Special Topic: Cultural Considerations In Client-Driven, Solution-focused Counseling
The following material is adapted from the following book:
Murphy, J.J. (2008). Solution-focused counseling in schools (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
Recognizing that each person creates a different model of the world enables us to cherish rather than judge or fear those differences.
—Lewis and Pucelik, Magic Demystified
Cultural considerations are crucial to the effectiveness of any counseling approach. In this discussion, “culture” refers to everything that defines and distinguishes a person including ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, language, values, goals, and life experiences.
In discussing culturally competent counseling for minority clients, Ridley (2005) cautions practitioners against stereotyping by reminding them that “each client is unique...and each has a different story to tell” (p. 85). Sue and Sue (2008) similarly warn counselors about overgeneralizing and stereotyping, noting that it is wrong to assume that all persons from the same minority group share the traits that are typically assigned to that group. Cautions about stereotyping also apply to training programs in the helping professions, as evidenced by the following comments of a graduate student:
What we’re mostly talking about in the classroom...is stereotypical representations of different ethnic groups—“this is a typical Latino, this is a typical Vietnamese person,” but each individual is different, no matter what their race. I think what we should try to develop is a curriculum that exposes people to a new way of thinking, to help them approach all people with an open mindset. (quoted in Sleek, 1998, p. 1)
Scholars of culturally competent practices in counseling recommend a highly individualized and collaborative approach to developing goals and interventions in order to strengthen clients’ ownership in the change process (Boyd-Franklin, 2003; Ridley, 2005; Sue & Sue, 2008). Ridley (2005) stresses the importance of a collaborative alliance by noting that minority clients often “enter counseling feeling powerless” and “gain a sense of empowerment and ownership of the counseling process when they participate in their own goal setting” (p. 107). Respecting and accommodating the goals of clients is a hallmark of solution-focused counseling and culturally respectful practice. Accommodating the client’s goals does not require us to personally agree with them. Differences between the world view and values of clients and counselors are inevitable. However, counseling research makes it clear that accommodating the client’s frame of reference enhance outcomes. The purpose of brief solution-focused counseling in schools is to help people change school problems, not to convert them to the counselor’s or anyone else’s world view and culture.
The emphasis on strengths and resources in solution-focused counseling is consistent with the literature on culturally competent services to minority clients. As Ridley (2005) notes: “While vigorously looking for psychopathology in...minority clients, counselors often miss opportunities to help clients identify their assets and use these assets advantageously” (p. 103). In discussing counseling with non-Western people, Pederson (2000) recommends that practitioners encourage them to apply their own internal resources and self-corrective mechanisms because this is a natural aspect of problem solving in non-Western cultures. Boyd-Franklin (2003) similarly advocates a strength-based approach to African-American clients, noting that they are often more aware of their problems than their strengths. I have found this to be true for most students who are referred for counseling regardless of ethnicity and cultural background.
The strategies in Solution-focused Counseling in Schools are responsive to current standards and recommendations for culturally competent practice by: (1) treating every client as an individual with a unique frame of reference; (2) collaborating on the goals and content of counseling; (3) tailoring services to clients instead of expecting them to conform to our preferences; and (4) obtaining ongoing feedback from clients on the usefulness of our services, and adjusting our approach accordingly. Putting clients first, and keeping them in the driver’s seat throughout the helping process, provides built-in safeguards for culturally sound counseling services.
The above material is taken from the book:
Murphy, J.J. (2008). Solution-focused counseling in schools (2nd edition). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.