The Importance Of Cross-Cultural Counseling

Cross-cultural counseling has become a major force in the profession, significantly impacting theory and practice. As the 21st century continues to progress, it is increasingly evident that counselors must become ever more competent with respect to issues of multiculturalism and diversity. As our society continues to diversify, many client or training counselors seeking to develop a cultural identity based up these multiple dimensions are often faced with difficulties in this process. Innumerable immigrants to the US often confront challenges with the process of adapting to the cultural traits or social patterns of another group. Counselors who claim to be culturally competent must group his or her practice with a solid understanding of the …show more content…
An example for instance, most Mexican American men believe that a guy who works hard deserves to have a beer as a reward for a hard day 's work. Many people in Mexican American community do not consider low-level daily drinking a problem, especially if drinking is primarily at home. If a client from this culture comes into counseling and the treating practitioner identified alcohol abuse as one of several health problems and referred him to a substance abuse treatment center. And he argued that he was not a drunkard and did not need treatment, and dropped out of treatment. Stating that he was proud of his capacity to “hold his liquor” and felt anger and hostility toward those who encouraged him to reduce his drinking. His feelings and attitudes were valid; they stemmed from and were influenced by the Mexican American culture and community in which he had been raised from infancy. He is a product of his environment an environment that has provided him with a rich cultural and spiritual background, a strong male identity, a deep attachment to family and community, a strong work ethic, and a sense of pride in being able to support his family (Sobralske 2006). A cultural competent counselor in responding to the needs and issues of their clients can greatly assist client recovery. Gaining regard, respect, and trust of clients is crucial for successful counseling outcomes (Ackerman and Hilsenroth 2003; Sue and Sue 2003a).Another example, a counselor’ lack of cultural awareness could affect the quality and outcomes of counseling interventions. If a counselor is seeing a client who cultural beliefs and the norms in arranged marriages, and the counselor is urging the client to walk away from her family and cultural practices. This could pose significant threat to the life the client. He or she could be thrown out of their community or cut