Standardized Assessment Procedures, Testing Procedures

How do language differences affect the ability of the interviewer to communicate with the client? Ask: “What language would you prefer to use in counseling? Are you able to understand my ?” Or, if you cannot speak any other languages, ask: “How comfortable are you with my English?” INTERVIEWING CONTEXT AND PROCEDURES Thus far, we have discussed counselor awareness of himself or herself as a cultural being, and the importance of knowing the cultural characteristics of the client-whether those are attributable to group, universal, or individual in?uences. We have also covered the importance of broad contextual elements as they interact with the individual as a unique ethnocultural being. What has been left out until now is how the actual interviewing context and procedures might impact the interviewing process.

For many people raised in many cultures, consulting with a mental health professional comes as a last resort. Seeing an outsider for personal problems goes against traditional problem solving strategies. This means that clients from another culture may experience an enormous amount of stress or anxiety because of the counseling process-in addition to the stress that brought them in. Moreover, they have expectations for counseling that may or may not match the abilities or styles of the interviewer.

Therefore, extra care should be taken to ensure that clients feel welcome, to establish credibility, and to build trust . At the very least, the counselor must ensure that clients feel and believe their interests are being served without threatening their worldview.

Using standardized assessment instruments may produce anxiety, confusion, or anger in ethnoculturally different clients. For all the reasons described, standardized assessment procedures may be inappropriate for the ethnoculturally different client. In the past, testing procedures used to aid in diagnosis and treatment have been misused.