Multicultural Counseling

Multicultural Counseling

What is Multicultural Counseling?

Multicultural counseling characterizes the counseling psychology practice that offers effective interventions to culturally diverse clients. Race, ethnicity, and cultural background may influence a client’s identity and life circumstances. Other factors, such as gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, religion, and ability may also play into the context of a given client’s mental health, and relational or personal issues.

A culturally competent counseling psychologist considers all aspects of a client’s worldview when selecting treatment approaches in mental health services. The counselor also remains aware of his or her own personal biases, beliefs, and attitudes while providing cross cultural counseling services.

Multicultural Counseling Techniques 

A licensed clinical  professional counselor or mental health counselor may consider using the following multicultural therapy techniques when working with culturally diverse patients:

• Therapeutic approach. Counselors should attempt to be knowledgeable about their client’s attitudes and beliefs about the counseling process in order to select appropriate interventions. A multicultural counselor should also be mindful of cultural stigma regarding mental illness when describing conditions and recommending therapies. Counselors must also try to recognize the potential limitations of evidence-based therapies in effectively addressing the needs of clients from various diverse cultures. 
• Communication. Counselors should try to be cognizant of societal figures of speech and phrases that trigger ethnic minorities. Cultural contexts as well as Culture-specific verbal and nonverbal aspects (i.e. gestures, body language, personal space, etc.) of communication should be considered during client interaction.
• Values. Counselors and their patients both may benefit by incorporating culturally diverse clients’ values and beliefs into the counseling process. Cultural belief systems like spirituality and family-centric issues may in themselves serve as therapeutic vehicles to promote healing.
• Self-awareness. Counselors should attempt to be sensitive to their own inherent racial or cultural identity and privilege, ethnocentrism, prejudice, and stereotypes when interacting with diverse populations. The counselor should be constantly aware of how their own attitudes, racial identity and beliefs impact their perception of the client, the client’s presenting problem, and the counseling relationship of rapport.
• Flexibility. Counselors should be willing to acknowledge the limitations of their own cultural competency and expertise when dealing with culturally diverse clients. In some cases, they may be advised to seek cultural-specific guidance when working with a client or refer the client to a mental health professional with more cultural competence.