Assessment, Instruction, Services, and Student Development Across Domains, Part 33

Question 1: Discuss types of knowledge about different cultures that will enrich multicultural sensitivity.

Answer 1: concepts and terminology of a particular culture, as well as by learning developmental theories related to that culture. In order to understand a culture, a counselor needs a working knowledge of the history, traditions, strengths, needs, and resources of it. Counselors can act as consultants and liaisons by assisting students who are misunderstood and misrepresented by school staff, students, public media, etc. Understanding the semantics and terminology of specific cultures can be particularly helpful in mediating between cultural groups, as well as in encouraging communication and sensitivity between groups. Counselors who approach diversity with a fundamental knowledge of specific cultures and the impact of culture can provide role models for dynamic multicultural understanding and communication in the school environment. Understanding the impact of culture in particular can lay a strong foundation for multicultural sensitivity, as counselors, students, and school personnel begin to recognize the cultural basis of many misunderstandings.

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Question 2: Describe some of the counseling skills that indicate multicultural sensitivity.

Answer 2: Counselors who are sensitive to cultural differences will more likely develop strategies and hypotheses that are free of cultural biases. Developing hypotheses that are not culturally slanted will allow counselors to more objectively plan and implement intervention strategies. Multicultural sensitivity enables counselors to design and deliver lesson plans that are free from stereotypical icons or remarks; it also helps them decide when and how to generalize instructions for diverse groups of students. With increased sensitivity, counselors can design activities and strategies that are inclusive of diverse cultures or that are individualized for different cultures. An example of an inclusive activity is eliciting student responses about a recent event on campus. An individualized activity could be asking students to write about holiday traditions in their home, which would allow students to respond from a cultural perspective.

Question 3: Discuss qualitative areas of the school system that can be positively impacted with multiculturally competent counselors.

Answer 3: Cultural and ethnic diversity in the school environment often results in disparities in peripheral areas, particularly if issues of oppression and bias are not addressed. Some of the peripheral areas that can be impacted by culturally-based hierarchies include academic achievement, literacy competence, AP course participation, career planning, and, most significantly, disparities in standardized test results, which can negatively affect college opportunities and eventual income level. Counselors who operate with multicultural sensitivity can significantly mitigate these disparities by acting as a liaison between the student body and school officials. In this capacity, counselors can act on students’ behalf when there is a culturally-based misunderstanding, as well help students develop strategies for bridging cultural gaps. Counselors can also help school staff and officials pinpoint practices that may inherently pose a disadvantage for certain cultural groups.

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