Multicultural Counseling Portfolio

Cassie Wolf
EDCEP 951
Summer 2016

CASE STUDY RESPONSES

In this section I will demonstrate my ability to work with a wide variety of clients by
responding to a few different case studies in the book Counseling the Culturally
Diverse (Sue & Sue, 2012).

Jackie (pg. 464-465)

Jackie is a 10 year old African American female. She was brought to the counselor
by her mother with reports of low mood, suicidal thoughts, and family discord. Her
grades have dropped more than a letter grade and she states that she is not smart
enough to keep up with the other kids.
As I begin working with Jackie I have many questions about what is going on.
However, I would want to address her suicidal thoughts right away. While I think
building trust and rapport with a client is necessary in being able to fully understand
and help the client, I first need to assess the situation to find out if Jackie is a
danger to herself. This means would need going through a list of pre-determined
questions that would help me to understand if she has made previous attempts, has
a plan, and has the means to follow through with the plan. Then I would be able to
provide the client with appropriate resources.
From there I am interested in finding out more about Jackies home life and her
experience in the classroom. It stands out to me that a student who has previously
had good grades has experienced a sudden decline and comments about not being
smart enough. Her mother bringer her daughter in for counseling shows me that
she is concerned about her daughter. I think it is very beneficial to communicate

with parents in order to understand their values and beliefs about their child and
education. I would I also like to take some time to build a relationship with Jackie
and learn more about how she views herself and her environment. Finally, I would
like to get information from the teacher and observe the classroom. In order to
identify where her decline in grades and mood has stemmed from I will need to look
at all of these sources of data rather than just one or two so that I can get an
accurate idea of what is going on.
I would want to take a very holistic view of this client. There are many things that
could be going on, whether it be something going on at home, discrimination from a
teacher, a mental health concern, or something else. A counselor must look at the
student from many different angles and work to understand the unique things that
contribute to who they are.

The Martinez Family

(pg. 216-217)

In this case study Mrs. B, the school counselor, wants to set up an appointment with
the parents of Elena. Elenas father is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico and
her mother is a natural born citizen. She has been caught selling drugs on the
school premises. She was taken to the vice principals office rather than the into
police custody. Mrs. B has trouble trying to connect with the parents and get them
into the office to discuss a plan of action for their daughter. When she does get
them to come into the office they are guarded and anxious. This case study
addresses communication and language barriers in counseling. While Mrs. B had the
childs best interest in mind she was not able to understand the familys cultural
differences which created barriers in communicating with the family.
The first cultural difference that may have taken place was the patriarchal role.
Whens first attempting to contact the Martinez family the phone was answered by
Elena mother. Mrs. Martinez would not make the appointment and soon handed the
phone to Mr. Martinez. It was not considered that the male often takes on the role of
the decision maker in Latino families. The counselor pushed Mrs. Martinez to
schedule the appointment even though it may have been breaking their cultural
role behaviors. The case study also mentioned that Mr. Martinez had a heavy

accent and struggled to speak English. This should tell the counselor that English
may not be the primary language of the household. Either parents unwillingness to
speak up over the phone or during the meeting could have been due to their limited
English. They may not have understood everything the counselor was saying or may
not have felt confident or able to completely speak their minds. With a family that
has English as a second language you want to provide a translator if need be. With
or without the translator you also want to pause to encourage them to ask
questions and make sure they are comfortable. Mr. and Mrs. Martinez were
described as seeming anxious during their meeting. If I saw this as a counselor I
would pause the meeting and try to find the cause of their discomfort before
continuing.
Another issue that was presented during this case study was that the Elenas father
wanted to do a home visit or schedule a time in the evening to meet so that he
would not have to take off work. The counselor was unwilling to do this. While
there may be school or district rules that prohibit some of these things it is
important to understand what taking of work may mean to certain families. For
some taking off work may be no problems, however if the parent is in a low SES
family and works by the hour this could be very difficult to arrange. As a counselor
you may need to be flexible to families schedule in order to meet with them. Mrs. B
interpreted their reluctance to take of work as disinterest in the child or the problem
the child was facing. A multicultural aware counselor would understand that taking
off work may be a hardship for a family and find ways to accommodate.
A final consideration for the counselor working with the Martinez family is the idea
of extended family. When they parents came in for their meeting their brought
along Elenas uncle and godfather. Mrs. B did not feel comfortable having him in
the meeting and instructed him to wait outside. While Western culture recognizes
the husband, wife, and children as one family unit many in the Latino culture shared
child raising responsibilities with extended family. The godfather may act as moral
and religious guide for Elena. In this case he would have been a very important
person to consult with in this incident.
Mrs. B showed lack of cultural awareness when working with the Martinez family.
She interpreted their hesitation as lack of interest in their child. Counselors must

