, gender, class, sexuality).

Reduce stigma and discrimination.

Integrate diverse identities into therapeutic practice

What is culture in MC?

Any group sharing common purpose, background, or identity.

Originally focused on race; now includes age, religion, gender, ability, etc.

Key Idea: All counseling is cross-cultural

Cultural Identity Components

Age, race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, socioeconomic status, language, sexual orientation, ability

Three Domains of Cultural Competency

Awareness: Recognize your own biases and cultural values.

Knowledge: Understand clients’ worldviews.

Skills: Apply culturally appropriate strategies

awareness —> knowledge —> skills

Continuum of Cultural Competency (stages)

1. Cultural Destructiveness (e.g., racism, stereotypes).

2. Cultural Incapacity (systemic failure to serve diverse groups).

3. Cultural Blindness ("treat everyone the same").

4. Cultural Pre-Competence (exploring cultural issues).

5. Cultural Competence (respect differences, hire diverse staff).

6. Cultural Proficiency (advocacy, mentorship, systemic change).

Cultural Humility vs. Competency

Humility: Lifelong learning, self-reflection, and curiosity about others’ cultures.

Competency: Mastery of skills/knowledge to work effectively across cultures

MC & Psychoanalysis

Heterosexual/traditional family bias; ignores racial power dynamics

MC & Adlerian

Overemphasis on social interest; birth order varies culturally

MC & Existential

Individuality/responsibility may conflict with collectivist values; different cultures view death differently

MC & Gestalt

Emotion-focused; may clash with cultures discouraging expressiveness

MC & Rogerian

Assumes universal help-seeking attitudes; stigmatized in some cultures

RC & Cognitive

"Irrational beliefs" may be cultural norms (e.g., interdependence in Asian/African cultures)

Gender Role Socialization - Definition & Examples

Learning behaviors/expectations tied to assigned gender (via family, media, peers, institutions).

Examples: Gendered toys, career paths, parental modeling.

Multicultural Awareness in Therapy

Recognize biases/countertransference.

Balance between-group trends with within-group diversity.

Adapt theories for diverse clients

What was the main takeaway from Dr. Rochlen's multicultural case example (African-American gay client with disability)?

A client may or may not see their identities as central to their presenting concerns.

Difference between race and ethnicity

Ethnicity is personal cultural identity

Race is often assigned by others.