CSL6832 MULTICULTURAL COUNSELING

COMPREHENSIVE OUTLINE

The course presents an in-depth study of counseling and therapy from multicultural perspective. Emphasis is on the
unique features and concerns in working with culturally and ethnically different clients in school and mental health
settings. In addition, the course focuses on the development of counseling skills needed to work with culturally
different populations.

PREREQUISITE: CSL6782

Following is a listing of each course competency along with specific guidelines to assist students in meeting each
competency. Completion of the course requires a minimum mastery of all of the competencies. Students are
expected to use a number of methodologies in meeting the competencies. For example reading the texts, researching
additional sources, interviewing persons working in relevant areas, conducting file research, participating in
simulated and/or real skills building exercises are all appropriate ways of insuring that one is ready to complete the
course. Some students will find that reading the text, listening in class, and participating n class work will be
sufficient to meet the competencies. Other students may find that a personalized study program is beneficial. For
either strategy the Extended Guideline can guide the student in considering the overall organization of the course.

1. Understanding the aspects of counseling from a multicultural perspective.

Be able to describe the concept of self-awareness, and know the dimensions of self-awareness, including
the following:
Personal bias
Values, beliefs, attitudes
Interests, expectations, limitations, abilities
Own cultural heritage and identity

Be able to discuss global influences, the importance of knowledge of world events, and the value in
appreciating ones’ “world-view.”

Define dominant culture and discuss the impact it has upon the society as a whole, including the family,
and the community.

Discuss the many elements of culture and cultural differences. There are sociopolitical factors, the culture's
history of oppression, the experience of prejudice and racism, poverty within the culture, influence of
language and the arts, influence of religious practices, childrearing practices, family role and structure,
values and attitudes, and the degree of opposition to acculturation.

Be able to discuss the various degrees that an immigrant group can assimilate into the culture of the US.

Know the following terms:

Bicultural
Traditional
Marginal
Acculturated
Assimilation.

2. Discussing sociopolitical factors that affect the various cultural groups.

Discuss how and why helping professionals need to understand the culturally unique social factors that
affect a culture, including the celebration of holidays, the roles social organizations, and how friendship is
determined.

Discuss how political factors including the area of self-determination within the cultural group impact the
various cultural groups.
3. Understanding discrimination, prejudice, and racism from a multicultural perspective.
Define the following terms:
Prejudice
Racial prejudice
Racism
Discrimination
Institutional racism
Bias
Stereotype

Be able to discuss how prejudice and pre-conceived notions impact attitudes and behaviors against others,
including the behaviors of a mental health professional.

4. Defining acculturation as it relates to culturally diverse groups.

Define, compare, and be able to describe the following terms with respect to diverse groups:
Acculturation
Ethnic conflict
Cultural pluralism
Ethnocentrism
Minority
Multicultural
Oppression
Culture
Cultural
Melting pot
Culturally diverse

5. Discussing how poverty, environment, economic factors, and technological factors affect various cultural
groups and their development in learning.
Discuss Poverty and Economic Concerns and how they impact various cultural groups, including the
following:
Persons living below the poverty line in the United States
Historic causes of poverty
The political and economic factors that perpetuate poverty
Housing
Employment
Education
Life expectancy

Discuss why helpers need to have empathy for poor people. And describe how effective helpers have a
repertoire of strategies to recommend, including alternatives to the traditional dominant culture's view of
poverty and how to overcome it.

6. Understanding the history of oppression of culturally diverse clients.

Be able to discuss the why it is important to know and understand the history of oppression for their diverse
clients.

Discuss why counselors and educators cannot explore only those factors relating to individual's experiences
in the present, and why they must understand and have empathy for those events from the past or future
that have an impact on the present.

7. Discussing the psychology of gender from a multicultural perspective.

Be able to define and discuss the implications for multicultural counseling for the following terms:
Historical implications.
 Androgeny
Gender role socialization.
Female issues.
Male issues
Sexual orientation
Counseling implications and ethical issues related to gender specific counseling.

Compare and contrast gender role differences between, traditional African American, American Indian, Hispanic
American, and Asian American cultures.

Be able to discuss the socialization process of males and females in the United States, from a historical
viewpoint to current day.

