T r ave r sing the c halle nge s of inte r national c ounse - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

T r ave r sing the c halle nge s of inte r national c ounse lling e duc ation: L e ssons fr om the fie ld Ste phe n L a rma r Sc ho o l o f Huma n Se rvic e s a nd So c ia l Wo rk Griffith Unive rsity

Ove rvie w…  Who a m I ?  Why this to pic ?  Co nte xt  Cultura l c o mpe te nc e  Cultura lly re le va nt pra c tic e  I mplic a tio ns fo r pra c tic e

Who a m I ?  F ull-time Ac a de mic – Griffith Unive rsity  Co unse llo ra nd Psyc ho the ra pist  Co unse llo rtra ine r  Re se a rc he r in inte rna tio na l de ve lo pme nt

A fe w sto rie s fro m the fie ld

Why this to pic  T hro ug h my pra c tic e a ra ng e o f q ue stio ns ha ve e me rg e d a b o ut c ulture , c ultura l dive rsity a nd c ultura l e ng a g e me nt  Co nve rsa tio ns with o the r a c a de mic s, c o unse llo rs, psyc ho lo g ist, so c ia l wo rke rs a nd frie nds ha ve a lso piq ue d my inte re st

Co nte xt  We live in a multic ultura l so c ie ty  Within the b ro a de r fie ld o f huma n se rvic e s wo rk a nd the mo re spe c ific disc ipline s o f the ra pe utic pra c tic e , he lpe rs a nd c o unse llo rtra ine rs a re inte rfa c ing with a dive rse c lie nt g ro up  Wo rking with pe o ple fro m dive rse b a c kg ro unds re q uire s nua nc e d skills a nd o ng o ing pe rso na l re fle c tio n  We ne e d to re ma in c o nsc io us a b o ut o ur unde rlying b e lie fs a nd a ssumptio ns a b o ut c ulture a nd c ultura l diffe re nc e

Wha t is c ulture ?  ‘ Culture c o nsists o f the de riva tive s o f e xpe rie nc e , mo re o r le ss o rg a nize d, le a rne d o r c re a te d b y the individua ls o f a po pula tio n, inc luding tho se ima g e s o r e nc o de me nts a nd the ir inte rpre ta tio ns (me a ning s) tra nsmitte d fro m pa st g e ne ra tio ns, fro m c o nte mpo ra rie s, o r fo rme d b y individua ls the mse lve s.’ (T .Sc hwa rtz, 1992)  ‘ [Culture ] is the c o lle c tive pro g ra mming o f the mind whic h disting uishe s the me mb e rs o f o ne g ro up o r c a te g o ry o f pe o ple fro m a no the r.’ (Ho fste de , 1994)

Wha t is c ulture ? (c o nt…)  ‘ ... the se t o f a ttitude s, va lue s, b e lie fs, a nd b e ha vio rs sha re d b y a g ro up o f pe o ple , b ut diffe re nt fo r e a c h individua l, c o mmunic a te d fro m o ne g e ne ra tio n to the ne xt.’ (Ma tsumo to , 1996)  ‘ Culture is a fuzzy se t o f b a sic a ssumptio ns a nd va lue s, o rie nta tio ns to life , b e lie fs, po lic ie s, pro c e dure s a nd b e ha vio ura l c o nve ntio ns tha t a re sha re d b y a g ro up o f pe o ple , a nd tha t influe nc e (b ut do no t de te rmine ) e a c h me mb e r’ s b e ha vio ura nd his/ he r inte rpre ta tio ns o f the ‘ me a ning ’ o f o the r pe o ple ’ s b e ha vio ur.’ (Spe nc e r-Oa te y, 2008)

Cultura l Co mpe te nc e  T he a b ility to wo rk e ffe c tive ly a c ro ss c ulture s in a wa y tha t a c kno wle dg e s a nd re spe c ts the c ulture o f the pe rso n o r o rg a niza tio n b e ing se rve d (Ha nle y, 1999)  “Ha ving the rig ht po lic ie s, the kno wle dg e , va lue s, princ iple s a nd the skills to me e t the ne e ds a nd pra c tic e s o f pe o ple fro m diffe re nt b a c kg ro unds” (Be dfo rdshire c o unty c o unc il, 2008)  “I t is impo rta nt to unde rsta nd tha t c ultura l c o mpe te nc e is no t de ve lo pe d b y c ho o sing mo re c o rre c t tha n inc o rre c t re spo nse s b ut inste a d b y ma king tho ug htful pra c tic e de c isio ns with the b e st info rma tio n a va ila b le a nd le a rning thro ug h a pro c e ss o f re fle c tio n a nd e va lua tio n ho w to do b e tte r in the future ” (Willia ms, 2006, p. 218)

T he ‘ c ultura l c o mpe te nc e ’ c o ntinuum Co mpe te nc e Pre -c o mpe te nc e Blindne ss I nc a pa c ity Ma so n, Be nja min a nd L e wis, 1993 De struc tive ne ss

