Intentional Interviewing and
Counseling:
Facilitating Client Development in a
Multicultural Society
7th Edition
Allen E. Ivey
University of Massachusetts
Mary Bradford Ivey
Microtraining Associates
Carlos P. Zalaquett
University of South Florida
Copyright © 2009
Chapter 2
Ethics,
Multicultural
Competence,
and Wellness
I am (and you also)
Derived from family
Embedded in a community
Not isolated from prevailing values
Though having unique experiences
In certain roles and statuses
Taught, socialized, gendered, and sanctioned
Yet with freedom to change myself and society.
Ruth Jacobs
Chapter goals
Effective interviews build on:
▲Professional ethics
▲Multicultural sensitivity
▲Positive wellness approach
▲Designed to provide specifics for action in the
interview
Competency objectives
▲Understand ethical principles in interviewing,
counseling, and psychotherapy.
▲ Apply these ethical principles in developing your own
informed consent form.
▲ Appreciate the importance of multicultural
competence and develop awareness of multiple
cultural identities in your clients.
Competency objectives
▲Examine your own multiple cultural identities.
▲ Define wellness and positive psychology, and apply
these concepts in an assessment interview.
▲ Distinguish between self and self-in-relation and the
importance of placing the client in
cultural/environmental context.
The Case of Kendra (age 25)
I’m really upset. I’ve got a child at home with my mother
and I’m trying to work my way through community
college, and my boss at the nursing home has been
hitting on me. I want to leave, but I can’t afford to stay in
school without this job.
The Case of Kendra
▲ We need to work with Kendra with a sense of ethical
practice, an awareness of her multicultural background,
and an emphasis on her positive strengths.
▲ Each client we encounter is one of a kind. Kendra’s
uniqueness stems from her biological background and
the way she has lived her life in connection to others,
including her family, community, and culture.
▲ Our task is to facilitate her growth within this broad
context and, perhaps even to encourage her to work on
social justice issues in her community, if she wishes.
The Case of Kendra
▲ Reflection Questions
 What are some possible personal wellness strengths
you imagine that Kendra might already possess that
would help lead to problem resolution?
 How might you ethically address Kendra’s social
context and cultural background?
 What are some family and community resources that
Kendra might draw on for help?
ETHICS IN THE HELPING PROCESS
▲ It is essential that you read and understand the ethical code of
your profession. If you practice ethically, you can predict how
clients may respond.
Ethics: Observe and practice
ethically and follow
professional standards.
Particularly important issues
for beginning interviewers
are competence, informed
consent, confidentiality,
power, and social justice.
Predicted Result: Client trust
and understanding of the
interviewing process will
increase. The client will feel
empowered in a more
egalitarian session. When
you work toward social
justice, you contribute to
problem prevention in
addition to healing work in
the interview.
Ethics in the Helping Process
▲ Major helping professions outline code guides for ethical
practice.
▲ Codes empower professionals and trainees to:
 Keep good practice
 Protect clients
 Safeguard their autonomy
 Enhance the profession
Ethics in the Helping Process
“Keep the best interest of your client in mind, do no
harm to your clients, treat them responsibly with full
awareness of the social context of helping.”
▲ We are responsible for the client before us and for
society as well.
▲ At times these responsibilities conflict and you will need
to seek guidance and consultation from your supervisor,
professional colleagues, and written ethical codes.
Professional Ethical Codes With Web
Sites
▲ American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) http://www.aamft.org
▲ American Counseling Association (ACA) - http://www.counseling.org
▲ American Psychological Association (APA) - http://www.apa.org
▲ American School Counselor Association (ASCA) - http://www.schoolcounselor.org
▲ Australian Psychological Society (APS) - http://www.psychology.org.au
▲ British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy - http://www.bacp.co.uk
▲ Canadian Counselling Association (CCA) - http://www.ccacc.ca
▲ National Association of Social Workers (NASW) - http://www.naswdc.org
▲ National Career. Development Association (NCDA)- http://www.ncda.org
▲ New Zealand Association of Counsellors Inc. (NZAC) - http://www.nzac.org.nz
Ethics in the Helping Process
▲Competence
▲Informed Consent
▲Confidentiality
▲Technology
▲Power
▲Social Justice and Advocacy
Competence
Definition
"… the habitual and judicious use of
communication, knowledge, technical skills,
clinical reasoning, emotions, values, and
reflections in daily practice for the benefit of
the individual and community being served."
Competence
▲ Example: The American Counseling Association’s ethics
statement (2005)
 Note the emphasis on continuing to learn and expand
one’s qualifications over time.
