CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS MAIN THEME CONNECTEDNESS One being instead

CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS

MAIN THEME CONNECTEDNESS • “One being” instead of physical, mental, and spiritual fragments. • “I am because we are, and we are because I am. ” – Unknown • Survival is a collective effort, not an individual one. • Sense of family and relationships are important. (Parham, 1992)

CONTROL VERSUS HARMONY • Control is not a primary need • Emotions are expressed instead of controlled. • Living in harmony with self and environment is a need. • Not just one person, but the entire social context must be taken into consideration. • (Parham, 1992)

BECAUSE LIVING IN HARMONY AND CONNECTEDNESS IS A KEY COMPONENT TO AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE… RELATIONSHIP IS KEY! • Clients may “test” counselors to see if they can be trusted, and if they care. • Developing trust is crucial to the counseling relationship. • Be an advocate, use intuition, share thoughts, invite client to come back. (Parham, 1992)

“DIFFERENT IS NOT DEFICIENT” • Language • African American language is often verbal instead of written; informal instead of formal. • Used to form a relationship instead of just transmitting information. • Clinical Symptoms • Denial that a problem is really a problem. • Laugh instead of cry/ more energy instead of less ( ex. depressive symptoms) (Parham, 1992)

OTHER ISSUES TO BE AWARE OF… • Lack of independent resources may limit sessions (Sanchez-Hucles, 2001). • Differential expectations between counselor and client can be a barrier in forming counseling relationship. (Parham, 1992) • Fear!!! • Stereotyped, over medicated, institutionalized, or receiving lower quality of care (Sanchez-Hucles, 2001). • History of racism and/or oppression.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING • Psychology originated in Egypt as the study of the whole person. • Euro-psychology adapted the science • Breakdown of different processes/ drives • Mental, physical, emotional, spiritual as independent factors • Efforts to oppress African Americans • Brain size presumed smaller equaled lower cognitive functioning. • Different meant deficient. (Parham, 1992)

A NOTE ON THEORIES • Many theories in counseling are developed by fragmenting the person. • • Behavioral context Biological drives Emotional regulation Mental/ Cognitive processing • African Americans see themselves as “one being” therefore using just one component/ one theory does not create wellbeing. (Parham, 1992)

BEHAVIOR THEORIES • Focus on solving issue • Take an active stance • Practical and can be practiced • (Murdock, 2013)

BEHAVIOR THERAPY IN REALITY • Therapeutic rapport must be established FIRST. • Remember, relationship over structure! • Interventions must be relevant not only to client but to social environment and culture. • Counselor must ask questions and elicit help from a client’s social “world” • Understanding how the client functions in an environment will help determine whethere is dysfunction or just cultural differences. • Gain understanding of client’s RCID. • Teaching appropriate emotional expression; not suppression. (Murdock, 2013)

BRIEF INTERVENTIONS AND SOLUTIONFOCUSED THEORY • Uses past successes and strengths to deal with current issues. • Takes into account client’s social environment • Active (Murdock, 2013) • Client able to see change in short time frame • Maximum impact in limited time frames (Sanchez-Hucles, 2001).

COUNSELORS USING BRIEF THERAPIES • Must be able to build rapport quickly • Teach and convey how tools can be used in a variety of situations. (Murdock, 2013) • Must take an active role as an advocate, social worker, and counselor. (Parham, 1992)

IN ADDITION! IN ORDER TO CREATE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR THE CLIENT • Counselors must be familiar with their own RCID. • Be careful not to generalize or stereotype • Be willing to discuss racism and racial implications openly with client • Be inquisitive, keep dialogue, be willing to have the client correct any misperceptions. • Counselors should seek supervision themselves to make sure that they are not doing anything that could danger the client. • (Sue, 1990)

REFERENCES • • Murdock, N. (2012). Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: A case approach (3 nded. ). Pearson. Parham, T (1992) Issues In Counseling African-American Clients (Hanover, MA: Microtraining Associates, 1992) Sanchez-Hucles, J. (2001)Staying The Course: Psychotherapy In The African-American Community Quest June 2001 • Volume 4 Issue 2 http: //ww 2. odu. edu/ao/instadv/quest/Staying. The. Course. html Sue, D (1990). Counseling the culturally different: Theory and practice (2 nd ed. ) Oxford, England: John Wiley & Sons. xii 324 pp.