Running head: COUNSELING AND DIVERSITY 1

Counseling and Diversity Kai A. Brown COUN 501 Liberty University

COUNSELING AND DIVERSITY 2 Abstract

Diversity has become a topic of great interest and importance over the past decade or two. With the worlds system beginning to merge it is important to be able to work with people from all types of backgrounds. There does not seem to be any area of life that is not affected by diversity. Counseling as a profession did not escape the changes that have come along with the changing world. That is, counseling is not exempt from addressing the issue of cultural diversity. In all actuality diversity in counseling is of great importance because counselor and Christian counselors specifically are to come along side of their clients and help them through difficulties and if the counselor does not know how to work with a diverse group of people then difficulty can arise. As the worlds population has become more diverse those who counsel have had to adjust and adapt to helping clients who differ culturally, religiously, and ethnically. This paper will address issues dealing with diversity in counseling. It will also seek to address the changes that have caused great change in the counseling profession as issues of diversity have helped to expand counseling as a whole. Codes of ethics from various counseling organizations will be surveyed to determine some of the general guidelines for dealing with culturally diverse clients. Competency is of great importance to any professional; however it is of greater importance professional counselors as they have been given the task of helping others learn to deal with life situations and helping them to attain a level of functioning above that which they currently display. This paper will look at how counseling and diversity helps counselors achieve that competency when dealing with cultural diverse clients.

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Counseling and Diversity Diversity as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary online is the condition of having or being composed of differing elements: variety; especially: the inclusion of different types of people in a group or organization: an instance of being composed of differing elements or qualities. (Diversity) It is important to have a good working definition of diversity because often times counselors and counselees alike have some confusion about exactly what diversity is and how to put cultural sensitivity into action. (Basso, Pelech, & Wickham, 2010) Diversity affects every aspect of ones life. Therefore it is important not only to understand diversity, but to also be able to live and function in a multicultural society. According to research Multiculturalism is a generic term that indicates any relationship between and within two or more diverse groups. A multicultural perspective takes into consideration the specific values, beliefs, and actions influenced by a clients ethnicity, gender, religion, and historical experiences with the dominant culture. (Corey, Corey, & Callanan, 2011, p. 115116) Therefore if it is important for all individuals to be able to function in a multicultural society counselors need to be that much more aware of cultural differences with their clients and have the ability to overcome those differences to be able to sever their clients well. It is therefore imperative for counselors to respect diversity as a vital part of the helping relationship and to realize that diversity in counseling is also an important part of practicing ethically. (D'Andrea, & Sprenger, 2007) Those who embark upon a career in counseling or those continuing as counselors must make sure that they have an understanding of the history of, the importance of and the major themes of diversity in counseling as well as to know how diversity affects their identity, functioning and ethical practice as a counselor.

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Brief History of Counseling and Diversity Diversity in counseling has become an important topic in the counseling profession. According to Hansen The history of the counseling profession can arguably be understood as a continuing effort to advance the value of diversity. (Hansen, 2010, p. 17). As the counseling profession has progressed over the years it became evident that some clients were not being well served because of a lack of understanding of their cultural, ethnic, sexual orientation, and gender needs were being overlooked. This was occurring not because counselors did not care, but because they were unequipped to deal with these issues. According to Lago (2011), counselors should work therapeutically in a manner consistent with everyday practice, the person-centered therapist who is working with clients deemed as different and diverse also needs to be sensitive to a multiplicity of factors that are socially constructed and determined. (p. 235). Therefore the need for multicultural competence arose in the counseling profession. The ACA 2005 states Multicultural/Diversity Considerations that, Counselors maintain awareness and sensitivity regarding cultural meanings of confidentiality and privacy. Counselors respect differing views toward disclosure of information. Counselors hold ongoing discussions with clients as to how, when, and with whom information is to be shared. (ACA 2005, section B.1.a., p. 7) Therefore the need to be able to deal with a diverse population became one of the tenants of doing no harm which is also an important aspect of the ACA 2005 and AACC 2004. Further development in the area of diversity in counseling continues to occur. That is why it is imperative that counselors continue to grow and learn throughout their counseling career. This can be accomplished through continuing education. Continuing education provides counselors with the ability to take classes on multiculturalism and diversity in counseling. According to the AACC 2004,