▲ C.2.a. Boundaries of Competence. Counselors practice
only within the boundaries of their competence, based
on their education, training, supervised experience, state
and national professional credentials, and appropriate
professional experience. Counselors will demonstrate a
commitment to gain knowledge, personal awareness,
sensitivity, and skills pertinent to working with a diverse
client population.
Competence
▲ Practice within the boundaries of your own competence.
▲ Boundaries include education, training, supervised
experience, recognized professional credentials, and
professional experience.
▲ Recognize your limitations and seek supervision as
required.
▲ Refer clients if necessary.
Informed Consent
an important element in counseling
▲ Informs client the goals, procedures, benefits, and risks
of the counseling process and the client agrees to what
has been outlined.
▲ Learners working in role-plays/practice sessions need to
inform volunteer “clients” of their rights, your
competence, and what is likely to happen.
Informed Consent
an important element in counseling
▲ For example, you might say,
 Kendra, I’m taking an interviewing course and I appreciate
your being willing to help me out. Obviously, I’m beginning
this type of work, so only talk about things that you want to
talk about. I’ll audiotape the interview, but if you want me
to turn it off, I’ll do so immediately and erase it as soon as
possible. I’ll type out a transcript of this session and share
it with you before passing it in to the instructor. I’ll take out
anything that might identify you personally. Remember, we
will stop anytime you wish. Do you have any questions?
Informed Consent Form
▲ Box 2-2 presents a
Sample Practice Contract
you can use or adapt for
use for the purposes of
your own practice
exercises.
▲ Use the sample as an
ethical starting point and
eventually develop your
own approach to this
critical issue.
Informed Consent
▲ The American Psychological Association (2002) stresses
that psychologists should inform clients if the interview is
to be supervised and provides additional specifics:
 Standard 10.01 . . . When the therapist is a trainee
and the legal responsibility for the treatment provided
resides with the supervisor, the client/patient, as part
of the informed consent procedure, is informed that
the therapist is in training and is being supervised and
is given the name of the supervisor.
 Standard 4.03 Recording. Before recording the voices
or images of individuals to whom they provide
services, psychologists obtain permission from all
such persons or their legal representatives.
Informed Consent
▲ Counseling is an international profession. The Canadian
Counselling Association (1999) approach to informed
consent is particularly clear.
 B4. Client Rights and Informed Consent. When counselling is
initiated, and throughout the counselling process as necessary,
counsellors inform clients of the purposes, goals, techniques,
procedures, limitations, potential risks and benefits of services to
be performed, and other such pertinent information. Counsellors
make sure that clients understand the implications of diagnosis,
fees and fee collection arrangements, record keeping, and limits
to confidentiality. Clients have the right to participate in the
ongoing counseling plans, to refuse any recommended services,
and to be advised of the consequences of such refusal.
Informed Consent
▲ Clients have the right to participate in ongoing
counseling plans.
▲ Keep clients informed of pertinent elements, as
necessary, before, during, and after sessions (including,
but not limited to):







Goals
Procedures and techniques
Risks and benefits
Confidentiality
Boundaries of competence
Limitations
Fee collection and record keeping
Confidentiality
▲ Your academic faculty expects you to honor the
confidential nature of your client's communication.
 What you hear in class role-plays or what is said to
you in a practice session needs to be kept to yourself.
 Trust is built on your ability to keep confidences.
 Be aware that each state has varying laws on
confidentiality.
Confidentiality
▲ The American Counseling Association’s Ethical Code
(2005) states:
 Section B: Introduction. Counselors recognize that
trust is the cornerstone of the counseling relationship.
Counselors aspire to earn the trust of clients by
creating an ongoing partnership, establishing and
upholding appropriate boundaries, and maintaining
confidentiality. Counselors communicate the
parameters of confidentiality in a culturally competent
manner.
Confidentiality
▲ State law sometimes requires you to inform parents
before even counseling a child and states that
information from the interview must be shared with the
parents. If issues of abuse should appear, you must
report this to the authorities. If the client is dangerous to
self or others, then rules of confidentiality change.
▲ You will want to study this important professional and
legal issue in much more detail.
Confidentiality
▲Trust is built on your ability to keep confidences.
▲Recognize and maintain compliance with state
codes regarding confidentiality.
▲Communicate the parameters of confidentiality
in a culturally competent manner.
Technology
▲ The use of technologies such as the Internet, WWW,
telephone, and text-messaging in counseling and
psychotherapy has led professional organizations to
address its use in their code of ethics.
