Title: Multicultural Competence in Counseling | William & Mary
Headings: Becoming a Culturally Competent Counselor
Becoming a Culturally Competent Counselor
Why Is It Important for Counselors to Be Culturally Competent?
How Do Cultural Differences Impact the Counseling Encounter?
Cultural Competence Starts at Home
Understanding the Historical and Social Context of Multicultural Counseling
Multiculturalism and the School Counselor
Incorporating Competency

Content: How Do Cultural Differences Impact the Counseling Encounter? Psychosocial development is different for people from different cultural backgrounds. Cultures differ in their attitudes toward major life challenges, which means solutions for common disorders are not one-size-fits-all. Even more, certain identities are underrepresented in the counseling profession, which can lead to a lack of trust on behalf of some populations, who do not believe their needs will be reflected in a counseling relationship. The most important first step is to establish trust with a client. Most of the time, by showing awareness of differences and an openness to new understanding, counselors can begin to build trust and a productive relationship with clients. Cultural Competence Starts at Home
One key way to begin to establish your multicultural competency is to evaluate your own background and beliefs. By starting to understand your own underlying cultural assumptions, you will be training yourself to see your views as just a starting point for your work rather than a default setting shared by all of the people you encounter. Once you have a firm understanding of your own cultural grounding, you should begin to widen your focus on the ways that individuals from different backgrounds view the world. Reading up on the professional and clinical literature can help, as can looking in some unlikely places.