Multicultural Counseling 3

Microaggressions

Brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages to a target group such as people of color, women, and gays

There types of "isms" ie, sexism, racism, agism

1 overt: blatant unequal and unfair treatment of cultures.
2 covert: unequal and harmful treatment of cultures that is conducted in a hidden manner.
3 subtle: unequal and unfail treatment of women that is not recognized by many peple because it is perceiv

Aversive racism

manifested in individuals who consciously assert egalitarian values, but unconsciously hold anti-minority feelings; therefore, aversive racists consciously sympathize with victims of past injustice, support the principles of racial equality, and regard th

LGB

Lesbian, gay, bisexual

Antigay harassment

verbal or physical behavior that injures, interferes with, or intimidates lesbian women, gay men, and bisexual individuals

Subtle heterosexism

those who engage in it may not intend to display prejudice toward LGB individuals, particularly in the case of comments or jokes related to LGB persons.

Homonegativity

antigay sentiment that is based on religious or marla condemnation.

Modern homonegativity

rflects the belief that prejudice against LGB persons no longer exists and that this group contributes to its won marginalization by overemphasizing sexual orientation.

How microagrressions manifest

1 Tend to be subtle, unintentional, and indirect.
2 often occur in situations where there are alternative explanations.
3 represent unconscious and ingrained biased beliefs and attitudes
4 are more likely to occur when people pretend not to notice differe

3 types of microaggressions

1 Microassault: refers to blatant verbal, nonverbal, or environmental attack intended to convey discriminatory and biased sentiments. Most perpetrators with conscious biases will engage in overt racism, sexism, and heterosexism only under these conditions

Four psychological dilemmas identified when microaggressions occur

1 Clash of the racial realities: Oftentimes the perceptions held by the dominant group differ significantly from those of marginalized groups in our society. The most disempowered are more likely to have a more accurate perception of reality, it is groups

Hypersensitive

Sensitive to an issue, as if there is no valid reason they should be sensitive

Overly emotional

Is a gender stereotype about women. Women are supposed to be nurturing and caring, and so therefore emotional (and by association, irrational) when it comes to making sense of real issues.

12 distinct categories of microaggression

1 Alien in their own land: When Asian American and Latino American are assumed to be foreign born
2 Ascription of intelligence: Assigning intelligence to a person of color or a woman based on their race/gender.
3 Color Blindness: Statements that indicate

Racism related stress

It has been found that chronic experiences for discrimination and exclusion create levels of stress that are traumatic for target groups. Racism and racial/ethnic discrimination cause significant psychological distress and negative health outcomes.

How to be an deal with the psychological effects in counseling

1 Be aware that racial, gender, and sexual orientation microaggressions are a constant reality in the lives of culturally diverse groups.
2 Be aware that everyone has, and continues to engage in, unintentional microaggressions.
3 Do not invalidate the exp

Potential barriers to Multicultural Counseling

1 An enlightened mental health professional must consider whether there are sociopolitical, cultural, or biological reasons for his symptoms.
2 Language barriers often place culturally diverse clients at a disadvantage.
3 A number of culture-bound issues

YAVIS

young, attractive, verbal, intelligent, and successful

QUOID

quiet, ugly, old, indigent, and dissimilar culturally

3 major characteristics that my impede effective counseling.

1 Culture-bound values: individual centered, verbal/emotional/behavioral expressiveness, communication patterns from client to counselor, openness and intimacy, analytic/linear/verbal (cause-effect) approach and clear distinctions between mental and physi

Culture

Those things that people have learned to do, believe, value, and enjoy. It is the totality of the ideals, beliefs, skills, tools, customs, and institutions into which each member of society is born.

Marginal person

A person' inability to form dual ethnic identification because of bicultural membership.

Factors that affect insight

1 Many cultural groups do not value this method of self-exploration.
2 Many racial/ethnic minority psychologist have felt that insight is a value in itself.

Difficulties in the orientation towards self disclosure

1 Intimate revelations of personal or social problems may not be acceptable because such difficulties reflect not only on the individual, but also on the whole family. this, the family may exert strong pressures on the Asian American client not to reveal

Self-disclosure

The client's willingness to tell the therapist what he or she feels, believes, or thinks.

