Cultural Context

PSYC 357

Cultural Context

        To become a helpful and successful counselor personal introspection is the first and most important step. Do I have the qualities, insight, and understanding of my own self so I may then help someone struggling in such areas? During my personal reflection of the RESPECT model I gained useful insight to potential cultural conflict that I may have been ignorant towards prior to completion.

        Breaking down each of these aspects I began with Rapport. Do I posses the skills to connect with a struggling individual who I may not share much in common with? I realize that as a professional I must consciously attempt to suspend judgment and avoid making assumptions. Putting myself into the client’s shoes or situation is how I would do so. Second, and just as important would be Empathy. This client is coming to me of all people for help so not only being interested, but showing care and understanding makes a huge difference when conflicted. Verbally acknowledging and legitimizing the client’s feelings shows that level of care and create trust. Support is an instrumental component in therapy. I would be there to aid in the overcoming of barriers in their life, involving family members (if appropriate), and constantly reassuring that I am and will be available to help. Partnership, in my opinion is established throughout the build up of the counseling process. Being flexible with regard to the issue of control and negotiating roles when necessary is important. I would stress that we are working together to improve functionality of their life. Explanations; this is useful by checking often for understanding would allow me to know that we are cohesively heading in the direction of improvement. I would do so by using verbal clarification techniques gained from the previous strategies. One aspect that is huge in relevance when it comes to counseling would be cultural competence. Being aware of differences in customs and the way life is lived allows insight from an important place. A respect and value of the clients’ beliefs is a must. Being self aware and knowing that cultural differences may pose limitations provides level ground in communication. Last but not least, trust, self-disclosure may be an important issue for some clients who are not accustomed to western practices. Making trust my number one priority would be how I would go about my counseling. If my client does not feel they can trust me or are in a safe space then we would not be able to move forward.

        Cultural factors will always be an initial barrier with cross culture interactions. Like I have previously stated, being aware of this, and creating a safe, welcoming environment is how I plan to overcome these barriers in the counseling field. I would not pretend to know first hand what that client is going through but I would do everything I could to provide endless support and study their customs and beliefs to gain a greater insight as to what cultural norms are for that particular client.

        If I were to explain my knowledge of counseling to my family members, I believe they would find it helpful. A few of my family members have seen counselors in the past due to disconnect or divorce among one another. I believe it helped resolve issues, but I also believe the work is never quite finished when mending a relationship or enduring self-reflection. We are constantly evolving into the person we are due to our life influences and everyday choices. My advice would be to consciously do something everyday that makes them feel better tomorrow. And find healthy and productive ways to elevate stress for therapeutic purposes. My personal therapeutic practices would be physical exercise and running in nature on beautiful trails, I find this as a time of peace and cleansing of stress. I also believe art such as drawing, painting, or crafting gets me into a positive mindset and allows a good flow of thought and energy through my being. I also journal in times of emotional conflict, this helps tremendously when I am feeling overwhelmed by allowing me to organize and collect my thoughts. I tend to get to the true underlined reason of why I am upset when I am able to freely write. These techniques make for good counseling because it allows me to positively get as in touch with myself as possible.

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