▲ For example, the ACA Code of Ethics states that
practitioners should inform clients of the benefits,
limitations, and potential risks of using these
communication devices (p. 6).
▲ From the moment informed consent is obtained, clients
need to be made aware of the difficulties of maintaining
confidentiality of information transmitted electronically.
Technology
▲ Internet Addiction, characterized by excessive, compulsive, and outof-control manner use of the web, has become an important
counseling issue
▲ This phenomena, which includes excessive gaming, sexual
preoccupations, e-mail, and text messaging has been termed
addiction because of its apparent similarity to common addictions
such as smoking, drinking, and gambling.
▲ Different counseling strategies have been suggested for the
assessment and treatment of this problem.
 Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for Internet addiction helps clients
manage their problems by the eighth session and at 6-month follow-up.
 Reality Therapy group counseling effectively reduced Internet addiction
levels in university students.
Power
▲ The very act of helping has power implications. The client or helper
starts in a position of lesser power than the counselor.
▲ You may find yourself in a situation in which institutional or cultural
oppression becomes part of the counseling relationship. Awareness
of and openness about these issues is one way to work toward a
balance of power in helping sessions.
 For example, if you are a male counseling a woman, it can be helpful to
bring up the gender difference. “How does it feel, being a woman, to talk
about this issue to a man?”
▲ If your client or you are uncomfortable, it is wise to discuss this issue
further.
▲ Referral may be necessary at times.
Power
▲ Power differentials occur where privilege may go with
skin color, gender, sexual orientation, or other
multicultural dimensions.
▲ Dual relationships may increase conflict of interest, risk
of harm, or client exploitation.
▲ Maintain awareness and open discussion; work toward a
balance of power in helping sessions.
Power
▲ The National Organization for Human Service Education (2000)
states:
 Statement 6. Human service professionals are aware that in their
relationships with clients power and status are unequal. Therefore, they
recognize that dual or multiple relationships may increase the risk of
harm to, or exploitation of clients, and may impair professional
judgment. . . .
▲ Dual relationships can occur when you have more than one
relationship with a client.
 If Kendra is a classmate or friend, you are engaged in a dual
relationship in your practice session. This situation may occur if you
work in a small town and counsel a member of your church or school
community.
▲ Dual relationships are complex and you will want to examine this
issue in more detail in the ethical codes.
Social Justice and Advocacy
▲ Is the problem, concern, or challenge “in the client,” “in the
environment,” or in some balance of the two?
 For example, some therapists might see Kendra’s issue with the
harassing boss differently. Some therapists might say, “That is often
part of a job—you’ll just have to live with it.” Other therapists might ask
how she dresses and if she engages in any provocative behavior.
▲ Advocates define extreme forms of the latter as "blaming the victim."
▲ Is the interviewer’s task completed when the session is over? The
National Association of Social Workers (1999) ethical code suggests
that awareness of the environment and action beyond the interview
may be critical, if the client is ever going to resolve problems.
Social Justice and Advocacy
▲ The social justice approach demands action from you to
prevent problems by acting as an advocate for your client.
▲ When appropriate and with the client's consent, advocate to
examine potential barriers and obstacles that prevents the
growth and development of your client at an individual, group,
or societal level.
▲ As Kendra talks about the unwelcome advances her boss is
making toward her at work, the issue of oppression of women
has arisen and should be named as such. The social justice
perspective requires that you help her understand that the
problem is not her fault and you can support her in efforts to
change the working environment. At a broader level, you can
work outside the interview to promote higher standards in
nursing home care.
Social Justice and Advocacy
▲ Ethical Principle: Social workers challenge social
injustice.
 Social workers pursue social change, particularly with and
on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and
groups of people. Social workers’ social change efforts are
focused primarily on issues of poverty, unemployment,
discrimination, and other forms of social injustice. These
activities seek to promote sensitivity to and knowledge
about oppression and cultural and ethnic diversity. Social
workers strive to ensure access to needed information,
services, and resources; equality of opportunity; and
meaningful participation in decision making for all people.
DIVERSITY AND MULTICULTURAL
COMPETENCE
▲ Our field is rapidly becoming competency based.
▲ It is no longer enough to pass a test or to understand
what effective counseling and therapy are.
▲ Major question is can you do it for the benefit of your
clients?
DIVERSITY AND MULTICULTURAL
COMPETENCE
▲ Multicultural competency raises challenging questions,
such as:
 Can you work for the benefit of clients who are
culturally different from you?