Unidirectional

Directed toward those people (people of color, people of low SES)

Bidirectional

Equally likely to occur between the classes

Why people from low SES are more often diagnosed with mental health issues

1 low socioeconomic class presents stressors to people, especially those in poverty, and may seriously undermine the mental and physical health of clients
2 failure of helping professionals to understand the life circumstance of clients who lack financial

Minority standard of time

through multiple experiences with public agencies, poor people have a tendency to have a low regard for punctuality.

Conditions for working with low SES clients

1 the therapist must spend time understanding his or her own biases and prejudices
2 it becomes essential that counselors understand how poverty affects the lives of people who lack financial resources; behaviors associated with survival should not be pat

Why having children translate can be problematic

1 it can create stress and hurt the traditional parent-child relationship
2 children lack the vocabulary and emotional maturity to serve as effective interpreters
3 children may be placed in a situation where they are privy to confidential medical or psyc

Stereotypes

Rigid preconceptions we hold about all people who are members of a particular group, whether it be defined along racial, religious, sexual, or other lines.

Guidelines for Multicultural Therapists

1 become cognizant of the generic characteristics of counseling and psychotherapy
2 know that we are increasingly becoming a multilingual nation and that the linguistic demands of clinical work may lace minority populations at a disadvantage
3 Consider th

Study tables 6.1 and 6.2

pg 138-140

Social Rhythms

Whether our conversation proceeds with fits or starts, whether we interrupt one another continually or proceed smoothly, the topics we prefer to discuss or avoid, the depth of involvement, the forms of interactions and the channel we use to communicate.

Proxemics

Perception and use of personal and interpersonal space. (culturally conditioned)

Four interpersonal distance zones characteristic of the U.S. culture

1 intimate 18in
2 personal 1.5ft-4ft
3 social 4ft-12ft
4 public greater than 12ft

Kinesis

Bodily movements including facial expression, posture, characteristics of movement, gestures, and eye contact. (culturally conditioned)

Paralanguage

Other vocal cues that individuals use to communicate. For example, loudness of voice, pauses, silences, hesitations, rate, inflections, and the life.

High Context

Communication or message is one that is anchored in physical context (situation) or internalized in the person. Less reliance is placed on the explicit code or message content. An HC communication relies heavily on nonverbal and group identification/under

Low Context

Low context (LC) cultures place a greater reliance on the verbal part of the message. In addition, LC cultures have been associated with being more opportunistic more individual rather than group oriented, and as emphasizing rules of law and procedure.

3 minority assumptions

1 All Whites are racist
2 Most Whites find such a concept disturbing and will go to great lengths to deny that they are racist or biased.
3 Nonverbal behaviors are more accurate reflections of what a White person is thinking or feeling than is what they s

Rapping

Originally a dialogue between a man and a woman in which the intent was to win over the admiration of the woman. Imaginary statements, rhythmic speech, and creativity are aimed at getting the woman interested in hearing more of the rap. It has been likene

Woofing

An exchange of threats and challenges to fight.

Playing the dozen

Considered by many Blacks to be the highest from of verbal warfare and impromptu speaking.

Dozens

Used by slave owners to refer to Black person with disabilities.

The functional value of woofing and playing the dozen

1 They allow training in self-control about managing one's anger and hostility in the constant face of racism
2 Woofing also allows a Black person to establish a hierarchy or pecking order without resorting to violence.
3 It can create an image of being f

Study table 7.1

Pg 176

How you can change your communication style

1 Seek additional training/education
2 Seek consultation with a more experienced counselor
3 Refer the client to another therapist
4 Become aware of personal communication style limitations and try to anticipated their possible impact on the culturally di

Implications for counselors about communication

1 Recognize that no one style of counseling or therapy will be appropriate for al populations and situations
2 Become knowledgeable about how race, culture, and gender affect communication styles.
3 Become aware of your own communication and helping style

Why it is problematic to assume people from the same culture are the same

1 Therapists may often respond to the culturally diverse client in a very stereotypical manner and fail to recognize within group or individual differences.
2 The strength of the racial/cultural identity models lies in their potential diagnostic value. Pr

Cross' model of psychological nigrescense

1 Pre-encounter
2 Encounter
3 Immersion-emersion
4 Internalization and internalization-commitment

Pre-encounter stage (Cross model)

Characterized by individuals (African Americans) who consciously or unconsciously devalue their own Blackness and concurrently value White values and ways. There is a strong desire to assimilate and acculturate into White society.
1 pre-encounter assimila