T he ‘ c ultura l c o mpe te nc e ’ c o ntinuum  Cultura l de struc tive ne ss – to a c tive ly de stro y o r re pla c e a no the r c ulture e .g . b a nning the spe a king o f la ng ua g e a nd the pra c tic e o f ritua ls, a ssimila tio n e tc .  Cultura l inc a pa c ity – la c k c ultura l a wa re ne ss a nd skills. Se e o ne ’ s o wn c ulture a s ‘ b e tte r’ . Ma inta in ste re o type s. Pa te rna listic .  Cultura l b lindne ss - a ssume s a ll pe o ple think the sa me , a nd tha t the ir ne e ds a re funda me nta lly the sa me . T re a ting e ve ryo ne 'the sa me ' is the ultima te ide a l in se rvic e de live ry.  Cultura l pre –c o mpe te nc e – b e g in to re c o g nise diffe re nc e a nd diffe re nc e is no t b e tte r o r wo rse . Sta rt to e duc a te se lve s a b o ut diffe re nc e s. Co mpla c e nc y – surfa c e le ve l a da pta tio ns Go o de a nd Ha rriso n (2004) a nd Cro ss e t a l (1989)

A c ritiq ue o f c ultura l c o mpe te nc e Ac c o rding to so me c ritic s CC is a fo rm o f ne w ra c ism:  Re se mb le s ne w ra c ism b y o the rizing tho se fro m o the r c ulture s; tha t is, “c ulture ” is insc rib e d a s a ma rke r fo r diffe re nc e a nd is de plo ye d a s a ma rke r o f de fic it (Pa rk, 2005)  Ne w ra c ism re fe rs to ra c ia l disc rimina tio n tha t invo lve s a shift a wa y fro m ra c ia l e xc lusio na ry pra c tic e s b a se d o n b io lo g y to tho se b a se d o n c ulture (Go ldb e rg , 1993).  Cultura l c o mpe te nc y disc o urse s tha t de fine c ulture s witho ut c o nside ra tio n o f po we r a nd tha t do so in ste re o typic a l wa ys re se mb le ne w ra c ism (Po n, 2009)  A fo rm o f fo rg e tting  Cultura l c o mpe te nc y is a ma nife sta tio n o f a n o nto lo g y o f fo rg e tting . In o the r wo rds, c ultura l c o mpe te nc y c o nstruc ts kno wle dg e a b o ut c ultura l “o the rs” in a wa y tha t do e s no t c ha lle ng e a pra c titio ne r’ s se nse o f inno c e nc e a nd b e ne vo le nc e (Po n, 2009).

So wha t’ s the a lte rna tive ?  Re pla c ing c ultura l c o mpe te nc e a nd e mpha sizing inste a d a se lf-re fle xive g ra ppling with ra c ism a nd c o lo nia lism (Po n, 2009) i.e . de ve lo ping se lf-kno wle dg e  Ac c e pta nc e a nd a wa re ne ss o f o ne ’ s la c k o f c o mpe te nc e in c ro ss-c ultura l ma tte rs (De a n, 2001)  A mo re ra dic a l e ma nc ipa to ry disc o urse … the tra nsfo rma tive ro le o f c o nte mpo ra ry huma n se rvic e wo rk must b e de vise d a s so me thing funda me nta lly unlike the ro le it a ssume d in a do pting its fra g me nta ry multic ultura list ide a ls. (Pa rk, 2005)

Cultura lly Re le va nt Pra c tic e Cultura lly re le va nt pra c tic e re fe rs to the a b ility to wo rk we ll a nd c o mmunic a te e ffe c tive ly with individua ls fro m va rio us c ultura l g ro ups. I t me a ns le a rning ne w pa tte rns o f b e ha vio ur a nd a pplying the m in a ppro pria te se tting s. http:/ / www.c a lpro - o nline .o rg / do c ume nts/ dig e st9.pdf

So me ke y c o nside ra tio ns fo r pra c tic e AWARE NE SS, K NOWL E DGE AND SK I L L S (I ve y, I ve y a nd Za la q ue tt, 2010)  I de ntify a nd a c kno wle dg e diffe re nc e s b e twe e n yo urse lf a s a pra c titio ne r a nd yo ur c lie nt  Re c o g nize a nd b e se nsitive to c ultura l diffe re nc e s a nd re spo nd a c c o rding ly to de ve lo p trust a nd a c o mpa tib le the ra pe utic a llia nc e  L e a rn a b o ut a nd a ddre ss the c lie nt’ s re a litie s to a llo w fo r the fa c ilita tio n o f c ultura lly-se nsitive inte rve ntio ns  E xe rc ise se lf-a wa re ne ss a nd a llo w ne w info rma tio n to pla y a pa rt in sha ping yo ur pro fe ssio na l a nd sub se q ue nt pra c tic e  K e e p le a rning o n yo ur a g e nda a nd de e pe n yo ur c o mmitme nt to sitting c o mfo rta b ly within the spa c e o f ‘ no t kno wing ’

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