look at parents actions from a cultural lens. I think more often than not the parents
will want to do what is best for their child. When there is reluctance or anger from
the family there is often another issue that is causing it. Counselors are in a prime
position to be the mediators for the families and the school. Understanding how
culture affects communication is key in doing so.

Leelah

(pg. 667)

Leelah is a transgender teen who committed suicide after coming out to her
parents. Her parents did not accept her as a girl and continued to call her by her
given name. This shows the delicacy that should be taken when working with
students who are considering coming out to family or friends.
Coming out is a very hard topic. I think as counselors we are going to want to
encourage our students to be themselves and to be brave. However, this can cause
a lot more problems for the student then they are already dealing with a LGBT
person. Comin out can be a very emotional event particularly with in the family. If
a student comes to you with struggling with whether or not to come out you are
going to want the student to consider how coming out is going to affect their
relationships with family, friends, and peers. The most important thing is the childs
safety. If the child is scared about coming out because they believe that it will lead
to violent actions toward them you should not encourage them to come out. I think
there are ways you can work with that student to build self-esteem and acceptance
so that when the time is right they are able to come out. When there is severe
concerns about the familys reactions waiting until the child is out of the home can
be a wise decision. In smaller schools peers may also be a serious concern. Waiting
until the student goes off to college may provide a new, larger group of people that
may be more accepting. However, after discussing all of the repercussions and if the
child feels safe I would be willing to have the parents and child come into my office
so that we could all talk about it together or work with the child on what they might
say. Sometimes that initial shock is the toughest part. Having the counselor there
to guide conversation if things get rough can be helpful. It is also important to

continue to check in with student who you know have recently come out as this is a
very vulnerable time for them.

SOCIAL INJUSTICE

The ways that counselors typically work in our society and the way that different
cultures view their problems sometimes clash. In our society the counselor takes a
client focused and individualistic perspective. This means that the counselors works
to fix problems with in the client and may overestimate the power the client has to
make changes.
When it comes to issues of discrimination, stereotyping, and biases the counselor
may want to help client deal with this issues internally when the client may be
searching for systematic change. When a school counselor is faced with these
issues the first step creating awareness. The awareness must come from within
themselves first. In order to be able to work with multicultural clients a counselor
must understand how the environment may not provide all students the ability to
succeed. This means that changes need to be made, not just in the client but in the
school as a whole.
After the counselor becomes aware of these injustices then it becomes their job to
spread awareness to others. This may be teachers, administrators, or other
stakeholders. We are advocates for all students. Counselors play a powerful role in
making sure that all clients are provided with the best leaning environment possible
in their school. Promoting social justice mean creating systematic changes within
the school and how counselors work with clients.
Courtland Lee provides five lessons for professional counselor to use that promote
social justice (Lee, 2009).
1. Respect your clients belief in the power of the healer
2. Promote a holistic perspective

