COUN-5336 Cultural Biography_u4a1_Grace Belt (2)
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Feb 20, 2024
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Running head: CULTURAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY 1 Cultural Autobiography Grace Belt Capella University November 8th, 2020
CULTURAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY 2 Cultural Autobiography The concept of cultural competence is a generalized feature of mental health counseling. Luckily, there is now in depth research and multiple facets of cultural competence, as well as knowledge and recognizing implicit bias associated with my own identified culture. In this autobiography, I will not only identify my heritage and explore its relevance to the counseling field; I will assess how my cultural heritage and spiritual or religious orientation will present opportunities or challenges for me while I apply multicultural counseling with diverse populations. Evaluating how my family’s background has contributed to my own worldview will help me understand and empathize with others in regards to their various experiences. Cultural Heritage I always have a tough time with my cultural identity, mostly due to the plethora of European cultures mixed into my family. There has not been specific times we have celebrated or learned about these past entities in our family tree, which is why I will dive more into my family’s Irish and Dutch heritage and how this has shaped our world views. Acculturation is the process in which an individual or family adopts, acquires and adjusts to a new cultural environment (Sue, 2016). Being a white American family, acculturation was not deemed negative and was ultimately encouraged. My grandfather and grandmother both came from different countries, but adopted American culture fairly quickly; with the only obstacle being their accents. I recognize this as our privilege, since it was easier for both my descendants to blend in without retribution. Eventually learning about various non-European cultures, I found it interesting how my euro-centric view stemmed from bias and lack of knowledge due to my personal upbringing. I have family members who are completely separated from the reality of our family’s immigration here, so they do not empathize with more recent (post-WWII)
CULTURAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY 3 non-european immigrants. This shaped our world-view as euro-centric and individualistic. Both my immigrant grandparents come from Catholic backgrounds, which also played a part in their convenient acculturation. America was primarily Christian, so this helped solidify their biases. Being a third generation American, I can now see the implications of their thought processes and strive to educate myself within cultural competence beyond the euro-centric ideology my family instilled in me. Personal Identity Development I have felt shame, guilt and pride regarding my personal identity, as it relates to my euro-centric and Catholic upbringing. Being white comes with inherent privileges such as applying for jobs with my white name, or already having straight hair when it is a fashion statement in the beauty industry (Blair, 2018). Privileges as simple as representation in movies, barbie dolls, or commercials have shaped my personal identity in a multitude of ways. The guilt I have felt stems from my whiteness and my knowledge of oppression caused my potential past family members. I have felt shame from, what seemed like, the only person willing to obtain knowledge of other cultures. I have always been interested in history, social constructs and human behavior as a whole. My family’s euro-centric worldviews have contributed to feelings of shame due to family members pointing out my lack of knowledge of my own cultural heritage. I feel ashamed that I know more about African American or Native American history compared to my knowledge of Irish Americans or Dutch Americans. This relates to my feelings of pride, though. I am prideful of my continuous knowledge compared to my family’s, since I know I will not subscribe as fully to white supremacy or ignorance of non-european contributions to our American society. My personal identity has shifted throughout the years, as I am young and finally able to set boundaries with toxic family members. The development of my identity would
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CULTURAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY 4 not be the same if I did not grow up with a euro-centric mindset. I can piece together my personal experiences and gained knowledge to help the world become a more inclusive place. Influence of Culture on Professional Help Seeking Seeking professional help in regards to mental health has not been an issue with my family, even before my time. I know my Nana (Irish grandmother) was a nurse and encouraged wellness within all facets. My grandfather (Dutch immigrant), whom I have never met, was a stoic man. He would never judge someone for seeking help, but was too prideful to seek it himself. He went through stage 4 lung cancer without any professional mental health counseling, which was a normal endeavor in those times. The only time I have witnessed animosity towards professional mental health in my family is when someone is too prideful, which can stem from our Catholic background since Catholics tend to believe Jesus will grant mindful peace (Bishop, 2018). This type of pride has forced me to disassociate myself from any religion, since I personally believe it is false hope. Influence of Counselor Characteristics on Counseling My religious beliefs (or lack thereof) may present challenges when it comes to religious clients (Bohecker et.al, 2017). Since I grew up Catholic, I have some bias towards the religion and its impact on a family or individual. To combat this, I will utilize my empathy and knowledge of my client to further understand their thought process and how they feel regarding spiritual or religious relevance (ASERVIC, n.d.). My family’s culture and euro-centric worldviews have shaped my characteristics. Although I am more culturally knowledgeable than my descendants, I have implicit biases just from living in a white female body, almost as I am experiencing these privileges like they are normal entities in anyone’s life. Luckily I have surpassed this mindset and will continue to do the necessary work by educating myself in
CULTURAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY 5 cultural competence. My ultimate strategies for combating this mindset is to interact genuinely with people of all different backgrounds, not being afraid to ask compassionate questions about someone’s culture, and to practice advocacy for individuals from different walks of life (Sue, 2016). Conclusion I am troubled when it comes to questions about my heritage, since I do not know a lot about the multiple European cultures mixed into my family. My euro-centric upbringing made me feel guilt and shame, due to our privileges and convenience coming to a predominantly white country. My pride is in my knowledge of other cultures, despite my family’s attempt to preserve my euro-centric worldviews. Coming from a white family with euro-centric views and being the compassionate person I am today; I am hopeful for our future in America. I know there are people like me who have dived into cultural competence and strive to learn more about others who are different from them. Although I have a lot to learn regarding cultural competence in counseling, I am confident my empathy, willingness to learn, and overall passion for humanity will suffice.
CULTURAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY 6 Reference Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling. (n.d.). Spiritual & religious competencies: Competencies for addressing spiritual and religious issues in counseling. Retrieved from http://www.aservic.org/resources/spiritual-competencies/ Bishop, B. (2018). Advocating for atheist clients in the counseling profession. Counseling and Values, 63
, 17–30. Blair, L. J. (2015). The influence of therapists' spirituality on their practice: A grounded theory exploration. Counseling and Psychotherapy Research, 15
(3), 161–170. Bohecker, L., Schellenberg, R., & Silvey, J. (2017). Spirituality and religion: The ninth CACREP Core Curriculum Area. Counseling and Values, 62
, 128–143. Sue, D. W., & Sue, D. (2016). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice
(7th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
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