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Christian counselors keep abreast of and, whenever possible, contribute to new knowledge, issues, and resources in Christian counseling and our respective fields. We maintain an active program of study, continuing education, and personal/professional growth to improve helping effectiveness and ethical practice. We seek out specialized training, supervision, and/or advanced certification if we choose to gain expertise and before we practice and advertise in recognized specialty areas of counseling and clinical practice. (AACC 2004, ES1-200, 1-230, p. 10) The counselor can then study new and innovative methods of addressing issues with clients of various cultures. Combining what has come before in the study of diversity in counseling and adding new techniques will improve the counselor-counselee relationship. This will show the importance diversity in counseling. Importance of and Major Themes of Diversity in Counseling The importance of diversity in counseling cannot be over-stated. The clients well-being and growth will be greatly affected if his or her counselor is unable to work with a diverse population to the point that the client may be severely harmed by the counselor. Diversity training allows the counselor to grow as a person and learn to adapt and deal with situations that are unfamiliar. It is important that counselors are able to deal with a diverse group of people because of the changes in todays world. No longer are countries isolated and dealing only with its own population. The world has become increasingly multicultural and globalized societies and cultural competence has become more important and has taken on added meaning of not only being able to function within a single homogenous culture, but to also be able to deal with societal interactions that involve people from many different cultures that are different from that of the counselor. (Chao, Okazaki, & Hong, 2011) This truly shows that the world is now truly borderless and more people are becoming open to the possibility that counseling is a means of improving their lives. With this being the case counselor are faced with larger segments of the population to come along

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side and help through various situations. No longer can counselors take the same approach with every client. There are many themes in diversity in counseling. It is important that when looking at these themes of diversity in counseling that the main focus always remains on the client. It is also important that counselors remember that cultural differences should be valued, appreciated and understood instead of judged and dismissed. (Hansen, 2010) Counseling has evolved into a clientfocused industry. This has occurred because people are so different and individualistic in American society. That is why any test or assessments used must be evaluated differently based on different cultures. According to the ACA 2005 section E8, Counselors recognize the effects of age, color, culture, disability, ethnic group, gender, race, language preference, religion, spirituality, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status on test administration and interpretation, and place test results in proper perspective with other relevant factors. Therefore, counselors need to have the understanding that when dealing with counselees from different backgrounds who are groupcentered they cannot be treated or counseled in the same manner as a counselee who is from a society that values individualism over the group. If a counselor did not have this cultural knowledge they could do more harm to the client than good. So having an understanding of various cultures and their worldviews is one of the reasons that diversity in counseling has taken on such importance. Counselors must gain a certain level of cultural intelligence. According to Chao and colleagues (2011) cultural intelligence is defines as, a multidimensional construct that refers to individuals ability to work effectively in culturally diverse settings. It consists of four major components including metacognitive, cognitive, behavioral, and motivational cultural intelligence. (p. 264). This intelligence can also be displayed by the counselors willingness to

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work on and overcome his or her own issues with diversity. That is counselors must be willing to work on their own issues with diversity with continuing education, seeking the advice of more experienced and culturally diverse counselors, and or seeking counseling themselves. By working on their own issues counselors do not abuse the power they have with their clients. This abuse of power can be particularly harmful to the client and the inequities in gender and cultural experiences, health, socioeconomic status, and other factors can undermine the ability for the client to be authentic with the counselor. (Duffey, & Somody, 2011). This shows that the counselor is willing to work on multicultural competency and intelligence, and it also shows that the counselor is willing to put the welfare of the client ahead of any personal issues. Finally, diversity and multiculturalism needs to remain an important focus of the counseling profession. As counselors the client has to be the focus and in order to make this the case understanding the counselees cultural, religious, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic background is the only way to accomplish keeping the client first. It is imperative that gender and gender roles be taken into consideration when working with diversity in counseling. More importantly gender roles must be recognized as a crucial diversity factor in practice and research. (Ruth Chu-Lien, & Nath, 2011) Gender is one of the major themes in diversity in counseling. Diversity and the Counselor Identity, Function, and Ethics When looking at a counselors identity, function and ethics as it relates to diversity it is important to understand that these three factors cannot be addressed separately. Diversity as it relates to counseling to the counselors identity in that the personal experience of the counselor is based on his or her own cultural background. That is why it is imperative that those intering the counseling profession go through a multicultural counseling course which can help the counselor

