Week 2 readings: Chapter 10: cultural intelligence Learning Objectives: Define cultural intelligence. Understand the Canadian Multicultural mosaic including the diversity of its citizen and challenges faced by immigrants, including the impact of oppression and racism. Describe the key elements of cultural understanding. Explain the key element of multicultural counselling. Demonstrate knowledge of skills and attitudes necessary for working with indigenous people. Describe the importance of spirituality in counselling. Cultural Intelligence: the ability to adapt and integrate skill, knowledge, and attitudes consistent with the culture of clients. Having cultural knowledge is to have information about the client’s cultural roots, values, perceived problems, and preferred interventions, as well as any significant within group diversity, including differing levels of socioeconomic status, acculturation, and racial-identity, commitment (Arthur and Stewart, 2001). Competent counsellors don’t just accept diversity, they welcome and value it. Ideally clients can receive service from agencies and workers from their own communities -in their own language (not always possible as mainstream agencies are structures for the dominant culture). Profile of a culturally Intelligent Canadian Counsellor skills: Adapts counselling skills and procedures to be consistent with the needs, values, and healing practices of different groups. Utilizes resources, people, and counselling supports from the client’s own community. Integrates culturally appropriate spirituality into counselling practice Works from an anti-oppressive, strengths- based philosophy Prevents stereotyping by learning about the individuality of each client. Knowledge: Explores the cultural values, beliefs, customs, and worldviews of clients. Understands the dynamics of power and privilege enjoyed by dominant culture. Recognizes that minority groups are often the targets of oppression. Aware of the oppression that indigenous people, minority groups and immigrants have faced while valuing their inherent strength and resilience (i.e. residential schools). Appreciates the sacrifices immigrants and refugees have made in their journey to Canada to escape personal, religious, or political oppression. Values/Self-Awareness Alert to monitor how one’s own culture, values, and beliefs might lead to bias and difficulty in making empathic connections with others who are different. Honours diversity as a powerful force for unity. Values the importance of French Language and culture to Canadian identity. Behaviour Makes multicultural competence a priority for personal and professional development. Open to hearing the individuals’ stories of culturally different clients. Develops friendships and involvement with individuals and groups from diverse communities. Advocates on behalf of minority group clients. Although literature, courses, and family can be great sources of information for counsellors in gaining cultural sensitivity and understanding – experiential learning is still vital i.e. travel, first hand exposure, volunteering… Understanding multifaith calendars to learn about the different religious holidays and festivals. Cultivating multicultural friendships and cross-cultural experiential learning exposes counsellors to the reality that there are many different ways to view and solve a problem. Canadian History Canada has a. higher proportion of immigrants than any other G7 country. 1971 - Canada adopted an official policy of multiculturalism. Over 20 percent of Canada’s population are immigrants. Multifaith nation. Canada commitment to diversity is seen in its broad range of federal and provincial legislation. Until 1968 – Immigrants to Canada were largely of Euro descent – the immigration Act of 1968 replaced criteria that was viewed as racist. Cultural neuroscience – emergent field that studies how different brain activity among cultural groups exist for example their perception of pain. Counselling caseloads in Canada are characterized by diversity in terms of culture, age, race, gender, and sexual orientation. It is with certainty counsellors in Canada will work with different cultural backgrounds. It is important to understand the circumstances in which immigrants come to Canada – it ranges I.e., skilled workers and entrepreneurs to refugees seeking safety. Comparison to the US – where it is coined the “melting pot” – an expectation to assimilate whereas in Canada – preservation of ethnic culture is encouraged. Problems faced by Immigrants and Refugees: Language Employment Poverty Discrimination Culture shock Parent-child relationship friction Male-female role adjustment issues Seniors Counsellors who do not have their own experiences must be willing to learn – a trauma informed approach with empathic interest. Westwood and Ishiyama (1991) offer this caution counsellors working with immigrants: Client resistance and distrust in the counselling process may be set in motion by cross cultural insensitivities, such as the counsellor's