 Are you able to provide competence counseling for
men? Women? A person who is of a different race or
ethnic group from you?
 How effective are you with heterosexuals, gays,
lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered?
DIVERSITY AND MULTICULTURAL
COMPETENCE
▲ The American Counseling Association (2005) focuses
the Preamble to their Code of Ethics on diversity as a
central ethical issue.
 The American Counseling Association is an educational,
scientific, and professional organization whose members
work in a variety of settings and serve in multiple
capacities. ACA members are dedicated to the
enhancement of human development throughout the
lifespan. Association members recognize diversity and
embrace a cross-cultural approach in support of the worth,
dignity, potential, and uniqueness of each individual within
their social and cultural contexts.
DIVERSITY AND MULTICULTURAL
COMPETENCE
▲ Diversity and multiculturalism have become central to
the helping professions throughout the world.
▲ Many of the persons we interact with professionally
come from cultural backgrounds that are different than
ours.
 For example, if Kendra has an issue related to
diversity issues, you will need to be competent to
address them. Otherwise, you may need to refer her
to someone else.
DIVERSITY AND MULTICULTURAL
COMPETENCE
▲ You have the responsibility to engage in constant
learning to minimize the possibility for the need of
referral. Referral to others cannot be an ethical excuse
over the long term.
▲ You have a responsibility to build your multicultural
competence through constant study and supervision.
Multicultural Practice
▲ Aware of your own assumptions, values, and biases.
▲ Know the worldview of the culturally different client.
▲ Develop appropriate strategies and techniques.
Multicultural Practice
▲ If your practice takes into consideration multicultural aspects, you
can predict how clients may respond.
Multicultural Competence:
Base interviewer behavior on
an ethical approach with an
awareness of the many
issues of diversity. Include
the multiple dimensions
described in this chapter.
Predicted Result: Anticipate
that both you and your clients
will appreciate, gain respect,
and learn from increasing
knowledge in ethics and
multicultural competence.
You, the interviewer, will have
a solid foundation for a
lifetime of personal and
professional growth.
Multicultural Practice
▲ The American Psychological Association's Multicultural
Guidelines begin with this statement:
 “All individuals exist in social, political, historical, and
economic contexts and psychologists are increasingly
called upon to understand the influences of these contexts
on individuals’ behavior” (APA, 2003, p. 377).
▲ Multicultural Counseling Competencies have been developed
to provide specifics for culturally sensitive helping.
▲ Box 2-4 presents a summary of the multicultural competences.
 Also visit http://www.counseling.org/Resources.
Multicultural Practice
▲ Dimension 1: Be aware of your own assumptions,
values, and biases.
▲ Dimension 2: Understand the worldview of the culturally
different client.
▲ Dimension 3: Develop appropriate strategies and
techniques.
Dimension 1.
Your Assumptions, Values, Biases
▲ Must have self awareness in order to develop self
awareness in others.
▲ Know your cultural background and the distinction
between self and client.
▲ Recognize your limitations and refer as necessary.
▲ Constantly increase your knowledge and competence,
so referral is not needed.
Dimension 2.
Understand the worldview of the culturally different client
▲ How do clients see themselves and the world around
them?
▲ Learn the client worldview; do not impose interviewer
views on the client.
▲ Some traditional approaches may be inappropriate or
ineffective with some groups.
▲ Continue learning worldviews through academic study,
reading, and living experience.
Dimension 3.
Developing Appropriate Intervention Strategies & Techniques
▲ Expand skills in traditional strategies and newer methods.
▲ Use traditional theory in a more culturally respectful manner.
▲ Build awareness of cultural bias in testing instruments and
assessment processes.
▲ Adapt present methods to be more culturally sensitive.
▲ Engage in varied helping responses to support multicultural
clients.
Multicultural Competence
▲ Account for cultural differences.
▲ Ensure minorities receive mental health care tailored to
their needs.
▲ Discuss obvious multicultural differences early in the
session.
▲ Use common sense and skilled judgment.
The RESPECTFUL model
▲ The RESPECTFUL model will help you further develop
your multicultural understanding. As you review the list,
first identify your own multicultural dimensions. Then,
examine your beliefs and attitudes toward those who are
similar to and multiculturally different from you on each
issue below
RESPECTFUL Model
Multicultural Review Issues, D’Andrea & Daniels, 2001
R
Religion/spirituality
E
Economic/class background
S
Sexual identity
P
Personal style
E
Ethnic/racial identity
C
Chronological/lifespan challenges
T
Trauma
F
Family background
U
Unique physical characteristics
L
Location of residence/language
Developing Appropriate Intervention
Strategies and Techniques
▲ Expand skills in traditional strategies and newer
methods.
