Reflective Paper
My experiences both positive and negative in nature have led to the beliefs and attitudes that I hold regarding culturally competent counseling. Because awareness is the central attribute of the culturally competent counselor, I myself must strive to increase my awareness through evaluating my assumptions, biases, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors in a manner that will allow me to grow and change adaptively in a professional climate. Gaining deeper personal insight through self-reflection and challenging my ways of thinking is not optional when it comes to being an effective, culturally competent counselor. It is instead a requirement and something I undoubtedly underestimated when entering this course and considering the counseling …show more content…
I was confident in many way that at the very least, I was ahead of the game. This course, however, has been a real reality check that I do not and have not done enough self-reflection, growing, and challenging of myself when it comes to the interplay between sociocultural factors and counseling, intersectionality, and how my attitudes and beliefs are shaped, as well as, carried out in my daily life. When I first read the comment section pertaining to point reduction for lack of evidence of self-reflection I was a bit taken back and even, admittedly, offended. My self-concept knew otherwise. In my mind I have depth! However, after taking time to listen to my recording and reflect upon it, it has become absolutely apparent to me that I did not and still have not in many ways really and truly “went there” with myself. It’s relatively easy for me to look outward and criticize and critique all that I perceive to be unjust and discriminatory in the world related to sociocultural issues. When it comes to turning the tables and examining myself with that same critical eye, on the other hand, I have fallen short. This alone is the beginning of awareness that I have not previously
My experiences both positive and negative in nature have led to the beliefs and attitudes that I hold regarding culturally competent counseling. Because awareness is the central attribute of the culturally competent counselor, I myself must strive to increase my awareness through evaluating my assumptions, biases, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors in a manner that will allow me to grow and change adaptively in a professional climate. Gaining deeper personal insight through self-reflection and challenging my ways of thinking is not optional when it comes to being an effective, culturally competent counselor. It is instead a requirement and something I undoubtedly underestimated when entering this course and considering the counseling …show more content…
I was confident in many way that at the very least, I was ahead of the game. This course, however, has been a real reality check that I do not and have not done enough self-reflection, growing, and challenging of myself when it comes to the interplay between sociocultural factors and counseling, intersectionality, and how my attitudes and beliefs are shaped, as well as, carried out in my daily life. When I first read the comment section pertaining to point reduction for lack of evidence of self-reflection I was a bit taken back and even, admittedly, offended. My self-concept knew otherwise. In my mind I have depth! However, after taking time to listen to my recording and reflect upon it, it has become absolutely apparent to me that I did not and still have not in many ways really and truly “went there” with myself. It’s relatively easy for me to look outward and criticize and critique all that I perceive to be unjust and discriminatory in the world related to sociocultural issues. When it comes to turning the tables and examining myself with that same critical eye, on the other hand, I have fallen short. This alone is the beginning of awareness that I have not previously