Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Multicultural issues will always to be topic that should be dealt with in supervision and within ones self. ebster defines !ulticultural as of" relatin# to"
reflectin#" or adapted to diverse cultures. $s a counselor and as a supervisor I thin% it is very i!portant to be aware of the different cultures that you !ay co!e across and act professional. In order to do so you !ust reflect on your own !ulticultural e&periences and brin# the! in to the here and now when you're faced with various cultures. I will discuss so!e of !y !ulticultural e&periences and how they have enli#htened !e when it pertains to counselin# and how I will deal with the! as a supervisor. (rowin# up I never thou#ht too !uch about race because that was never an issue in !y ho!e. I was never tau#ht anythin# ne#ative about other races until I hi#h school. )es" in ele!entary school I learned about $frican $!erican history !onth" Martin *uther +in# and ,osa -ar%s. In hi#h school a !e!ory that stic%s with !e until this day was in #lobal studies class. e were learnin# about E!!ett .ill and that is when I thin% I
had !y first reaction of an#er towards racis!. It !ade !e feel so!ethin# not #ood" and I wanted to %now why the #uys did that to hi! /ust for supposedly win%in# at a Caucasian wo!an. .hin%in# about it now !aybe that was the tri##er for !e to want to learn about individuals and how the !ind wor%s. I went to a Christian private ele!entary school fro! the a#e of three until it was
ti!e to #raduate to hi#h school. Durin# that ti!e in !y Christian school I left and I went to a catholic school for two years. My first real encounter with a different race was in catholic school with Caucasian nuns. $lthou#h the students were predo!inately $frican $!erican I never had Caucasian teachers before. It was not the nor! for !e #rowin# up in an urban nei#hborhood. I was use to the sa!e race as !y teachers. I felt it was a #ood e&perience for the two years I was there. It allowed !e to e&perience so!ethin# I did not in !y nei#hborhood. .a%in# the subway allowed !e to e&perience other races on !y own. (rowin# up sure" I saw individuals of different races but I never really had any encounters with the! until I be#an to travel on !y own. .ravelin# on the subway broaden !y view" fro! people sin#in# on the train" the art in the subways and etc. I felt li%e a tourist. .he subway !ay not be the !ost pleasant travel but it is a si#ht to observe if you have not before. One of !any thin#s that bother !e about !y own race is when dar% s%in $frican $!ericans thin% li#hter s%in $frican $!ericans feel there better than the dar% s%in $frican $!ericans. I have had another $frican $!erican say to !e you thin% your better or prettier because you're li#ht s%in. I /ust wanted to say do you %now how i#norant you sound ri#ht now. 0y you sayin# that !a%es !e better than you. It's really sad in the $frican $!erican co!!unity because there worst issues we as a race have to over co!e. 1ot to be funny but historically I !ay have been a house slave but I still would have been a slave. I still would have #one throu#h the sa!e stru##les and been denied the sa!e thin#s. -e##y McIntosh article 2 hite -rivile#ed3 has broaden !y eyes to reality. $fter
readin# the article it is abosultely true. 2I can arran#e to protect !y children !ost of the ti!e fro! people who !i#ht not li%e the!. I can be sure that !y children will be #iven curricular !aterials that testify to the e&istence of their race in all classes" in all sub/ects" at all #rade levels. .he day I !ove into new housin# that I have chosen" I can be pretty sure that !y new nei#hbors will be neutral or pleasant to !e. 1o one has ever su##ested that I !i#ht have dealt dru#s in order to afford a certain car or house3. $s a counselor and supervisor I !ay have to wor% with a Caucasian client and yes" so!e of these issues !ay arise in the session. $s !y professor Cohen said you have to leave your 2stuff3 outside the session. )ou have be self aware of your issues and what can tri##er the! and be able to handle it prior to the session. I a! $frican $!erican and so!eti!es I do feel Caucasians !ay have superiority but as n $frican $!erican fe!ale it is !y /ourney to chan#e the views and beco!e !ore self confident in !y self. .his !ust reflect in !y wor% as a professional" that is will i!pact so!eone's life in a positive way. I a! a heterose&ual sin#le fe!ale. I was initially tau#ht #rowin# up in a Christian household that was the way to #o. I have nothin# a#ainst ho!ose&uals but I was not brou#ht up to believe in it. It deviates fro! the societal nor!s so!e would ar#ue but so!e would ar#ue what really are nor!s4 I had a lesbian professor that I loo% up too as a !entor and I thin% she is very infor!ative. I #uess !y initial thou#ht of ho!ose&uality was that it shouldn't be allowed. One can ar#ue that ho!ose&uals are born that way but are they really4 Or is that
