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Cultural Immersion Experience Assignment 1 Cultural Immersion Experience Assignment By Katie M. Miles Walden University COUN 6723 Carnival Jamaica: April 12-18, 2023 (Kingston) April 30, 2023

Cultural Immersion Experience Assignment 2 Cultural Immersion Experience For the last few years I have traveled to at least one of the islands in the Caribbean for fun summer getaways with friends. I often hear about the celebration of different colors and customs that include different forms of music, dancing, foods, and Caribbean style art. This has been a tradition of many years but only held one time during the year. The celebration typically includes many different festivities for anyone to enjoy. This event is open to the public in most celebrations and is referred to as the Carnival Celebration. The roots of this celebration and where its traditions is believed to be from is the Caribbean Island of Trinidad. Many years ago, French immigrants, their slaves, and free blacks staged vibrant celebrations known as masquerade balls. For the slaves and free colored people these masked festivals were a celebration of freedom and the sugarcane harvest known as Canboulay (Harris, 2016). No one knows where the celebration truly originated from or which culture has had the heaviest impact on the traditions but with its multicultural history the behaviors have been profoundly influenced by many different ethnicities/groups including Indians, African slaves, French, English colonists, and the Spanish. This celebration has been the benchmark for many other culturally influenced celebrations across the world, for example Mardi Gras, however the biggest difference is that Carnival is full of African traditions. During this celebration, what I witnessed was men and women dressed in very bright colors, they were in the streets, dancing and enjoying the moment. Women wore the diamond studded swimsuit-like attire with diamonds bedazzled on their faces/bodies and most of the men wore shorts that bore the colors of the Caribbean (flag, etc). There were people of all ages present and tents set where you could either purchase drinks, authentic foods, arts/crafts, and etc.

Cultural Immersion Experience Assignment 3 I chose to experience this event as my Cultural Immersion Experience because first, I have always been intrigued by different cultures other than what I am familiar with, especially in different areas/countries but more than anything, I would already be there. Seeing pictures/videos of this experience over the years has always been captivating to me. I am not sure if it is the expressive colors or the faces filled with excitement and contentment but it has always been something. During last year, my friends and I decided that after seeing pictures and videos since were in undergrad, we had to experience it first hand for ourselves so it aligned with the timing of this project for my Multicultural Class. This was truly an experience I will never forget and I hope to experience it again one day. Emotionally, this experienced affected me because I observed so many people just feeling free and enjoying who they were with no cares in the world, it was beautiful. In the society that we live in in America (or the states specifically), one might say that that type of mental freedom does not exist because so many people are quick to judge others, some live in a daily fear of being judged by others, or some are living their lives to please others for class, stature, and or financial levels. Being part of this celebration I could feel the energy and its way of bringing everyone together even if it was just for that moment. Initially, I was not sure if or how I would be able to relate this cultural immersion experience to multicultural counseling however the Carnival Celebration is very similar to the Gay Pride celebration celebrated all of the world. The two celebrations have a close relation because they both celebrate sexuality and gender diversity. Both sexuality and gender diversity is very prominent in the genre of multicultural counseling. Human sexuality (HS) is an integral component of wellness (Abbott, 2023), something that is often addressed during counselling

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Cultural Immersion Experience Assignment 4 sessions. Gender diversity refers to a person’s gender identity, role, or expression differs from the cultural norms prescribed for people of a particular sex (n.d.). For a counselor who lacks cultural competence, it could be a potential risk for feeling uncomfortable addressing the topics of sexuality, especially with different cultures. The Carnival and Pride celebrations both encourage its participants (and observers) that it is okay to be who you are whether that is gay, bisexual, lesbian, transgender, queer, or etc. Encompassing Cultural Competence in Counseling When I think about my experience and my ability to encompass cultural competence in counseling, it has impacted me in many different ways but the three ways that affected me the most are where I am with being more aware of my own world view, my attitude towards cultural differences, and my openness to gaining the knowledge of different cultural practices and world views. Encompass Cultural Humility Professionally This cultural immersion experience has impacted my ability to encompass cultural humility professionally by encouraging more awareness of my own and my client’s cultural heritage and our attitudes, beliefs and how it relates to our cultural experiences. Another way this experience has affected my cultural humility professionally is that it encourages me to be more aware of the different cultures and their cultural experiences. How This Experience Changed My Worldview As I reflect back on while I observed others and participated in the festivities myself, it made me focus on oppression and discrimination and how after my experience, my worldview

Cultural Immersion Experience Assignment 5 on both have begun to change. Oppression is defined as the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions, anxiety, etc. (n.d.) often times as a result of an act of cruel or unjust impositions or restraints. Those with dominant group memberships gain cultural power, which is a privileged status based merely on one's cultural identity (Hays, Dean, & Chang, 2007). When it comes to oppression and discrimination, I believe that although some ethnicities on paper often show dominancy over others (resulting in the feelings of oppression and discrimination), both to me now reflect more of a mindset. I do not argue against that the two do not exist however, I truly believe that one has the choice either to live in or overcome it (mindset). I believe that I witnessed that while experiencing this cultural immersion experience. Most third world countries are viewed as oppressed, poverish, and often discriminated against especially when the natives of that country to immerge themselves into an American way of living. However, while there, there was so much freedom of self, culture, traditions, and etc. There also people from all over the world, different ethnicities, and different financial prominences just coming together and having a good time as one-with the differences amongst most participants not mattering for once. Advocating for Social Injustice As a counselor, my profession calls for me to be a social justice advocate. By this, it means that in my role, I must be a voice for the communities and populations I serve which could involve providing education, training, and incorporating programs that infuse social justice and advocacy work. My current profession calls for me to provide therapy services in correctional mental health settings and community based mental health/dual diagnosis programs. I hope to continue working with these populations, and eventually in a school based setting with

Cultural Immersion Experience Assignment 6 high-school ages. In all of the previous listed populations, I would encounter members of the LGBTQ community. With that being said, as a counselor in this community, I would advocate by partner with a program entitled, Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians, and Gays. This program provides families with resources, support, and guidance on how to process a loved one as they may announce their sexual identity. I choose this because I want to create a safe zone- free from discrimination and harassment for those I advocate for-something I feel like I experienced through the cultural immersion experience in Jamaica. To effectively work with and advocate for lesbians, gay men, and their families, one has to be aware of the individual, relational, and societal forces that may negatively affect them (Dermer, Smith, Barto, 2010). Conclusion As I continue to grow in this profession, I hope that this cultural immersion experience will benefit me as I grow and learn more about the different cultures and their traditions; more so how they relate or affect the counseling relationship. Being an advocate for the populations I serve (specifically mental health) has always been my passion and I hope to continue to promote and educate that all people deserve equal treatment regardless of their sexual identity, orientation, or gender diversity. As I have previously stated before, I am a firm believer that multicultural differences i.e. races, sexual orientations, nationalities, languages, religions, classes, gender, etc., do not have to be barriers unless society (people) allow them to be a barrier.

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Cultural Immersion Experience Assignment 7 References Harris, Adriana. (2016, October 16). Understanding Carnival: History, Costumes and More. South Florida Times . Abbott, D. M., Vargas, J. E., & Santiago, H. J. (2023). Sexuality Training in Counseling Psychology: A Mixed-Methods Study of Student Perspectives. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 70(1), 52–66. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000641 (N.d.). Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/programs/safe-supportive/lgbt/key-terms.pdf World Health Organization. (2006). Defining sexual health . https://www.who.int/teams/sexual- and-reproductive-health-and-research/key-areas-of-work/sexual-health/defining-sexual- health Hanzlik, M. B., & Gaubatz, M. (2012). Clinical Psy.D. trainees’ comfort discussing sexual issues with clients. American Journal of Sexuality Education , 7 (3), 219–236. 10.1080/15546128.2012.707080 Dictionary.com. (n.d.). Oppression definition & meaning . Dictionary.com. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/oppression#:~:text=the%20exercise%20of%20authority %20or,adverse%20conditions%2C%20anxiety%2C%20etc . Hays, D. G., Dean, J. K., & Chang, C. Y. (2007). Addressing privilege and oppression in counselor training and practice: A qualitative analysis. Journal of Counseling & Development, 85, 317–324. Dermer, S. B., Smith, S. D., & Barto, K. K. (2010). Identifying and Correctly Labeling Sexual Prejudice, Discrimination, and Oppression . Journal of Counseling & Development, 88(3), 325– 331. . Retrieved Aril 15, 2023.

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