Encounter stage (Cross model)

1 The individual encounters a profound crisis or event that challenges his or her previous mode of thinking and behaving
2 The Black person begins to reinterpret the world, resulting in a shift in worldviews

Immersion-emmersion stage (Cross model)

The person withdraws from the dominant culture and becomes immersed in African American culture. Black pride beings to develop, but internalization of positive attitudes toward one's own Blackness is minimal. Feelings of quilt and anger begin to dissipate

Internalization and internalization-commitment stage (Cross model)

Feelings subside as the person becomes more flexible, more tolerant, more bicultural/multicultural
1 Black nationalist (high Black positive race salience)
2 Biculturalist (Blackness and fused sense of Americanness)
3 Multiculturalist (multiple identity fo

J. Kim Asian American Model

1 Ethnic awareness stage: begins around ages 3 to 4, when the child's family members serve as the significant ethnic group model. Positive or neutral attitudes toward one's own ethnic origin are formed
2 White identification stage: begins when children en

A.S. Ruiz Latin/Hispanic American identity model

1 Causal stage: During this period messages or injunctions from the environment or significant others either affirm, ignore, negate, or denigrate the ethnic heritage of the person.
2 Cognitive stage: As a result of negative/distorted message, three errone

Racial/Cultural Identity Development model (R/CID)

Identified by 5 stages with 4 subcategories
1 Conformity
2 Dissonance and appreciated
3 Resistance and immersion
4 Introspection
5 Integrative awareness
1 Attitude toward self
2 Attitude toward others of the same minority
3 Attitude toward others of diffe

Conformity stage (R/CID)

Individuals are distinguished by their unequivocal reference for dominant cultural values over their own. Minority people at this stage can be oriented toward a pro-American identity without subsequent disdain or negativism toward their own group.
1 Self-

Dissonance Stage (R/CID)

An individual encounters information or experiences that are inconsistent with culturally held beliefs, attitudes, and values. They begin to question
1 Conflict between self-depreciation and group-appreciating
2 Conflict between group-depreciation views o

Resistance and Immersion Stage (R/CID)

The minority person tends to endorse minority-held views completely and to reject the dominant values of society and culture
1 Self-appreciating
2 Group-appreciating experiences and feelings of culturalcentrism
3 Conflict between feelings of empathy for o

Introspection Stage (R/CID)

The individual begins to discover that this level of intensity of feelings is psychologically draining. The minority individual experiences feelings of discontent and discomfort with group view that may be quite rigid.
1 Concern with basis of self-appreci

Integrative Awareness Stage (R/CID)

Minority persons have developed an inner sense of security and now can own and appreciate unique aspects of their culture and well s those in the U.S. culture
1 Self appreciating
2 Group appreciating
3 Group appreciating
4 Selective appreciation

What are the therapeutic implications of the R/CID model

1 An understanding of cultural identity development should sensitize therapists and counselors o the role that oppression plays in a minority in a minority individual's development. For the therapist, systems intervention is often the answer. For cultural

Dynamics of Whiteness

1 It is clear that most White folks perceive themselves as unbiased individuals who do not harbor racist thoughts and feelings; they see themselves as working toward social justice and possess a conscious desire to better the life circumstance of those le

Why white counselors are unintentionally racist

1 They are unaware of their biases, prejudices, and discriminatory behaviors
2 The often perceive themselves as moral, good, and decent human beings and find it difficult to see themselves as racist
3 They do not have a sense of what their Whiteness means

Hardiman White Racial Identity Development Model

1 Naivete Stage
2 Acceptance Stage
3 Resistance Stage
4 Definition Stage
5 Internalization Stage

Naivete Stage (Hardiman)

Lack of social consciousness is characteristic of early childhood. Curiosity and spontaneity in relating to race and racial differences tend to be the norm. Awareness and the meaning of race, racial differences, bias, and prejudice are either absent or mi

Acceptance Stage (Hardiman)

A conscious belief in the democratic ideal-that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed in a free society and that those who fail must bear the responsibility for their failure. Victim blaming is strong as the existence of oppression, discrimination,

Resistance Stage (Hardiman)

Individual begins to challenge assumptions of White superiority and the denial of racism and discrimination. The change from one stage to another might take considerable time, but once completed, the person becomes conscious of being White, is aware that

Definition Stage (Hardiman)

