Ryan Rienzo

Final Exam Part 1

CNS 762 DG
February 27th, 2016
Final Exam Essays
Part One
Conveying cultural empathy is of the upmost importance in establishing a healthy and
productive relationship with clients from diverse populations. Skillful multicultural counseling
involves conveying cultural empathy so that the client understands that their unique cultural
identity is not only respected but also understood. In order for effective treatment to occur, it is
imperative that the counselor understands their client's unique cultural identity and how, if at all,
it impacts their presenting concerns.
One way to convey cultural empathy is by having a genuine interest in the client's
culture. This can be achieved a number of ways. If during a session a question or issue pertaining
to the client's culture arises, the counselor can simply ask the client for clarification. This
provides an opportunity for the counselor to gain cultural knowledge while also highlighting to
the client that the counselor is invested and interested in learning. The counselor can also show
an interest by conducting research and educating oneself about the client's culture and how it
may impact counseling, including any specific cultural issues or culturally appropriate
interventions.
Another way to convey cultural empathy is by acknowledging and appreciating any

cultural differences between the client and the counselor. If the client and counselor come from
differing backgrounds a meaningful and productive relationship can still be established through
open communication and respect for one another's differences. If a client expresses concerns
regarding the counselor's cultural identity, it could be helpful to identify any relevant differences
and discuss how those differences will not impede treatment.
Different cultures also place varying emphasis on the importance and role of one's
family and community. With that being said, when working with client's from differing
backgrounds it is helpful to understand the specific role that the client's family and community
play in their life. The client's cultural values and beliefs may be directly related to their family
and community, or may be inconsistent with them, so it is important to understand the client in
this context.

As counselors there are times where we must advocate on our

client's behave. This can be extremely important when working with culturally diverse
populations. If the client expresses that they are feeling devalued or underprivileged, one way to
highlight cultural empathy is by processing their experiences with them and advocating for them
on their behave. This not only conveys to the client that they are not alone, but also that the
counselor is genuinely invested in their overall wellbeing. A final way to convey cultural
empathy, and perhaps the most important, is to be sensitive to any oppression, discrimination,
racism and microaggressions that the client may have encountered or may continue to encounter
in their daily life. As the counselor having an accurate perception of the client's worldview can
make a substantial difference in the outcome of therapy.
Part Two
This particular case presents several issues for the counselor- in training, Geeta, and her
supervisor. After reviewing the 14 ASERVIC spiritual competencies, I feel that several

competencies apply to both the counselor and her supervisor in this case.
In regard to culture and worldview, while Geeta does admit to having strong negative
opinions related to her clients cultural and religious background, it is unclear whether or not she
is capable of describing the similarities and differences between her own religion of Hindu and
that of the clients, Muslim. Gaetas supervisor, a devout Baptist, openly admits to knowing little
about either womans religion, so it is unlikely that he would be able to describe the similarities
and differences between the two religions. The reason that this is particularly problematic is that
as her supervisor he should be knowledgeable about major world religions and be able to offer
spiritually sensitive counseling guidance to his intern, which at this point he is unable to do.
Pertaining to self-awareness, Geeta does actively explore her own attitudes, beliefs and
values about religion, which is not necessarily a positive thing in this case due to the fact that
Geeta has such strong beliefs related to both the Muslim religion and arranged marriages. With
that being said, working in conjunction with her supervisor, Geeta does evaluate the influence
and impact her own religious beliefs and values would have on the counseling process. Her
supervisor helped her to recognize that her strong feelings, both positive and negative, could
impede the therapeutic process. While both Geeta and her supervisor can identify the limits of
their understanding of the clients religious perspective, it is unclear if that have access to
religious resources to gain additional knowledge.
Greetas communication skills were also greatly hindered during the session, inhibiting
her from being religiously sensitive, empathetic or supportive. She was incapable of responding
to the clients communication about her issues for seeking counseling, which was evidenced by
her inability to self-disclose or to listen fully. Her assessment skills were also negatively

impacted in that she did not make an attempt to engage the client or to understand the clients
religious perspective in any way.
To better assess the clients religious and spiritual views Geeta should have begun the
session by creating an inviting, non-judgmental environment in which she and the client could
have established rapport despite their differences. Throughout the session Geeta should have also
made a conscious effort to learn more about the clients worldview and how the Muslim religion
impacts her life, if at all. When the client attempted to convey her concerns, Geeta could have
acknowledged and affirmed her clients beliefs and values. The overall goal should have been for
Geeta to make a strong attempt to learn more about her clients belief system and views, and
determine how those views impact the clients presenting concerns.
In this particular case I do not feel that Geeta is competent enough to counsel the client.
Geeta is struggling with her own personal religious views and strong opinions pertaining to the
clients Muslim religion and culture. In addition, the client is dealing with personal issues closely
related to the clients. It is unclear if Geeta will be able to put aside her own views on arranged
marriages and be unbiased when working with the client. Furthermore Gretas supervisor lacks
the religious competence required to effectively provide her with the guidance she would need in
working with this client.
To become competent Geeta could seek consultation from someone who is more
experienced in working with religiously diverse populations. Geeta should also do some selfexploration to determine if she would be able to put her personal and religious views aside to
provide effective counseling services. If this is something Geeta believes she is capable of, she
should educate herself on the major world religions, specifically the religion of Islam, identifying
what it would entail for her to work with a client from differing religious backgrounds. If Geeta

truly believes she is incapable of providing the client with effective services, and that it would be
in the clients best interest, she should refer the client to a more experienced counselor.

References

Cashwell, Craig S., and Richard E. Watts. "The New ASERVIC

Competencies for Addressing Spiritual and Religious Issues in
Counseling." Counseling and Values 55.1 (2010): 2-5. Web.
Gladding, Samuel T., Deborah W. Newsome, and Samuel T. Gladding.
Clinical Mental Health Counseling in Community and Agency Settings. 4th ed. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2014. Print.