8. Describing cultural values, educational needs, and attitudes of culturally different clients and their relevance
to learning development.
Discuss relevant issues with respect to language and arts for the multicultural client, including the
following:
Standard English tolerance by dominant culture
Bilingualism
Using translators

Discuss the importance of understanding nonverbal messages, and describe the different types of nonverbal
communication, including the following:
Proxemics
Kinesics
Pitch
Paralanguage
Volume
Silence

Discuss the concepts of cultural values and cultural attitudes, including the following issues:
Kluckhorn and Strodtbeck (1961)
Time orientation (past, present, or future)
Human relationships (collateral or lineal)
Human activity (doing, being, becoming)
Human nature (good or bad)
Supernatural (control, subordination or harmony)

9. Understanding the family structure and family dynamics from a multicultural perspective.

Be able to discuss the importance and impact of various child-rearing practices, including the following:
Kinship networks
Sex roles
How respect is taught
Who is respected
When children are taught to be assertive
Obligations of children to parents
Competition in the culture

Discuss the importance of understanding the religious practices of diverse cultures, including the following:
Religion and local politics
Source of strength for coping
Basis for cohesion
Moral strength
Sense of community
 Be able to discuss why the family, the oldest human institution, is the basic unit of a culture, including the
following:
Who has the authority
And in what areas
Impact of marriage
Nature of relationships among family members
Lineage

10. Demonstrating assessment, evaluation, and treatment skills in working with culturally diverse populations.
Be able to define and discuss the significance of culture fair testing and instrumentation, including the following:
Ethical issues
Research
Norms
Diagnostics

Be able to list and discuss the Minority Racial Identity Model, including the five stages and who they can be
used in counseling.

Discuss the importance of utilizing traditional theories appropriately and effectively.

11. Defining culture as it relates to multi-ethnic populations including gender and its relevance to learning
development.
 Be able to describe variations in early childhood education across various cultures represented in the
US.
 Be able to discuss the issues of bilingual education in the US.
 Be able to discuss the how the context of a culture, is influenced by historical, economic, social, and
cultural factors.
 Describe how social policy can influence the welfare of its citizen’s education, and learning
development.
 Discuss how a group’s culture can influence the behavior of its members.

12. Understanding multicultural counseling from the African American and Native American perspective.
Be able to describe the historical plight and current socioeconomic issues of the African American, including
the following:
Slavery
Emancipation
Political, economic and social segregation
Current socio-economic issues
Joblessness
Mortality
Morbidity
Institutionalization
Housing

Discuss the influence and impact of language and the arts with African Americans, including the following:
Black English
Bilingualism
Non-verbal communication

Be able to describe the traditional child-rearing practices for many African Americans, including the
following issues:
Parental roles
Father availability
 Mother’s role in son’s lives
Discipline

Discuss the role of religion, and how it has traditionally played an important role in the life of African
Americans.
Historical issues
Significance of music
The importance of human intervention and spiritual control
The strong tie between the world of the living and the world of the dead in defining the scope of
community
The importance of participatory verbal performance, including the call-response pattern
The primacy of both sacred and secular verbal performance
Church role in social change
Church role in leadership, education, and transmission of traditions and values.

Identity the strength of the African American family, including the following:
Strong kinship bonds
Strong work orientation
Flexibility of family roles
Achievement orientation
Strong religious orientation

Describe and discuss the importance of relationships with significant others, outside blood relatives, are
essential to the maintenance of the family, including the following concepts:
Modeling
Extended family
Parental roles
grandparents

Describe the traditional cultural vales and attitudes of many African Americans, including the following:
Dialect
Folklore
Generosity
Hospitality
Respect for law
Religion
Family
Work ethic

What are the counseling implications with respect to African Americans and the following issues:
Self-esteem
Identity issues
Self- hatred
Learned helplessness
Pride
Paranorm due to oppression

Discuss the historical issues and implications for Native Americans, including the following:
US maltreatment
Pushed from sacred lands
Identity issues
Many tribes
Acculturation
History of oppression
 Discuss the issues of political and economic concerns American Indians, including the following:
Poverty levels
Educational levels
Reservations
Unemployment
Racism and prejudice
Current demographics
Bureau of Indian Affairs

Describe the cultural characteristics of the language and the arts for the American Indian, including the
following:
Nonverbal language
Body language
Silence
Tone of voice
Eye movement
Music
Crafts
Dance