▲ Use traditional theory in a more culturally respectful
manner.
▲ Build awareness of cultural bias in testing instruments
and assessment processes.
▲ Adapt present methods to be more culturally sensitive.
▲ Engage in varied helping responses to support
multicultural clients.
WELLNESS AND POSITIVE
PSYCHOLOGY
▲ Wellness counseling is a way of life oriented toward
optimal health & well-being, in which body, mind, & spirit
are integrated are integrated with the goal of living life
more fully.

Jane Myers, Thomas Sweeney, & Joe Witmer, 2000
WELLNESS AND POSITIVE
PSYCHOLOGY
▲ Wellness models and positive psychology seek to present an
alternative approach to client's problems through a wellness
approach. If you help clients recognize their strengths, you can
predict how they may respond.
Wellness: Help clients discover Predicted Result: Clients who
and rediscover their strengths
are aware of their strengths
through wellness assessment.
and resources can face their
Find strengths and positive
difficulties and discuss
assets in the client and in the
problem resolution from a
support system. Identify
positive foundation.
multiple dimensions of
wellness.
WELLNESS AND POSITIVE
PSYCHOLOGY
▲ Wellness models and positive psychology do not deny
human problems and difficulties.
▲ Rather, they suggest that if clients’ issues are
discussed in an atmosphere of strengths, resources,
and possibilities for growth, we will enhance our
chances for enabling them to work through both
common daily problems and more severe complex
issues.
▲ Compare this approach with the older approach which
focuses almost solely on client deficits and difficulties.
Positive Psychology:
The Search for Strengths
… initial stages of . . . therapy include a process that
might be called exploration of resources. The counselor
pays little attention to personality weaknesses . . . (and)
is most persistent in trying to locate . . . ways of coping
with anxiety and stress, already existing resources that
may be enlarged and strengthened once their existence
is recognized.
Tyler, 1961, p. 213
Positive Psychology:
The Search for Strengths
▲ Problem solving requires client strengths.
▲ Identify strengths and known resources to improve client
approach to complex issues. (Tyler, 1961)
▲ Focus on building strength and resilience rather than damage
repair. (Seligman, 2002)
▲ Relationship--story and strengths—goals—restory—action
model guides search for strength and resources.
1. Relationship
5. Action
4. Restory
2. Story and
Strengths
3. Goal
Wellness: A Practical Model
▲ Wellness Approach: Body, mind, and spirit are
integrated by the individual so life may be lived more
fully within the human and natural community.
 Contextual / Holistic View of Wellness
 Wellness Assessment: Identifying Client Strengths
 Intentional Wellness Plan
How to Apply Wellness in Assessment,
Interviewing, and Counseling
▲ The counseling profession’s wellness approach is a way
of life oriented toward optimal health and well-being in
which body, mind, and spirit are integrated by individuals
so they can live life more fully and in harmony with
others.
▲ The wellness model is holistic and refers to a self-inrelation, the person-in-community, and individual-insocial context. This means that the individual is fully
connected to family and community, and even the world
as a whole. In effect, we are one.
Contextual/Holistic View of Wellness
▲ The Sweeney and Myers Wellness Model speaks of the
“indivisible self,” with 5 factors and 17 dimensions of
wellness.
 Each category has practical implications for
assessing clients and facilitating their growth.
Wellness Assessment:
Identifying Client Strengths
▲ The Essential Self
▲ The Social Self
▲ The Coping Self
▲ The Creative Self
▲ The Physical Self
Factor Analysis Reveals 5 Dimensions of the
Indivisible Self with 17 Components Useful for
Assessment and Counseling
1. Essential Self: cultural identity, gender identity,
spirituality, self-care (Meaning of life)
2. Social Self: Friendship, love (Connectedness with
others)
3. Coping Self: Leisure, stress management, self-worth,
realistic beliefs (Cognitive behavioral strategies)
4. Creative Self: Thinking, emotions, control, work,
positive humor (Giving to self and the world)
5. Physical Self: Exercise, nutrition (Caring for one’s own
body)
The Essential Self
▲ Who are your role models? What strengths and supports
do you draw from:
 Spirituality
 Gender Identity
 Cultural Identity
 Self-Care
The Essential Self
▲ Spirituality
 Be specific. What strengths and supports do you gain from your
spiritual/religious orientation?
▲ Gender Identity
 What strengths do you draw from your gender?