3. Emphasize the psychospiritual dimension of the clients reality

4. Adopt an active healing role
5. Accept cultural differences as merely differences not deviations.
These lesson will help to guide my counseling practice when working with students.
A couple of points that a really took away from these lessons were first that you
really have to look at the student as a whole. Taking a holistic view allows
counselors to take everything into account when working with a client. We are not
going to be able to provide appropriate counseling or interventions with only a few
pieces of information about the client. We need to know about their culture, their
views, their beliefs, etc., before we can really be effective counselors .
The second thing that I took away was Lees statement about seeing difference not
deviations. With this I see creating a school-wide acceptance of differences rather
than condemning them. I would like to create a culture in a school that celebrates
all of the different cultures, backgrounds, and talents of the students and staff that
make up the school. To do this we would have to create that mindset in the adults
who will model and encourage this behavior. I would also like to have a time in the
year where different cultures can be given a week to teach about their cultures and
celebrate with the rest of the school.

Black Lives Matter

We have had a lot of instances of social injustice in our country lately that have led
to the Black Lives Matter movement in trying to create social justice for African
Americans. I think that it important to address these issues as they are something
that is going to affect myself in my clients in my future practice as a school
counselor. I would like to highlight some areas that I have taken away from these
recent events and how I plan to use them to create change in the schools.
There is no doubt that there is social injustice happening throughout the United
States. While racism may not be as blatantly obvious as in the past there are more
subtle ways that certain races and certain people are not being treated justly. As a
counselor I believe that taking preventative measure is the most effective way to
address many problems. While I do believe that teacher and administrators should

have zero tolerance for acts of racism and discrimination I think that if we can
attack the problem before it arrives it is all the better. In order to do this I would like
to emphasize the ideas of empathy and respect in schools. I would create a school
wide behavior based on the idea of respecting everyone and their differences. In
order for this to be effective I would have to get buy-in from everyone in the
building and make sure that it is enforced by all faculty and staff. With these recent
events at the forefront of everyones minds this is the perfect time to act. While
change is often met with resistance, when we see what is happening all around us it
is clear that change is necessary. I think this change must start with how we teach
our children to treat others.
Lessons on empathy are also important. Teaching students to understand that we
all come from different environments and have different views is crucial to creating
acceptance of others. A large part of this is knowledge. As a counselor I am able to
help students and faculty understand the different world views that people hold.
Working with teachers who are able to teach about different cultures is very
valuable tool in the classroom and is something that transfers to how we treat
others. Teachers and counselors are in a good position to teach children to gain
knowledge of other individuals and to accept their ideas, values, and beliefs even if
they do not match our own.

BEST PRACTICES

Generic Counseling Characteristics

There are generic characteristics of counseling that are typically based off white
culture. Things such as viewing the clients as an individual, keeping eye contact,
focus on the future, and the idea of the nuclear family. While these ideas fit the
majority they may hinder the counseling process minority clients if you do not take
their individual and cultural characteristics into account. In order to become a more

effective multicultural counselor you must be able to recognize your own values and
beliefs. Every counselor is going to have their own values and beliefs. This is often
going to reflect in their counseling style. I do not believe that there is anything
wrong with this. However, what counselors must consider is how their clients
values and beliefs may differ from their own. They must also see how minority
clients may view counseling in different ways. It is important for counselors to
understand the diversity of their clients. Clients may come to you with a problem
and have different ideas on your role in assisting them with this problem. As a
counselor you must be very aware of who your client is and acknowledge that
resistance may come from cultural differences.
In my career as a counselor I hope to stay knowledgeable about different cultures
and their values and beliefs. I will also take the time to make sure that our ideas of
my role as a school counselor align. It is valuable to me to be sure that I remain
flexible and able to work with many different clients as a progress as a professional.

