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  • Essay / Culture as a way of life

    Culture is a way of life of a group that is transmitted from generation to generation. It is what people do, think, value and do to ensure their existence. It determines what is appropriate to eat, drink, wear and more. However, it is not static. Each generation acts accordingly, causing changes, even though fundamental components such as language, religious practices, and system of government generally resist significant change. Like a river, culture has many sources (Mosterín, 1992). There are at least five tributaries that come together to make us who we are. The first is our biology and its instincts, needs, impulses and destiny. For example, our gender and sexual attraction generate a multitude of human behaviors that transcend national boundaries. A primary universal phenomenon is the family and the many behaviors it requires. Parents nurture, protect, and socialize their offspring to assume adult roles already defined by previous generations. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Multicultural counseling characterizes the counseling practice that provides effective interventions for culturally diverse clients. Race, ethnicity, and culture influence a client's identity and life circumstances. Other factors, such as sex and gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic status, religion and ability, may also play a role in the context of mental health and relational or personal problems of a given client. "Although some therapists argue that highlighting differences between individuals may offend some clients and therefore harm the therapeutic relationship, it is generally believed that openly showing respect for someone's culture and beliefs can result in treatment more effective and a more positive outcome for both client and therapist,” according to Psychology Today. strive to create both a trusting relationship and a comfortable environment with all of their clients so that the difficult task of healing therapy can begin. Today, clients seeking advice come from a wide variety of backgrounds, requiring advisors to know and understand the different ways culture affects the counseling relationship. A lack of sensitivity to a client's unique background and experiences can result in poor communication, the client's refusal to participate, and ultimately an ineffective counseling relationship. These consequences can open the door to charges of negligence, leading to disciplinary action by your state's licensing board or professional organization, or even a lawsuit. Cultural competence is one of the few skills required of counselors. The American Counseling Association (ACA) has outlined specific guidelines for providing counseling services to ethnically and culturally diverse populations in its ACA Code of Ethics. Sue and Sue (1990) highlighted three important characteristics of counselors who deal with clients from diverse backgrounds · First, a culturally competent counselor is one who is actively becoming aware of his or her own assumptions about human behavior , values ​​and prejudices. , preconceived ideas, personal limitations, etc. · Second, a culturally competent counselor is one who actively attempts to understand their culturally different client's worldview withoutnegative judgments. · Third, a culturally competent counselor is one who is in the process of developing and actively practicing appropriate, relevant, and sensitive intervention strategies and skills when working with culturally diverse clients. Language barriers are often the biggest challenge between ethnic clients and advisors. An unexplored communication problem could result in allegations of mistreatment or abuse. Counselors can help avoid this by always documenting the counseling session and noting the steps you took to understand and adapt to the client's individual culture. Also, remembering that the goal of therapy is to understand the individual as a whole (not just their ethnic origin). We don't make assumptions about customers. For example, some cultures avoid eye contact as a sign of respect, but we need to understand if the person consulting is not looking at us with respect, or if they feel ashamed, uncomfortable, or if they are dishonest. If we assume that client behavior stems from culture without asking questions about how they feel, we risk missing an opportunity for healing and opening ourselves up to liability. A good way to avoid misconceptions is to learn about the culture of our clients. The same goes for advisors around the world. If you cannot find literature sources on specific cultural expectations, seek advice from other colleagues in your area who may have experience advising in your client's culture. During a counseling session, it is also important to determine your client's level of acculturation. Clients with poor cultural assimilation may not understand that some of the behaviors you are advising are not acceptable in that country. Culturally competent counselors invite open and honest dialogue about race and ethnicity during their therapy sessions and use professional resources and activities to develop their counseling skills with clients of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. As advisors, we understand that all of our clients have unique needs. Creating a treatment approach that respects the client's cultural identity as well as their individual characteristics will meet these needs. As an intern working at Banyan, I have the opportunity to work with diverse clients. They belong to different regions of the country and speak different languages. Every day I learn their culture and try to learn their language to communicate with them. Customers feel a sense of belonging when they find people speaking the same language as theirs, common eating habits, celebrating festivals and other practices. Culture as an integral part of consulting is an unexplored area in consulting in India. Several researches have been carried out in other countries, but when it comes to India, our resources are limited. In countries like America, counselors are taught multicultural competence, organizations like ACA have a special division called AMCD, that is, the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development, which describes the characteristics requirements of a culturally competent counselor and also offers some courses to train counselors. Western psychology has arrived in India. at the beginning of the 20th century. The University of Calcutta opened India's first psychology department in 1916 and the Indian Psychological Association emerged in 1925. In keeping with India's role as a British colony until.