 Your sexual orientation?
The Essential Self
▲ Cultural Identity
 What strengths do you draw from your race?
 Your ethnicity?
▲ Self-Care
 How well do you care for yourself?
 Do you avoid drugs and alcohol?
The Social Self
Who are your role models? What strengths and supports
do you draw from:
▲ Friendship
 Tell me about your friends and what strengths they provide you.
▲ Love
 Please share some positive family stories.
 What are some positive memories about grandparents, parents,
siblings, or your extended family.
The Coping Self
▲ Leisure
 What do you enjoy?
 Do you take time to enjoy leisure activities?
▲ Stress-Management
 When do you encounter stress?
 What stress-management strategies do you use?
▲ Self-Worth
 How do you feel about yourself?
 Can you accept imperfections and acknowledge strengths?
▲ Realistic Beliefs
 How good are you at seeing what is in a realistic fashion?
The Creative Self
▲ Thinking
 What has gone well for you in the past, present, or future?
 What positive thoughts can you draw on when you face concerns?
▲ Emotions
 When have you expressed emotion appropriately with a good result?
▲ Control
 When have you controlled a difficult situation in a positive way?
▲ Work
 What are your particularly strong work habits?
▲ Positive Humor
 Can you laugh easily? What is fun?
The Physical Self
What is your exercise routine? What are your eating
habits?
▲ Exercise
 What do you do for exercise?
▲ Nutrition
 How well does your present weight and eating habits reflect
good nutrition?
Intentional Wellness Plan
▲ Assessment is not enough.
▲ We need to develop an intentional wellness plan for
ourselves and also with our clients.
▲ Critical that you go through a full wellness plan for
yourself and a volunteer client to begin full competence
in wellness counseling.
▲ Takes time for full assessment. Likely will later use only
parts of this plan in most interviews.
Intentional Wellness Plan
▲ For counselors and clients:
 Focus on strengths and improvement areas.
 Use a manageable strategy to take action on one or two items.
 Be careful not to overwhelm the client with action items.
 Negotiate a contract for action and follow-up.
 Include the wellness approach as a part of each session or the
long-term treatment plan.
Activity
▲ Briefly describe your ideas for a personal wellness plan
for yourself.
SUMMARY: INTEGRATING WELLNESS, ETHICS, AND
MULTICULTURAL PRACTICE
▲ Let us return to Kendra, our fictional client
 Kendra at 25 has differing needs and life experience than if she
were 45. If she is White, she has access to some privileges
despite her economic situation. If she is a Person of Color, she
may face discrimination for race as well as for gender.
▲ Key ethical issues include making sure that you are
competent to work with her, obtaining appropriate informed
consent, preserving confidentiality, and using counselor
power responsibly.
▲ The possible sexual harassment needs to be explored and
Kendra will need your support as she moves to a decision
here. At this moment in her life, Kendra appears to have real
financial needs.
SUMMARY: INTEGRATING WELLNESS, ETHICS, AND
MULTICULTURAL PRACTICE
▲ Every client we meet has a unique multicultural
background.
▲ We constantly need to develop and improve our
awareness, knowledge, and skills in many areas.
▲ The areas discussed today have been ethnicity/race,
gender, sexual orientation, spirituality, ability/disability,
socioeconomic status, language, and age.
▲ THERE ARE MORE AREAS OF DIVERSITY!
KEY POINTS
Identity
▲ I am (and you also)
▲ Derived from family
▲ Embedded in community
▲ Not isolated from prevailing values
▲ Though having unique experiences
▲ In certain roles and statuses
▲ Taught, socialized, gendered, and sanctioning
▲ Yet with freedom to change myself and society.
 (Ruth Jacobs comments on identity at the beginning of this chapter.)
KEY POINTS
Ethics and competence
▲ Practice within the boundaries of your competence
▲ Seek supervision when necessary
▲ Refer appropriately, while supporting the client with a
solid relationship as much as you can
▲ Continue to gain ethical knowledge and competence
throughout your career.
KEY POINTS
Ethics and informed consent
▲ Obtain consent from role-played and real clients in which
you tell them the goals, procedures, benefits, and risks
of counseling and the client agrees to what has been
outlined.
KEY POINTS
Ethics and confidentiality
▲ Keep confidence so far as legally possible and in accord
with licensing boards and state and federal law.
▲ Although as a beginning counselor in role-plays, you do
not have legal confidentiality, you are expected to act in
a professional manner and behave according to your
professional guidelines and boundaries.