Language
I believe language is a huge part of what makes up a culture. This is not only
verbal, but non-verbal as well. There are certain non-verbal cues that are consistent
and some that differ across different cultures. As a multicultural counselor it is
important to be very aware of these cues that your client gives off. As you work
with more clients you will be able to pick up certain cues that are given off when
your client is uncomfortable or upset. Being aware that there may be cultural
differences and that lead to these feelings in the client rather than just the content
of the session shows that you are culturally aware. For example, some cultureles
may be uncomfortable just seeing you because of their views on mental health.
The culturally competent counselor may be able to reframe the experience so that it
better suits the client. There are also things such as eye contact, physical
closeness, and communication styles that differ across cultures. Having a basic
knowledge of these things can help to adjust your counseling so the client is more
comfortable.

Verbal communication is also going to be a huge challenge when working with nonEnglish speaking families and clients who have a hearing or speech disability. This
can severely impact that your ability to work with you client. Particularly when a
counselor cant communicate well with the family of a student they are working with
it limits their ability to support that child. For non-English speaking families making
sure that they are able to work closely with the school important for the success of
their children. Some way that I might encourage these families to be more active in
the school would be to have a Hispanic/Latino night that the beginning of the school
year. This would be a time where the parents could come in and meet with the
teachers, counselors, and administration. School personnel who spoke Spanish
would help translate conversation and present information to the parents. I believe
this would show that we want parent participation and help the parents put names
to faces to make involvement seem less intimidating.
For students with limited verbal ability this may mean the counselor has to find
alternate ways to communicate. Some things that I would implement as a
counselor are journaling and art therapy. For younger students play therapy may
also be an effective way of communicating and learning about your client. It is
important to keep in mind that each one of your clients is going to communicate
best in their own way. Counselors should be willing to try new things and learn what
works best for each individual client.

REFLECTION

If I have taken away anything from this course I believe it is that in order to be a
good counselor you have first understand yourself and what your own thoughts,
values, and beliefs are. By doing this you are able to recognize that your clients
may differ from yourself, but you do not let that get in the way of your ability to
work with them. I, just like most counselors, believe that I am a very accepting
person and would be able to work with any student that I came across. However,
even the best intentions of counselors can still be faced with barriers when working

with some clients. The best thing I can do is to continually work to better my
understanding of these barriers and work to overcome them.
In this reflection I will provide a little background about me and what this course
helped me to discover about myself. I grew up in Wamego, Kansas. This is a town
of about 5,000, predominantly white. There was little diversity in my school and in
particular my friend group. My friends where all middle class, white, and lived in a
household with both parents. It was a big deal when one of my friends parents got
divorced and I still dont think I ever fully understood what she went through during
that time. I did not and still havent experienced any real hardships in my life. I am
truly grateful for this, but I do feel as if I have a lack of experience that I am going
to face when working with my students. I feel as though I may have trouble relating
to some of the problems my students come to me with. Something I have learned
in the course is there are ways that I can learn to be more understanding of my
clients. I will be able to listen and learn from each student I work with. I will also
always fight to learn more about different cultures and the problems and strengths
the face. I will continue to build my knowledge throughout my career. As long as I
am always working to find ways to better assist my school and my students I will be
successful counselor.
Another thing I have learned about myself is that it can make me uncomfortable
when talking about white privilege. I will never deny that I have been given
opportunities that have helped get me to where I am today. I can admit that and still
not always want to see the injustice that happens in our world. Part of this is that I
feel limited in my power to make a difference on this front. However, I have learned
how that can really hinder my ability to work with minority clients. If I want to be the
best I can be then I have to open my eyes to the biases that I and others hold.
Becoming more aware of your thoughts rather than hiding from them helps you gain
control over them instead of the other way around. I have learned that I must face
these topics that are hard to talk about and examine how they guide my thoughts
and behaviors.
Although I believe this class has made me a better counselor and a better person
this is only just the beginning of my journey as an effective multicultural counselor.
There is still so much more that I need to learn and that I will experience in my time

as a counselor. I hope that I continue to grow and advocate for all students and
cultures.

Sources:
Lee, C. (2009). Counseling Today.
Sue, D.W. & Sue, D. (2013) Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice.
Sixth Edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley.