Diversity journal Chapters #1 and #2
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Northeastern State University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
5443
Subject
Philosophy
Date
Feb 20, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
2
Uploaded by DeaconMantisPerson644
Pat Sikes
Diversity Issues
Instructor: Warren B. Roby, PhD LPC
2024 January 29
Journal 1 (Chapters 1 & 2)
“What did you learn from the material?” I have learned that counselors must have so much awareness, knowledge, insight, and skills to help empower individuals, families, and groups in ways that are sensitive to and inclusive of cultural realities. I would never purposefully discriminate but I can completely see how easy it would be to do so without realizing you are possibly because of your own culture.
Multicultural counseling is so vital because we live in such a diverse society that is only projected to become more so over the coming decades. As more and more people from different backgrounds seek therapeutic treatment,
mental health counselors
and psychologists need to be able to take a holistic approach to understanding, acknowledging, and addressing their needs as it
fits into their cultures.
“What have you learned?”
I have learned so far that Multicultural counseling is, at its heart, about appreciating that individuals aren’t all the same and that their personal backgrounds such as their ethnicity, their race, and their cultural context, are such a huge component of who they are as a human being. People from different cultural backgrounds often have very different lived realities as to how they live. These differences influence not only the types of mental health issues that a person experiences but also their perception of and relationship to counseling and without the knowledge needed to support this we cannot appropriately address those needs to others.
We cannot understand ourselves or other people, or create greater equity without considering the larger socio-political and historical context of which we are part. We as human beings need to have a grasp of different forms of privilege and oppression and how they affect people’s experiences, opportunities, and access to social power. It is also critical to appreciate the interlocking nature of different types of inequality and how they intersect in people’s lives.
“I never thought of that! Who am I as a cultural being?” I am a grandchild of a Medicine Woman for Choctaw Nation; I am a daughter of Running
Bear, Robert Walden who was a two-time Vietnam Veteran, United States Marine Drill Sergeant, and a Welding supervisor for the KCS Railroad. I am the daughter of a retired Command Sergeant Major in the United States Army, a proud Cherokee, Creek, German, and Irish woman. I am the sister of a Retired Military Police officer who is now an OSBI Agent and Federal marshal. I am the Wife of a proud Seminole, Apache, and Italian man. I am the mother of two beautiful daughters who are strong independent women. I am an aunt, a cousin, a child welfare worker, and a case manager, I am open-minded, sometimes zero filter, strong supporter of women’s rights. I am a hunter, a fisher. I am imperfect, but I love to learn.
“How do you think this information might impact your practice as a counselor in the future?” I will probably never know the full extent of the dynamics of my clients, but I can listen and I can learn from them. I know I cannot be biased toward their living environment because my values should not bleed into theirs. I will continue to learn about other cultures because they intrigue me so much and I love to learn about them. I will provide empathy and compassion.
“How do I council with culture in mind?” I will go into this field with an open mind. I will soak in their culture and learn about it as
much as possible with them and without them to help them. I feel that in my current job, I am doing this daily through child welfare. I am working with multi-generational families and I have
to learn about the culture and the environment in which they have been raised to better understand how to help them overcome the barriers they are facing as to their children, their parenting, their homes, their incomes, their education, and their religion.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help