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Erica Vassell COCO 711 Dr.

Cohen Multicultural Issues in Supervision

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.

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