Be able to discuss the various issues and values with respect to child-rearing practices for the American
Indian, including the following:
Extended family role
Grandparent’s role
Independence for children
Discipline
Inner motivation to learn
Parental permissiveness
Shame and fear
Sexual attitudes

Discuss the religious practices of the American Indian, including the following:
Religion is the Universe
Inseparability of person, nature and spirit
Worship forces of nature
After death, spirit lives on
Many Christians
Describe the issues within the family structure and family dynamics of the American Indian, including the
following:
Extended family
Clan
Respects wisdom of elders
Role of elders
Tribal councils

Discuss the cultural values and attitudes of many traditional American Indian, including the following:
Concept of time
Present focus
Immortality of the soul
Being or existing
Harmony of nature
Nature of man is good
Sharing

What are the counseling implications of working with American Indians, including the following:
Trust issues
 Discrimination
Identity
Learned helplessness
Concept of healing
Tribal beliefs

13. Understanding counseling and guidance from the Mexican American perspective.

Discuss how the Mexican-American culture is a mix of Spanish, Indian, and American cultures. The
Mexican American identifies with all three but is set apart from all three cultures by language, race, and
religion. Among the choices for identity for individuals in this culture are Mexican American, Chicano,
LaRaza, Mestizo, Spanish American, Spanish surnamed, Native America.

Be able to discuss how acculturation is best described as an adjustment process whereby, as a result of
socio-cultural interactions, a person acquires the customs of an alternate culture. Many Mexican
Americans today have a low degree of acculturation as a result of two factors. Include a discussion on
Mexican American immigrants and their concerns with respect to acculturation.

Be able to discus how Mexican Americans are a socio-economically disadvantaged group. By standards of
the dominant culture, they have experienced little social progress even though they have lived in the
southwestern United States longer than most other ethnic groups. Be sure to explore the following issues:
Education
Employment
Housing
Political representation
Professional identification
Racism and discrimination
LULAC

Describe issues with respect to the language and the arts, of the Mexican American, including the
following:
Bilingualism
Patriotism
Artistic inspiration

Be familiar with family and child-rearing practices that are common with many traditional Mexican
Americans, including the following:
Discipline
Responsibility of children
Parental roles
Respect
Gender roles

Discuss religious practices and cultural values and attitudes of the traditional Mexican American culture
including the following:
Catholicism
Work ethic
Present time orientation
Sense of community
Manner of expression

What are the counseling implications when working with the Mexican American client, including the
following:
Eye contact
Respect
 Perception of time
Language barriers
Indirect approach

14. Understanding multicultural counseling from the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese American
perspectives.

Be familiar with the historical implications, and issues of acculturation for the traditional Chinese
Americans, including the following:
Immigration
Labor
Discrimination
Customs
Institution
Chinatowns

Be able to discuss issues of poverty and economic concerns of many traditional Chinese American,
including the following:
Income levels
Independence
Work ethic
Kinship role in business

Know the values, customs and beliefs of traditional Chinese Americans, including the following:
Nature and humankind
Generations of past, present and future
Language
American-Chinese Restaurant Association
Chinese Chamber of Commerce

Know the Chinese-American cultural characteristics and customs of childrearing and family practices,
including the following:
Parental/child relationship
Discipline
Sibling relationships
Parents’ dependence on son
Concepts of guild and shame
Gender roles
Generational status
Welfare and integrity of the family
Divorce, abortion, & illegitimacy

Discuss cultural values, religion, and attitudes of many traditional Chinese Americans, including the
following:
Confucianism
Taoism
Buddhism
Christianity
Avoidance of conflict
Education

Describe the counseling implications when working with the Chinese American client, including the
following:
Understanding of client and counselor
Family honor
Trust
 Ethnic identity

Discuss the historical and acculturation issues with respect to the Japanese American, including the
following:
Immigration
Generational issues
Levels of acculturation
Oppression
Discrimination
Gentlemen’s agreement
Pearl Harbor
Racism

Know the customs, values and beliefs of the traditional Japanese American, including the following:
Language
Eye-contact
Value of art
Ethical system
Concept of neryo (reserve, constraint)
Work ethic
Social status
Communication
Social structure

