Cultural Encapsulation, Cultural Competence

-Thomas Merton, A Thomas Merton Reader Many counselors may be continuing to suffer from cultural encapsulation and the selfreference criterion in their counseling practice.

-Paul Pedersen, Counseling across Cultures Counseling has been used as an instrument of oppression as it has been designed to transmit a certain set of individualistic cultural values. Traditional counseling has harmed minorities and women. Counseling and therapy have been the handmaiden of the status quo.

-Derald Wing Sue

We live in a multicultural society and, consequently, no matter what our own ethnocultural background may be, we occasionally work professionally with people who are much different from ourselves. This fact makes it crucial for us to broaden our perspectives and increase our cultural sensitivity. After reading this chapter, you will know:

• About the imperative of cultural competence and the importance of understanding your cultural biases and cultural self.

• Basic issues in interviewing clients with American Indian, African American,

Hispanic American, and Asian American ethnocultural backgrounds.

• Basic issues to address when interviewing gay, lesbian, transgendered, disabled, or religiously committed clients.

• The importance of context to understanding client ethnocultural orientation,

family environment, community environment, communication style, and language usage.

• Different culture bound syndromes and matters of etiquette to consider when

interviewing minority clients.

CHAPTER OBJECTIVESRELATIONSHIP IN THE CONTEXT OF DIVERSITY Throughout this text, we emphasize the importance of the therapeutic relationship. We believe that relationship is foundational to everything mental health professionals do- including clinical interviewing. Many mental health professionals emphasize the centrality of a therapeutic relationship in doing effective multicultural counseling . But what are essential components of such a relationship? What are helpful but optional components? Toward what should we be striving, as we become more multiculturally sensitive interviewers? How can we avoid cultural arrogance, the self referencing syndrome, and counseling as oppression when working with diverse clients? This chapter provides food for thought and pieces of the puzzle, but obtaining the answers to these profound questions is a life long endeavor.