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enhance the ethnic identity development of the counselor. (Rowell, & Benshoff, 2008) According to Rowell and colleagues, Goals in many multicultural counseling courses include raising awareness of counseling students personal worldviews and biases and increasing their understanding of worldview differences among groups of people. (Rowell, & Benshoff, 2008, p. 10) That is why it is important that a counselor has and understands his or her own identity so that they can help others with identity issues. The ACA states, Counselors also explore their own cultural identities and how these affect their values and beliefs about the counseling process. (ACA 2005, Introduction, p. 4) Ethics is of major importance for all counselors and how they function in a diverse setting. Counselors need to understand how their clients cultural background is affecting the counseling relationship. A counselors function is also important when referring to diversity in counseling. The ACA 2005 states, Counselors actively attempt to understand the diverse cultural backgrounds of the clients they serve. (ACA 2005, Introduction, p. 4) How a counselor functions ethically is also based on his or her cultural background. That is why it is important for a counselor to have an understanding of his or her own personal cultural identity. Biblical Values The Bible deals with diversity as well. Throughout biblical times there were a vast number of other nations that God used to both help and hinder the progress of His chosen people. This is evident in Ezekiel which states, You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners residing among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 23 In whatever tribe a foreigner resides, there you are to give them their inheritance, declares the Sovereign Lord. (Ezekiel 47:22-23, NIV)

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God made provision for foreigners who had come alongside His people to be blessed and partake in the life and land He had given them. It is the Christian counselors responsibility to do the same for anyone with whom they come in contact professionally. That is a counselors effectiveness is affected by his or her ability to explore and understand the religious and spiritual needs and beliefs of their clients. (D'Andrea, & Sprenger, 2007) There are also other biblical versus that address the issue of diversity. God made many nations out of one man. This is seen in Acts which states, From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, We are his offspring. (Acts 17:26-27, NIV) In making all nations God created diversity. In creating a diversity God ensured that all men would be different, unique so that His relationship with mankind would be individualize; each man having his own personal relationship with God thus relating to one another individually. That is why in the counseling relationship it is imperative that the counselor gain an understanding of the counselee and his or her background because it can help the counselor gain insight into the counselee as a whole. Other scripture references can be found throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament that attest to Gods desire for diversity. According to Clinton (2002), The early church gathered men who represented different cultures and varied specialty skills to work for the common goal of evangelism. Clearly, its time to follow this example and make connection with other counselors whose specialties, ethnicity, and fresh ideas help serve those in need. You can find a Christian colleague who can help enhance your cultural and special-interest awareness. (p. 617). Counselors, like Jesus Christ need to be able to relate to all types of people. As a part of the counselors mission they should take the approach that Jesus took. This is expressed in Matthew,

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When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? On hearing this, Jesus said, It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. (Matthew 9:11-13, NIV) Jesus has laid the ground work for Christian counselors to follow. Christian counselors must take the command seriously and meet the needs of those who come seeking help regardless of their diverse backgrounds. The AACC 2004 gives the Christian counselor good guidelines, Christian counselors are bound to honor the ethics and rules of one's profession, church, or employing organization in every way possible. However, when these ethics and rules are in direct opposition to God, and if unable to harmonize the mandates of Scripture with these rules, we declare and support the right of Christian counselors to elect nonadherence to those ethics and rules that offend the way of Christ. (AACC 2004, ES-300, 5-310, p. 26) As a Christian counselor God and His Word are central to any and all counseling activities and decisions. Personal Reflection Reflecting on what has been learned throughout this course in general and doing the research for this paper I realize the enormous responsibility that is place on counselors as they take on clients in general. However there are even more pressures in dealing with clients who come from cultural, religious and or ethnic background that differ greatly from that of the counselor. As I approach my career and life calling in the counseling profession I realize the importance in becoming multicultural competent. That means it is my responsibility as a Christian counselor to gain an understanding of those who are of different religious backgrounds as well as those who do not believe any God. I must also learn about different cultures, races, sexual orientations and socioeconomic groups. I must be vigilant to make sure that I am not allowing my difference from my client to cloud my judgment and affect my ability to serve my clients best interest. According to