disregarding the client's age and social status and calling him or her by the first name, using excessive informality and friendliness, probing into private feelings, demanding high levels of self-disclosure and expressiveness, and advice giving. (p. 137) They suggest that in counselling sessions with culturally different clients, "suspicion, apprehension, verbal constriction, unnatural reactions, open resentment and hostility, and passive or cool behavior may all be expressed" (p. 93). They conclude that culturally effective counselling requires professionals to understand these behaviors nonjudgmentally, to avoid personalizing them, and to resolve questions about their credibility. Counsellor should acknowledge diversity differences early in the relationship. The onus is on counsellors to adjust their style to meet the needs and expectations of the clients they serve. Worldview – is the looking glass which clients see the world – a fundamental core set of assumptions explaining cultural forces, the nature of humankind, the nature of good and evil, the role of time etc… Culture is not an adjunct to counselling. It is not "something to be gotten over or gotten around in order to get on with the real business" (Ruskin & Beiser, 1998, p. 438). Instead, it provides the essential context for understanding and responding to clients. "Whenever we find ourselves beginning to draw negative conclusions from what the other has said or done, we must take the time to step back and ask whether those words and acts might be open to different interpretations, whether that other person's actions may have a different meaning from within his cultural conventions." (Ross, 1995, p. 5) Working with Indigenous People Given the wide diversity among Indigenous peoples, i t is impossible to offer precise counselling guidelines that apply to everyone in the group. McDonald (1993) offers a number of general pointers for working with Indigenous people, but these must be used with great respect for individual differences: In contrast to mainstream Canadians, whose responses are quick, Indigenous people may pause before offering a response. Indigenous people tend not to engage in "small talk." As a result, they may be misjudged as "shy, reticent, or uncooperative by an interviewer when, in fact, the behaviour may actually indicate they feel that there is nothing worthwhile to say, so there is no reason to comment" (p. 19). Indigenous people may appear stoic or unconcerned because of a belief that it is improper to share personal feelings or information with a stranger. Expect short and direct answers to questions. As well, there may be a cultural ten� dency not to "volunteer" information. Lack of eye contact from Indigenous people may mean respect for the person. - - - - - - - - Don’t be afraid to ask your client questions – i.e., what are your views and feelings about counselling? What do you value in life? Who has power in your family? What is the importance of spirituality or religion to you? Counsellors need to be self-aware and to have self-discipline in keeping their personal views and values from becoming a burden to their clients. If counsellors cannot work with reasonable objectivity, referral may be necessary.. European and North American notions of healthy adaptation include a focus on "self-reliance, autonomy, self-actualization, self-assertion, insight, and resistance to stress" (Diller, 1999, p. 61). In contrast, Asians have different value priorities that include "interdependence, inner enlightenment, negation of self, transcendence of conflict, and passive acceptance of reality" (Diller, 1999, p. 61). Thus, individualism and personal assertion may not be as important for Asians as they tend to be for the dominant cultures of Canada. Important to consider if clients are part of an individualism culture or collectivism. An important consideration is the client's beliefs regarding emotional expression and dis� closure of personal information. The Western approach to counselling "involves heavy dependence on verbal expressiveness, emotional disclosure, and examination of behaviour patterns" (Hackney & Cormier, 2005, p. 1 25). This may be in stark contrast to other cultures, notably Asian and Hispanic, where emotional control is favoured. Also, what is acceptable in one culture may be offensive in another. For example, what is considered assertive behaviour in North America might be seen as arrogance in other parts of the world, and what North Americans interpret as shyness might be defined as respectful behaviour elsewhere. Versatile counsellors can shift away from introspective approaches that emphasize insight and exploration of feelings when this shift meets the needs of culturally different clients. For example, action-based strategies that focus on developing skills or accessing resources are sometimes more culturally appropriate Clients may also differ sharply in their nonverbal communication style, including how comfortable they are with eye contact, their need for physical space