Minority populations are increasing in numbers all over America. Resulting in a demographic cultural shift in America. Currently there are five states that are now minority-majority. Those states are Hawaii, Washington D.C. Texas, California, and New Mexico (Picchi, 2015). I reside in the state of California. The minority-majority population in California is 61.5% (Picchi, 2015). As a future counselor, the minority demographic changes are important to be aware of. The Latino/Hispanic population in California is 14.99 million as of July 01,2014 (LA Times, 2015).
Cultural Competence in Counseling
There is a consensus in the Mental Health field that counselor need to be culturally competent to be effective with minority clients (APA,2017). …show more content…
Racism within the Latin/Hispanic culture stems from Spanish colonialism in Latin America (Sue & Sue, 2016). Additionally, the Hispanic/Latino culture is grounded in a strong family oriented culture. As a counselor, I need to be mindful of the whole family system. I should also be aware of any language barriers, that may exist. It is not assumed that I would seek out a counselor who speaks Spanish. I would ask my client if they are comfortable with an …show more content…
Also discussed is how I would integrate cultural competence with my clients. There was a thought provoking question on last week’s exam, that is still resonating with me. The question prompted me to give thought to my own biases and stereotypes in depth. The question asks how as a minority counselor would I not project my own biases, stereotypes, and prejudices if any, against a White client. I had to stop and give much thought to that question.
I had not considered how preconceived views of the Caucasian culture would impact counseling a White client. That question brought me to think about the same views in terms of counseling a Hispanic/Latino client. As I worked on this paper I thought about any biases or stereotypes towards the Hispanic/Latino culture that would subconsciously prevent me from being the most effective culturally competent counselor. I do not believe I would have a problem counseling Latino/Hispanic clients. This thought stems from the fact that for years I have cultivated close friendships with five Hispanic/Latino friends, male and female. Thus, I have a high level of comfort and respect for my
Cultural Competence in Counseling
There is a consensus in the Mental Health field that counselor need to be culturally competent to be effective with minority clients (APA,2017). …show more content…
Racism within the Latin/Hispanic culture stems from Spanish colonialism in Latin America (Sue & Sue, 2016). Additionally, the Hispanic/Latino culture is grounded in a strong family oriented culture. As a counselor, I need to be mindful of the whole family system. I should also be aware of any language barriers, that may exist. It is not assumed that I would seek out a counselor who speaks Spanish. I would ask my client if they are comfortable with an …show more content…
Also discussed is how I would integrate cultural competence with my clients. There was a thought provoking question on last week’s exam, that is still resonating with me. The question prompted me to give thought to my own biases and stereotypes in depth. The question asks how as a minority counselor would I not project my own biases, stereotypes, and prejudices if any, against a White client. I had to stop and give much thought to that question.
I had not considered how preconceived views of the Caucasian culture would impact counseling a White client. That question brought me to think about the same views in terms of counseling a Hispanic/Latino client. As I worked on this paper I thought about any biases or stereotypes towards the Hispanic/Latino culture that would subconsciously prevent me from being the most effective culturally competent counselor. I do not believe I would have a problem counseling Latino/Hispanic clients. This thought stems from the fact that for years I have cultivated close friendships with five Hispanic/Latino friends, male and female. Thus, I have a high level of comfort and respect for my