Asking the painful question of who one is in relation to one's racial heritage, honestly confronting one's biases and prejudices, and accepting responsibility for one's Whiteness. The person no longer denies being White, honestly confronts one's racism, u

Internalization Stage (Hardiman)

The result of forming a new social and personal identity. The individual accepts responsibility for effecting personal and social change without always relying on persons of color to lean the way. The racist-free identity, however, must be nurtured, valid

Helm White Racial Identity Development Model

1 Contact Status
2 Disintegration Status
3 Reintegration Status
4 Pseudoindependence Status
5 Immersion/emersion Status
6 Autonomy Status

Contact Status (Helm)

People in this status are pblivious to and unaware of racis, believe that everyone has an equal chance for success, lack an understanding of prejudice and discrimination, have minimal experiences with persons of color, and may profess to be color-blind.
1

Disintegration Status (Helm)

The White person becomes conflicted over irresolvable racial moral dilemmas that are frequently perceived as polar opposites: believing one is nonracist, yet not wanting one's son or daughter to marry a minority group member. Conflicts between loyalty to

Reintegration Status (Helm)

In their attempts to resolve the dissonance created from the previous process, there is a retreat to the dominant ideology associated with race and one's own socioracial group identity

Pseudoindependence Status (Helm)

There is an attempt to understand racial, cultural, and sexual orientation differences and a purposeful and conscious decision to interact with minority group members. White person at this status may suffer from several problematic dynamics:
1 While inten

Immersion/emersion Status (Helm)

The person searches for an understanding of the persona meaning of racism and the ways in which one benefits from White privilege. There is an increasing willingness to confront one's won biases, to redefine Whiteness, and to become more activistic in dir

Autonomy Status (Helm)

Increasing awareness of one's own Whiteness, reduced feelings of guilt, acceptance of one's role in perpetuation racism, and renewed determination to abandon White entitlement lead to an autonomy status. The person isn knowledgeable about racial, ethnic,

Information Processing Strategies (ISP)

What White people use to avoid or assuage anxiety and discomfort around the issue of race.
1 Contact=obliviousness or denial
2 Disintegration=suppression and ambivalence
3 Reintegration=selective perception and negative out-group distortion
4 Pseudoindepe

Study table 11.2

Pg 276

Sue and Sue Process of White Racial Identity Development

1 Naivete phase
2 Conformity phase
3 Dissonance phase
4 Resistance and immersion phase
5 Introspective phase
6 Integrative awareness phase
7 Commitment to antiracist action phase

Naivete phase (Sue and Sue)

Relatively neutral with respect to racial/cultural differences. It last during the first 3 years of life and is marked by a naive curiosity about race. Between ages 3 to 5, however, the young White child begins to associate positive ethnocentric meanings

Conformity phase (Sue and Sue)

The White person's attitude and beliefs in this stage are very ethnocentric. There is minimal awareness of the self as a racial being and strong belief in the universality of values and norms governing behavior. The conformity stage is marked by contradic

Dissonance phase (Sue and Sue)

The White person is forced to deal with the inconsistencies that have been compartmentalized or encounters information/experiences at odds with denial. The White person may retreat into the protective confines of White culture or move progressively toward

Resistance and immersion phase (Sue and Sue)

Begin to question and challenge his or her own racism. For the first time, the person begins to realize what racism is all abut, and his or her eyes are suddenly open. Major questioning of one's own racism and that of others in society. In addition, incre

Introspective phase (Sue and Sue)

Compromise of having swung from an extreme of unconditional acceptance of White identity to a rejection of Whiteness. It is a state of relative quiescence, introspection and reformulation of what it means to be White. Individuals at this stage become less

Integrative awareness phase (Sue and Sue)

1 Understanding the self as a racial/cultural being
2 Being aware of sociopolitical influences regarding racism
3 Appreciating racial/cultural diversity
4 Becoming more committed toward eradication oppression

Commitment to antiracist action phase (Sue and Sue)

Seeing "wrong" and actively working to "right" it requires moral fortitude and direct action. Objecting to racist jokes, trying to educate family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers about racial issues, taking direct action to eradicate racism in the schoo

White Liberal Syndrome

Negative feelings about being White are present, and the accompanying feelings of guilt, shame, and anger toward oneself and other Whites may develop.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Signed into law in 1990, extending to the federal mandate of nondiscrimination toward individuals with disabilities to sate and local governments and the private sector