and distance, their comfort with touch, their concept of time, and the way they use silence. Counsellors need to listen carefully to the vocabulary and idioms that their clients use to express ideas and feelings, while keeping in mind that those minority clients who are not fluent in the counsellor's language will have trouble expressing their thoughts. The more that counsellors can match their clients' style, the greater their rapport with them will be. it is important that roles and procedures be defined clearly, a step that is, of course, important for all counselling relationships regardless of experience with the process. "many traditional counselling approaches are not effective (and in some cases are even harmful) when used among culturally and racially diverse client populations" (D'Andrea, 1996, p. 56). "overlooking client strengths, misreading nonverbal communication, and misunderstanding family dynamics are among the most common errors made in cross-cultural helping. Behaviours motivated by religion and spirituality, family obligation, and sex roles are often misunderstood" (p. 1 7 7). Important questions: 1. To what extent does the client hold cultural values and traditions consistent with his or her own culture of origin? 2. What cultural values and traditions are unique to this individual (Le., differing from those of their culture of origin)? Frequently, cultural identity is meshed with religious identity. To understand cuI, ture, counsellors must understand religion and spirituality - - - - - - - - - - To achieve this, counsellors need to develop self-aware ness of their own cultural worldview, including their values, assumptions, biases, and assumptions about others. They need to remember that everyone is somewhat culture-bound and that counsellors' heritage and socialization limits their capacity to be fully objective about the worldviews of others. 10.4 Guidelines for Multicultural Work Openly acknowledge and discuss differences in race, gender, sexual orientation, and so forth. Avoid stereotyping by expecting individual differences. Encourage clients to teach you about their values, beliefs, and customs. Physical appearance does not necessarily mean that a person speaks the language or adheres to the values or customs of the culture he or she appears to represent. Increase multicultural self-awareness through personal study, professional' development, and personal involvement (e.g., cultivate multicultural friendships and attend multicultural events). Understand and appreciate how your culture, attitude, beliefs, customs, experience, and religion influence what you say and do in counselling, Seek to understand how historical events, such as residential schools and the internment of Japanese Canadians during World War II, influence current beliefs and behaviour. Explore how problems like poverty, unemployment, agency policies and procedures, and systemic prejudice affect your client. Whenever possible, advocate for appropriate systemic change. For example, examine how agency structure, policy, staffing, and even architecture serve dominant groups while excluding minorities. Remain nondefensively when dealing with clients who have experienced discrimination. Expect that they may be distrustful, sometimes hostile, toward professionals who represent what they perceive as the oppressive power of the dominant group. Stay alert to how language, including nonverbal variables, has different meanings for different people, Adapt counselling strategies and goals to meet the needs of individual clients instead of expecting clients to fit into your style and expectations. Consider cultural context when working with all clients, especially ethnic minority clients. Pay particular attention to family, community, or tribal expectations and roles, (Who makes important decisions? Who should be invited to counselling meetings?) Seek and use natural helping networks and traditional healing practices, including family and community resources. Remember that spiritual and religious values are important components of multicultural understanding. Spiritual leaders from the client's community may in some cases be used in the counselling process. Basic needs (food, shelter, and employment) may need to be discussed first. When dealing with clients for whom English is a second or subsequent language, speak more slowly (not more loudly). Sometimes single words or phrases are easier for them to understand than complete sentences. If you are using a translator, look at your client, not the translator. When using translators, avoid using family and friends of the client. The client's permission to use a translator should be secured. Ideally, the counsellor should be fully fluent in both languages and familiar with the client's cultural background. In Canada, the Constitution defines three groups of Aboriginal people-Indigeneous, Metis, and Inuit-each of which has a unique culture, language, custom, religious practices, and so forth. Metis have mixed First Nation and European ancestry. -
