chp. 3 ad 4 Flashcards
Attention to multicultural issues is a natural outgrowth of discussions of respect for autonomy, justice, and the obligation to do good for others
At its core, professional ethics is about commitment to reducing the suffering of other people, advocating for social justice, and helping clients flourish, that is, reach their full human potential
Ethics requires professionals to break free from cultural encapsulation and develop a set of competencies and commitments for productive work with diverse populations.
It also requires professionals to reject simplistic notions of culture and diversity, recognize that few counseling interactions are monocultural, and appreciate that all professionals are affected to some degree by what Sue (2005) calls institutional and cultural racism
Culture
the “set of shared meanings that make social life possible”
Ethnicity
is a shared identity derived from shared ancestry, nationality, religion, and race
Multiculturalism
is a “social-intellectual movement that promotes the value of diversity as a core principle and insists that all cultural groups be treated with respect and as equals”
Culture centered practice
is a term endorsed by psychology to refer to the “cultural lens” psychologists should use as a central focus in their work. It encourages psychologists to consider the multiple sources that may shape behavior—culture, group memberships, and cultural stereotypes
Minority
has long been identified as a group that has suffered discrimination or been oppressed
Culturally diverse client
clients from any group that is represented in the preceding definition of minority or are otherwise of a different cultural tradition from the professional or from those who hold a more dominant position in the society.
Multicultural counseling/psychotherapy
is any service in which the cultures of the client and the professional differ in ways that are likely to influence communication and therapeutic content and progress
Prejudice
is “the positive or negative evaluation of social groups and their members
Appreciating diversity and our personal culture and responses to those different from us is essential for truly understanding and helping others. Empathy is not possible without awareness of the sociocultural context in which a client is describing the reasons for seeking help.
acts that are often unintentionally prejudicial as racial microaggressions and define them as “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults to the target person or group”Two subtypes of this phenomenon are termed microinsults and microinvalidations
Two subtypes of this phenomenon are termed microinsults and microinvalidations
competence to practice means a professional has the knowledge, skill, and diligence required for the tasks he or she undertakes. Multicultural competence is a subset of clinical competence. There are two references to multicultural competence in the ACA Code. The first is in the section explaining the boundaries of one’s competence, and it states, “Counselors gain knowledge, personal awareness, sensitivity, and skills pertinent to working with a diverse population”
The second reference extends that responsibility to continuing-education experiences and advises counselors to continue to update their knowledge of work with diverse groups
The APA Code addresses the topic in Standard 2.01 in its provision that psychologists should engage only in those professional activities in which they are competent.
Sue and Sue (2012) laid out three broad dimensions of multicultural competency:
(1)self-awareness, so that one’s values, biases, personal beliefs, and assumptions about human nature are known;
(2) an understanding without negative judgments of the worldviews and assumptions of culturally diverse clients; and
(3) skill in using and developing counseling interventions appropriate with diverse clients.
All too often that suspicion is treated as pathological when it is indeed functional to the environment of that client. Here are the five guidelines in that document (APA, 2003):
Guideline 1: Psychologists are encouraged to recognize that, as cultural beings, they may hold attitudes and beliefs that can detrimentally influence their perceptions of and interactions with individuals who are ethnically and racially different from themselves.
Guideline 2: Psychologists are encouraged to recognize the importance of multicultural sensitivity/responsiveness, knowledge, and understanding about ethnically and racially different individuals.
Guideline 3: As educators, psychologists are encouraged to employ the constructs of multiculturalism and diversity in psychology education.
Guideline 4: Culturally sensitive psychological researchers are encouraged to recognize the importance of conducting culture-centered and ethical psychological research among persons from ethnic, linguistic, and racial minority backgrounds.
Guideline 5: Psychologists strive to apply culturally appropriate skills in clinical and other applied psychological practices.
The test with the most evidence of reliability and validity is the Multicultural Counseling Inventory constructed by Sodowsky, Taffe, Gutlin, and Wise (1994). These instruments examine the skills, knowledge, and attitudes of counselors toward multicultural populations. Professionals who are unsure about their
These instruments examine the skills, knowledge, and attitudes of counselors toward multicultural populations. Professionals who are unsure about their current competency might find one of these measures useful and should consult Hays (2008), Pope-Davis and Coleman (1998), or Suzuki, Ponterotto, and Meller (2008) for a review of the literature on these instruments. Some of these instruments are appropriate for research and some for self-assessment.
In rights-focused societies, the emphasis is on protecting individual entitlements;
in duty-oriented societies, the emphasis is on carrying out one’s obligations to the larger group.
James and Foster recommend that professionals strive to develop what Aristotle referred to as practical wisdom, which is the capacity to use rules, norms, and standards in a contextual way, interpreting them rather than attempting to apply them in a rigid or unvarying way. They encourage mental health professionals to be aware of the difference between rights-oriented societies and duty-oriented societies.
There are two extremes to be avoided if one is to become culturally competent. One extreme is obvious from the preceding discussion, that is, the failure to take culture into account in the therapeutic process. The second extreme to be avoided is the failure to acknowledge intra-cultural variations and individual differences.
Not all people from the same cultural group are identical, even if they share a culture. Their individual beliefs, values, practices, and assumptions may vary substantially from those that typify their culture in general.
A developmental component also exists in cultural identity, especially as it relates to groups that experience oppression (Buckard & Ponterotto, 2008). Consequently, one’s worldview and sense of self in the cultural context are also dynamic over time.
However, in Section A.4.a, the ACA Code also advises counselors not to impose their values on clients.
Components of competence
1) knowledge
2) skills
3) diligence
Procedures for developing new areas of competence
1) obtain formal training of a length and depth needed for the activity
2) engaged in supervised experience
3) demonstrate competence equal to professional standards, preference, and discrimination
Criteria for finding acceptable training
birthing video
Competence vs. ability
impairment
civil consequences
- 4 conditions for a successfully liability action
- existing professional relationship duty to client
- substandard practice breach of duty
- harm to the client must have occurred
- therapists actions must have caused harm
Signs of compassionate fatigue
withdrawal and isolation from others inappropriate emotionality, loss of pleasure, loss of boundaries with the client, sense of being overwhelmed or pressured
Components of burnout
emotional exhaustion, loss of sense of accomplishment, depersonalization, crisis work carrier additional risks of emotional distress termed compassion fatigue or vicarious tramutatization
How to avoid
- ultuize self-care
- consultation, supervision, professional networking
- professional associations and state boards often provide colleague assistance services