Be familiar with child-rearing, family, and religious practices for many traditional Japanese Americans,
including the following:
Family system
Respect of elders
Discipline
Duty of the son
Gender roles
Buddhists
Moral obligations to others
Respect for authority
Concept of shame

In order to help Japanese Americans and their families’ function efficiently, and to broaden their perspective
on cultural issues, helping professionals need to have an understanding of areas such as the following:
1) A complete understanding of Eastern psychology and philosophy
2) Understanding of values and customs of the Japanese and Japanese Americans
3) The Japanese values of respect for hierarchy and authority, elder orientation, submissive role of
the Japanese mother in educating the children, indirect rather than direct communication, and
family dependence and dynamics
4) The difficulties of reentry for Japanese families returning to Japan, especially for the children,
who have probably become more acculturated into the dominant U.S. culture.
5) The dependency of the family, when applicable, on the corporation where the father is
employed
6) The need for the helping professional to serve as an information source on Japanese values and
customs for those who interact with the Japanese in the United States.
7) The need to supply classroom teachers with materials on ethnic differences.
8) The need of the Japanese student to continue learning the Japanese language.
9) The need of the family for information on customs of the dominant culture along with the social
and psychological support for themselves.

Discuss the historical, acculturation, economic, and political issues common among many Vietnamese in
America, including the following:
 The 4 waves of immigration
Acculturation
Discrimination
Oppression
Vietnam War
Poverty
Current demographics

Know the customs, values and beliefs of many traditional Vietnamese Americans, including the following:
Language
Naming
Value in art

Be familiar with child-rearing, family, and religious practices for traditional Vietnamese Americans,
including the following:
Value of sons and daughters
Family comes first
Discipline
Pride and shame
Buddhism
Ancestor worship
Confucianism
Taoism
Harmony among persons and nature
Family structure
Parental roles
Marriage and divorce
Control of emotions
Family unity

Be familiar with the following counseling implications when working with the Vietnamese client:
Time for trust and facilitation of communication
Limited duration, scope
Goal directed
Active and focused
Importance of family
Reluctant to seek help outside of family

15. Understanding counseling and guidance from the Puerto Rican American perspective.

Be able to discuss acculturation, for the Puerto Rican American culture. Include a discussion on Puerto
Rican immigrants and their concerns with respect to acculturation.

Be able to discus how Puerto Rican Americans are a socio-economically disadvantaged group. By
standards of the dominant culture, they have experienced little social progress even though they have lived
in the southwestern United States longer than most other ethnic groups. Be sure to explore the following
issues:
Education
Employment
Housing
Political representation
Professional identification
Racism and discrimination
 Describe issues with respect to the language and the arts, of the Puerto Rican American, including the
following:
Bilingualism
Patriotism
Artistic inspiration

Be familiar with family and child-rearing practices that are common with many traditional Puerto Rican
Americans, including the following:
Discipline
Responsibility of children
Parental roles
Respect
Gender roles

Discuss religious practices and cultural values and attitudes of the traditional Puerto Rican American
culture including the following:
Catholicism
Work ethic
Present time orientation
Sense of community
Manner of expression

What are the counseling implications when working with the Puerto Rican American client, including the
following:
Eye contact
Respect
Perception of time
Language barriers
Indirect approach

16. Recognizing unique and universal characteristics of culturally diverse populations.

Be able to discuss the challenges facing counseling professionals, including the following:
1. Understanding the complex role that cultural diversity plays in their work.
2. All counseling interventions are multicultural.
3. Clients and counselors bring to their relationship attitudes, values, and behaviors that can
vary widely. One mistake is to deny the importance of these cultural variables in
counseling; another is to overemphasize such cultural differences to the extent that
practitioners lose their naturalness and fail to make contact with their clients.
4. There is a trend in the counseling profession to face the reality of cultural diversity.
Because cultural diversity is a fact of life in today's "global village," counselors can no
longer afford to ignore the issue of culture. Imposing one's own vision of the world on
clients not only leads to negative therapeutic outcomes but also constitutes unethical
practice.

17. Understanding ways to create, maintain, and advocate for school environment that is culturally sensitive,
responsive, and inclusive to all learning environments.