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the AACC 2004 section ES1-100, 1-102, Christian counselors avoid every manner of harm, exploitation, and unjust discrimination in all client-congregant relations. Christian counselors are also aware of their psychosocial and spiritual influence and the inherent power imbalance of helping relationships. (p. 6). Because of this I will seek to serve my clients with their best interest and well-being as the primary goal. Focusing on education or continuing education will be an important part of my journey as a counselor. It will allow me to keep up with new and innovative techniques that can be included in my counseling. That includes innovations in the area of diversity and multiculturalism. (Dickson, Jepsen, & Barbee, 2008) Because society is changing almost daily and the fact that the borders of the world are continually becoming non-existent it is likely that as I counsel I will be dealing with people who are very different from me. That means having an understanding of their worldview regardless of how it differs from my own worldview, will give me the ability to better understand the view point of the client. Competent counselors take time to understand the clients worldview and by doing so they make themselves aware of their positive and negative emotional reactions toward other racial and ethnic groups that may do harm to the helping relationship. (Corey, 2011) So for me it is important to work on my own issues to make sure that I am doing all that I can to serve my clients to the best of my ability.

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References American Association of Christian Counselors (2004). AACC Codes of Ethics. Retrieved September 2, 2011, from http://www.aacc.net/about-us/code-of-ethics/ American Counseling Association (2005). ACA Code of Ethics. Retrieved September 2, 2011, from http://www.counseling.org/Resources/CodeOfEthics/TP/Home/CT2.aspx Basso, R., Pelech, W., & Wickham, E. (2010). Diversity in group work: Interdisciplinary perspectives. International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, 5(4), 135-144. Chao, M., Okazaki, S., & Hong, Y. (2011). The quest for multicultural competence: Challenges and lessons learned from clinical and organizational research. Social & Personality Psychology Compass, 5(5), 263-274. doi:10.1111/j.1751-9004.2011.00350. Clinton, T., & Ohlschlager, G. (2002). Competent christian counseling, volume one, foundations and practice of compassionate soul care. New York: Waterbrook Prress Corey , G., Corey, M. S., & Callanan, P. (2011). Issues and ethics in the helping professions. (8ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. D'Andrea, L. M., & Sprenger, J. (2007). Atheism and nonspirituality as diversity issues in counseling. Counseling & Values, 51(2), 149-158. Dickson, G. L., Jepsen, D. A., & Barbee, P. W. (2008). Exploring the relationships among multicultural training experiences and attitudes toward diversity among counseling students. Journal of Multicultural Counseling & Development, 36(2), 113-126. Diversity. In Merriam-Webster Retrieved from http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/diversity Duffey, T., & Somody, C. (2011). The role of relational-cultural theory in mental health counseling. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 33(3), 223-242. Hansen, J. T. (2010). Counseling and psychoanalysis: Advancing the value of diversity. Journal of Multicultural Counseling & Development, 38(1), 16-26. Hansen, J. T. (2010). Consequences of the postmodernist vision: Diversity as the guiding value

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for the counseling profession. Journal of Counseling & Development, 88(1), 101-107. Lago, C. (2011). Diversity, oppression, and society: Implications for person-centered therapists. Person-Centered & Experiential Psychotherapies, 10(4), 235-247. doi:10.1080/14779757.2011.626621 Lago, C. (2010). On developing our empathic capacities to work inter-culturally and interethnically: attempting a map for personal and professional development. Psychotherapy & Politics International, 8(1), 73-85. doi:10.1002/ppi.213 Rowell, P., & Benshoff, J. M. (2008). Using personal growth groups in multicultural counseling courses to foster students' ethnic identity development. Counselor Education & Supervision, 48(1), 2-15. Ruth Chu-Lien, C., & Nath, S. R. (2011). The role of ethnic identity, gender roles, and multicultural training in college counselors' multicultural counseling competence: A mediation model. Journal of College Counseling, 14(1), 50-64.