The United States has always been considered the great melting pot, as folks from all over the world have left their countries to come here and build up this great nation. There are so many mixed cultures in America, it’s almost impossible to count them all or all the variations. With each family heritage comes culture, diversity and differences. Thus, when counseling these different ethnicities and cultures, it requires a bit more understanding.
In counseling it is a very individual thing, it is not a one size fits all, and those who attempt to force a round peg into a square hole learn very quickly the error of their ways. It is for this reason that those who are counselors need to study the variations of culture and how different groups deal with problems and challenges.
Unfortunately, due to the political correctness, it is becoming harder and harder to deal with differences and individuality. Still a counselor to be effective must know the reality. It is for this reason perhaps that I recommend that folks involved in this line of work educate themselves. And if I might be so bold, I’d like to recommend a very good book to you on this exact subject. This book will help you, help them, which in turn helps all of us:
“Experiencing and Counseling Multicultural and Diverse Populations; second edition” edited by Nicholas A. Vaca, Joe Wittmer PhD, Susan B.de Vaney; Accelerated Development, Inc.; 1988.
This book has advice on dealing with Cuban Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, African Americans, as well as older folks, seniors, Amish, working professionals, gays, Indian Reservation folks, disabled people and women re-entering the workforce.
Multicultural Counseling Considered and Diverse Demographics Discussed
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