KEY POINTS
Ethics and power
▲ Be aware of power differentials in the interview and seek
to avoid dual or multiple relationships.
▲ Power differentials occur in many ways— economic
status, gender, other multicultural variables.
▲ The interviewer is generally in a more powerful position
than the client.
KEY POINTS
Ethics and social justice
▲ Be aware that client problems and issues may be the
result of oppressive environments.
▲ Where possible, actively seek to enhance and protect
the rights of your clients.
KEY POINTS
Multicultural competence
▲ Embrace an awareness of cultural differences of many
types.
 All individuals have dignity.
 Do not discriminate.
 Seek increasing knowledge of multicultural issues.
 Become aware of your own multicultural background.
KEY POINTS
Power and privilege
▲ Become aware that certain groups have more privileges
and entitlements than others and consider these issues
in your practice.
 Examples included in the text are White, male, and middleclass power and privilege.
 These three do not cover all forms of power and privilege,
which are present and all countries and cultures.
KEY POINTS
Wellness and positive psychology
▲ Clients come to us with many strengths and positive
assets from their life experience and their own unique
personal competencies.
▲ They have family and friends, cultural resources, and
many others that need to be recognized in the interview.
▲ Once positive strengths are identified clearly, problem
solving and working through issues can be expected to
work more smoothly.
KEY POINTS
The indivisible self
▲ A wellness model developed by Sweeney and Myers.
▲ It includes the creative, coping, social, essential, and
physical selves.
▲ Within the five categories are 17 specific dimensions of
wellness.
KEY POINTS
Wellness assessment
▲ Client strengths can be assessed in 17 dimensions.
▲ Spirituality, gender identity, cultural identity, self-care,
friendship, love, leisure, stress management, self-worth,
realistic beliefs, thinking, emotions, control, work,
positive humor, exercise, and nutrition.
 As needed, conduct a full wellness assessment with clients.
 Realistically, however, a quick survey can help you and the client
select one or two key issues.
KEY POINTS
Wellness plan
▲ From the assessment of strengths and wellness assets,
the client can examine areas where more effort and
planning might be helpful.
▲ A balance of strengths and areas for growth is identified.
COMPETENCY PRACTICE EXERCISE AND
PORTFOLIO OF COMPETENCE
Chapter 2
Individual Practice
Group practice
Self-assessment
Individual Practice
Exercise 1: Review an Ethical Code
IIC
Select one ethical code from Box 2-1 that is most
relevant to your interests and review it in more detail.
2. Visit the ethical code of another country or another
helping profession and note similarities and
differences on competence, informed consent,
confidentiality, social justice, and diversity.
3. What is your own position on these issues?
4. Write your observations and comments in a journal or
on the CD-ROM.
1.
Individual Practice
Exercise 2: You as a Multicultural Being, Your Multiple
Intersecting Identities
IIC
We are all multicultural beings, although many of us are unaware of that fact.
Please take a moment to review the RESPECTFUL model and find
your identities.
Indicate those where people typically have privileges. Usually
along with those privileges comes implicit and explicit power
over others.

In what areas do you have privilege and power? How
privileged are you? Where don’t you have these?

What are your multicultural identities Where do you have
privilege and power?
As you review the above, what are your thoughts about your
multiple identities and your implicit power or lack of power?
Individual Practice
Exercise 3: Personal Wellness Assessment
IIC
Review the Wellness Model and use it as a
personal positive asset search.
 What strengths and resources do you find in
your context and in your own personal
wellness?

Group Practice. Exercise 4: Conduct a Wellness
Assessment and Develop a Wellness Plan
IIC
Now that you have engaged in a wellness assessment
for yourself, meet with three of your class members
and engage in a wellness assessment with one of them.
2. Conclude this practice with discussion of a plan for the
future. The third person will be an observer and
provide comments and give feedback on the process.
3. We recommend that your volunteer client fill out the
Client Feedback Form from Chapter 1. Alternatively, do
this as a homework assignment with a volunteer.
1.
Group Practice
Exercise 5: Develop an Informed Consent Form
IIC
Box 2-2 presents a sample informed consent form, or
practice contract.
1. With your small group, develop your own
informed consent form that is
appropriate for your particular school
situation and for your state or
commonwealth.
Group Practice
Exercise 6: Exploring Multicultural Competence
IIC
In a small group, review the major concepts of multicultural
competence presented here.
1. Awareness of your own assumptions, values, and biases
including dimensions of privilege
2. Understanding the worldview of the culturally different client
3. Developing appropriate intervention strategies and
techniques
2. What goals for learning can you establish as you work through
this and further study in interviewing, counseling, and
psychotherapy?