The American School Counselor Association encourages school counselors to take action to assure students of
culturally diverse backgrounds access to appropriate services and opportunities which promote maximum
development (Code of Ethics, Adopted 1983). Counselors may utilize the following strategies to increase the
sensitivity of students and parents to cultural diverse persons and enhance the total school and community
environment.
 Conduct self-examinations of personal values, attitudes, and beliefs,
toward culturally diversity.
  Maintain awareness of concepts and techniques with a current library
of cultural information.
 Foster the interest of culturally diverse students in careers which
have been traditionally closed.
 Continue to upgrade materials utilized in the awareness and sensitivity
groups.

 Provide educational awareness workshops for teachers and cultural

diverse parents at the local PTA meetings.
 Develop a resource list of educational and community support services
to meet the socioeconomic and cultural needs of culturally diverse
Students and their families.
 Conduct student small groups to enhance self-esteem and cultural
awareness.
 Conduct classroom activities which develop acceptance and appreciation
Of cultural diversities.
 work within the larger community to identify cultural diversities and
assist in the development of community-based programs which will
propagate community acceptance of all culturally diverse population.

18. Understanding the impact of environmental influences on learners’ development and achievement and
facilitating learners’ development of strategies that help them cope with situations that may hinder learning.

The school counselor is aware of the following factors that have significant effects on learners’ personal growth and
success in school:
 A wide range of social factors
 A wide range of cultural factors
 A wide range of language factors
 A wide range o economic factors in the home, the community, and the school

Define the following terms as they relate to the school environment:

 Achievement
 Aptitude test
 Assimilation
 At risk students
 Behavior disorders
 Bilingual education
 Classroom management
 Cooperative learning
 Criterion referenced test
 Diagnostic test
 Leaning disability
 Mainstreaming
 Remediation
 Standardized test

19. Demonstrating an appreciation of human diversity by providing equitable guidance and counseling services
for all learners and by promoting a climate of mutual respect in which students learn to value themselves and
others.

School counselors have the following multicultural competencies when implementing a comprehensive guidance
and counseling program:
  Counselor awareness of own cultural values and biases
 Sensitive to their own cultural heritage and to valuing and respecting differences
 Awareness of how their own cultural background and experiences and attitudes, values, and biases
influence psychological processes
 Recognize the limits of their competencies and expertise
 Comfortable with differences that exist between themselves and students in terms of race, ethnicity, culture,
and beliefs.
 Seek out educational, consultative, and training experience to improve their understanding and
effectiveness in working with culturally different populations
 Ability to exercise institutional invention skills on behalf of all students
 Have training and expertise in the use of traditional assessment and testing instruments. They not only
understand the technical aspects of the instruments but are also aware of the cultural limitations.

20. Developing collaborative school-home relationships that promote and facilitate learners’ academic, personal,
social, and career growth.

School counselors assume a leadership role in collaborating between the student and his/her family. Responsibilities
of school counselors include but not limited to the following:
 Scheduling family conferences on a regular basis
 Coordinating the delivery of in-service training for parents, teachers, and administrators
 Developing a student-parent network
 Inviting parents to participate in school activities that involve their child/children
 Coordinating services of a child study team for students with learning disabilities
 Developing career days for students and parents
 Planning field trips for students and parents
 Attending to cultural diversity issues affecting students and parents

PRACTICE EXAM

1. Which of the following terms would best be described as “a group of people living
together with prescribed patterns of interdependent behavior.”
a. Culture.
b. Society.
c. Class.
d. Cult.

2. Various theorists have identified roles and stages in the different processes resulting in
maturation. Culturally, Atkinson, Morten, and Sue delineated stages that minority groups
experience. Conformity is the first stage in:
a. the life review process.
b. sex role identification.
c. minority identity development.
d. the grieving process.

3. Research indicates that the drop out rate for minority clients in counseling is:
a. 50 percent
b. 30 percent.
c. Higher for females than for males.
d. Unaffected by counselor cross-cultural sensitivity.

4. In the counseling environment, majority and minority cultures are distinguished by

certain characteristics. The main factor is defining a minority is:
a. oppression
b. skin color
c. origin of language.
 d. cultural values.

5. The highest divorce rates are found among couples

a. who state no religious preference.
b. who marry in their teens.
c. with dual career marriages.
d. who marry after age 30.