people want to e&peri!ent and then !a%e a chose fro! that e&peri!ent4 Or is that people want to be part of the new trend4 I wonder when did this se&uality be#in and where4 5ow did they first e&peri!ent to %now they li%e the sa!e se&4 I a! left with a lot of unanswered 6uestions on this se&ual orientation. 5owever" havin# had a professor that is ho!ose&ual as a !entor has broadened !y view and !y pre/udices. I #uess because we never discussed her se&uality it !ade !e co!fortable to tal% with her and not focus on that issue. I understand in so!e sessions this issue will arise and I will have to face it as a professional" and when that ti!e arises I plan to do so without !y stuff in the roo!. I have Christian beliefs but as a counselor if a ho!ose&ual ca!e to !e for treat!ent I would not deny hi! service because I a! there to do a /ob. 7ust the sa!e if a pedophile were to co!e to !e for treat!ent I would not deny hi! treat!ent. I have friends who are ho!ose&ual I dare not as% the! about their personal life because I honestly do not want to %now about it. $s lon# as they %now where I stand as a heterose&ual I will be fine. I #uess its fine so!eone is ho!ose&ual but not for !e to be thou#ht of as one. I don't %now if that's wron# or not to thin% that but I thou#ht it. $s a counselor and a supervisor these are so!e issues I a! aware of and a! wor%in# on how too deal with it if the issues arises. It would be an in/ustice if I were to turn away every client that does not have the sa!e views as !yself. I thin% wor%in# with the! will actually help !e with #rowth as a counselor and supervisor. I !ust reiterate I a! a Christian raised in a Christian fa!ily. hen I was youn#er
every Sunday" it was Sunday school and 11a! service. It was the sa!e syste! every Sunday until I was 18" I needed a brea%. I continue to worship in church on Sundays. ,eli#ion can be a very controversial topic because everyone has his or her own beliefs. I
try to not #et into discussions about reli#ion with so!eone who practices another reli#ion. So!eti!es even within your own reli#ion" discussions can be controversial. (rowin# up in a Christian fa!ily I was tau#ht fro! the bible the (olden rule9 do unto others as you would have others do unto you. (oin# to a catholic school for two years I learned about $sh ednesday and lent. $s a case !ana#er I learned about the
Musli! culture" the $sian culture" and !ore about the 7ewish culture. $s a child I re!e!ber chantin# with !y stepsisters #rand!other. *ater I learned they were 0uddhist and till this day I re!e!ber the chant. 0ein# able to learn about different reli#ions !ade !e !ore acceptin# of other reli#ions. Even today when I feel an&ious I state the chant even thou#h I a! not 0uddhist. I feel it helps !e to be as ease and have a piece of !ind" and leave 2!y stuff3 out of any situation. $s a Christian in a 0aptist church it was li%e a close fa!ily in !y initial church. I was tau#ht to love everyone and treat hi! or her with respect. It has shaped !y character to live by the (olden rule. $ccordin# to this rule I try to practice it in !y everyday life even I don't feel li%e doin# so. $s a counselor and supervisor reli#ion to !e will always be a forbidden topic but in all reality we do face it. I believe by watchin# so!eone's body lan#ua#e or even noticin# a henna tattoo it can tell you about your client" or supervisee and how you should proceed as the professional. Over all !y e&periences have shaped !y character and contributed to the person I a! today. $s the professional all !y e&periences will be with !e throu#h out !y life. $s a counselor and supervisor bein# aware of !ulticultural issues" I feel will help build your therapeutic relationship with your client and your relationship with your supervisee. It will #ive you insi#ht as to how to counsel and supervise prior to your sessions.
:2I tell you the past is a buc%et of ashes3 Carl Sandbur#;" but the dust will lin#er in the air to re!ind you.