1.1 Counseling: What is means by Cross-Cultural Counseling

Cross-Cultural Counseling Psychology

Cross-cultural psychology is the study of similarities and differences in individual psychological functioning in various cultural and ethnic groups, as well as the relationships between psychological variables and sociocultural, ecological, and biological variables. Cross-cultural psychology regards culture as essential to psychological functioning, as an integral context for psychological development and behavior.

Cross-cultural psychology consists mainly of diverse forms of comparative research so as to discern various distinct cultural factors—many of which are related to ethnicity—that are relevant to forms of development and behavior. Cross-cultural research typically seeks evidence of how culture can be taken as a set of variables, independent or contextual, that affect various aspects of individual behavior.

Counseling

It is becoming increasingly common, all over the world, for counselors to come from cultures that differ from those of their clients, thus rendering cross-cultural counseling a challenging task. When other cultures and worldviews enter the picture, the situation can turn dauntingly complex.

Two aspects of cross-cultural research that are highly relevant to counseling are cross-cultural emphasis and intercultural focus. Pedersen specifies that cross-cultural counseling pays attention to qualitative differences across cultures and interculturally focused counseling work with ethnic and racial groups within a culture-pluralistic society. Despite different emphases, however, both aspects share many similar principles, including the necessity of cultural knowledge and sensitivity and understanding the crucial role culture plays in an individual’s life.

In cross-cultural counseling, culturally sensitive diagnosis and treatment in counseling are essential, as based on the following factors. The counselor must be aware both of what is usually done in the clients’ culture to resolve their presenting problems and of usual treatment in the counselor’s own culture. In addition, the counselor must also be aware of how well the clients are acculturated to their host culture. If the clients are fairly well acculturated, counselors can feel more comfortable in designing a treatment plan similar to their usual design for native clients. If the clients have recently arrived from other cultures, counselors may want to consider how to temper the treatment plan with supplements familiar to the clients. The clients must be willing to accommodate the proposed supplements. Stay tuned for the next entry!

Cited from Cross-Cultural Counseling Psychology. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/cross-cultural-psychology/cross-cultural-counseling-psychology/

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