1.
CLIENT FEEDBACK
FORM
IIC
(in Ch. 1)
In practice sessions, it
is very helpful to get
immediate feedback.
As you practice the
microskills, use the
Client Feedback Form.
Those providing feedback…
Remember:
▲ Receiver is in charge.
▲ Feedback is for
receiver’s development.
▲ Focus on what receiver
can change.
▲ Check out how
feedback was received.
Your feedback should be:
▲ Concrete
▲ Specific
▲ Lean
▲ Precise
▲ Non-Judgmental
PORTFOLIO OF COMPETENCE
What Is Your Level of Mastery of the Skills?
IIC
 We have reviewed some of the core competencies of
intentional interviewing and counseling.
 Use the following to do a self-assessment and to do a
self-evaluation of your present level of mastery.
 Answer the questions and check those dimensions
that you currently are able to do. Those that remain
unchecked can serve as future goals.
PORTFOLIO OF COMPETENCE
IIC
SELF-ASSESSMENT
 Reflecting on yourself as a future interviewer, counselor, or
psychotherapist via a written journal can be a helpful way to
review and evaluate what you have learned, and think ahead to
the future. Here are three questions you may wish to consider.
1. What stood out for you personally in the section on ethics?
What one thing did you consider most important?
2. How comfortable are you with ideas of diversity and working
with people different from you?
3. What are your personal thoughts at this moment on wellness
and positive psychology? How comfortable are you with this
approach?
PORTFOLIO OF COMPETENCE
IIC
Self-Evaluation of Chapter Competencies
 Use the following checklist to evaluate your present level of




mastery.
Check those dimensions that you currently feel able to do.
Those that remain unchecked can serve as future goals.
Do not expect to attain intentional competence on every
dimension as you work through this book.
You will find, however, that you will improve your competencies
with repetition and practice.
PORTFOLIO OF COMPETENCE
Self-Evaluation of Chapter Competencies
IIC
Go to Chapter 2 for a full description of these levels
 Level 1: Identification and classification.
 Level 2: Basic competence.
 Level 3: Intentional competence.
 Level 4: Psychoeducational teaching competence.
PORTFOLIO OF COMPETENCE
Self-Evaluation of Chapter Competencies
IIC
Level 1. Identification and Classification
 Key aspects of ethics
 Three dimensions of multicultural competence
 Positive psychology and wellness
 Contextual factors of the wellness model
 Five personal dimensions of the wellness model
PORTFOLIO OF COMPETENCE
Self-Evaluation of Chapter Competencies
IIC
Level 1. Identification and Classification
 Define and discuss the key aspects of ethics as they relate to the
interview: competence, informed consent, confidentiality, power,
and social justice
 Define and discuss the three dimensions of multicultural
competence: awareness of own assumptions, values, and biases;
understanding the worldview of the culturally different client;
developing appropriate intervention strategies and techniques
 Define and discuss positive psychology and wellness
 Define and discuss the contextual factors of the wellness model
 Define and discuss the five personal dimensions of the wellness
model: essential self, coping self, social self, creative self, and
physical self
PORTFOLIO OF COMPETENCE
Self-Evaluation of Chapter Competencies
IIC
Level 2. Basic Competence
 Write an informed consent form.
 Define myself as a multicultural being.
 Evaluate my own wellness profile, both personal and contextual.
 Guide another person through a wellness assessment.
PORTFOLIO OF COMPETENCE
Self-Evaluation of Chapter Competencies
IIC
Level 3. Intentional Competence
Level 4. Psychoeducational Teaching Competence
Levels 3 and 4, intentional competence and teaching
competence, are not presented in this lecture/chapter.
You will encounter them in our next section, attending
behavior (Chapter 3).
DETERMINING YOUR OWN
STYLE AND THEORY:
CRITICAL SELF-REFLECTION ON ETHICS,
MULTICULTURAL COMPETENCE, AND
WELLNESS
CRITICAL SELF-REFLECTION ON ETHICS,
MULTICULTURAL COMPETENCE, AND WELLNESS
It is you who will decide whether to implement the ideas,
suggestions, and concepts learned in this chapter.
 What single idea stood out for you among all those presented in
class, your book, or through informal learning?
 What stands out for you is likely to be important as a guide
toward your next steps?
 What points in this chapter struck you as most important? What
might you do differently?
 How might you use ideas in this chapter to begin the process of
establishing your own style and theory?
Write your ideas in your journal.