Enforceable Standards Regarding Competence
Psychologists who provide services to others must work within the boundaries of their competence. Competence is based on supervised experience, education, professional experience, and consultation studies. Psychologists are expected to have knowledge about the different areas of competencies and the foundational areas of psychology. When providing services to children, adolescents, and adults, you must possess knowledge of appropriate assessments, therapeutic techniques, intervention procedures, and the ability to perform, plan and implement your areas of demonstrated competence. Maintaining competence throughout your professional role as a licensed psychologist is crucial. Psychology is continually
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Most psychologists do acknowledge and accept religion and spirituality as important aspects of human diversity. A client’s culture is the embodiment of their worldview and is passed on through their values, beliefs, morals, and religious and spiritual traditions “Because spirituality and religion are less important to psychologists overall than their clients, they may have been neglected as important aspects of multicultural competency” (Ammondson, Lukoff, Pargament, Pilato, Scammell &Vieten, 2013, p.132). Incorporating spiritual and religious competencies in psychology is a form of multicultural competence. Multicultural competencies strive for psychologists to understand the world views of culturally different clients without being biased. Psychologists need to implement delicate, and pertinent intervention techniques with clients who culturally differ. Cultural differences extend into a client’s religion and spirituality beliefs. Multicultural competence is predominant for psychologists when working with clients in any type of therapeutic environment. Psychologists who are culturally aware have insight into how their cultural biases influence the counseling process, are comfortable with clients’ culture, and respect clients’ religion and culture (Sue, Arredondo, & Mc Davis, 1992a, 1992b). Multicultural skills and competencies are illustrated when psychologists actively seek out educational workshops that are culturally sensitive to elevate their proficiency and training in multicultural practices. Acquiring multicultural competence is a continuous process that includes self-awareness, and reflection. Cultural competence and knowledge affect the counseling process by allowing psychologists to implement culturally sensitive counseling strategies. Effective
“Cultural competence is the ability to engage in actions or create conditions that maximize the optimal development of client and client systems” (Sue & Sue, 2013, p. 49). Multicultural competence includes a counselor to be aware of his or her biases, knowledge of the culture they are evaluating, and skills to evaluate a client with various backgrounds (Sue & Sue, 2013). Client assessment involves gathering information pertaining to the client’s condition. Making a culturally responsive diagnosis involves using the DSM-IV-TR axis (Hays, 2008). Following the axis backwards is ideal to discovering the client’s diagnosis, understanding the client’s ADDRESSING outline will help to come to a closer resolution for a diagnosis.
Counselors today face the task of how to appropriately counsel multicultural clients. Being sensitive to cultural variables can be conceptualized as holding a cultural lens to human behavior and making allowances for the possibility of cultural influence. However, to avoid stereotyping, it is important that the clinician recognize the existence of within-group differences as well as the influence of the client’s own personal culture and values (Furman, Negi, Iwamoto, Shukraft, & Gragg, 2009). One’s background is not always black or white and a counselor needs to be able to discern and adjust one’s treatment plan according to their client.
In this meta-analysis of integration of spirituality and religion in the counseling field, the authors seek to understand the skills and attitudes needed to integrate these variables into counseling. Among those that were studied are awareness of one’s own culture and heritage, respect for the diversity found in people concerning spirituality and religion and recognition of one’s helping style and how it may be perceived by clients (Walker, Gorsuch, & Tan, 2004).
Sue, D. & Sue, D. (2016). Counseling the culturally diverse: theory and practice. (7th ed.). New
A therapist will face problems, issues and client troubles everyday. The professional must understand how their client relates to the world around them. These feelings and ideas affect how the client sees the problem and how they respond to their situation. Their actions, in turn, have bearing on individual thoughts, needs, and emotions. The therapist must be aware of the client's history, values, and culture in order to provide effective therapy. This paper will outline and provide information as to the importance of cultural competence and diversity in family therapy.
Remember, self-reflection is vital to becoming a culturally-competent counselor. The counselor should consistently re-examine their worldview and personal beliefs about diverse individuals and other cultures. The idea is for the counselor to explore their own prejudices, emotions, and preconceived notions of those that differ from themselves. Remaining curious and willing to learn about culturally distinct groups is a practical way of working effectively with varied clients in counseling and understanding what barriers and prejudices are typical in their
Multicultural counsellors are those counsellors who are aware of cultural assumptions they have learnt, able to articulate the relevant information and facts about the culture of a client and can skillfully go between and bring out a positive change. As a result of behaviors being learnt and displayed in different contexts, multicultural counsellors should be able to address the cultural context of each client. Nevertheless,
Firstly, beliefs and attitudes infer the counselor’s ability to move beyond cultural unawareness for safeguarding that their personal biases, values or problems will not affect their ability to work with culturally diverse clients (Corey, 2013). In the same way, culturally skilled counselors are cognizant of the fact that “cultural self-awareness and sensitivity to one’s own cultural heritage” plays an integral role in the helping process (Corey, 2013, p.
Clinical psychologists can treat a wide range of patients, from mental disorders to emotional problems. To get an easier and simpler idea of what a clinical psychologist does, Ferguson's Career Guidance Center's definition gives a good picture of a clinical psychologist’s job description, “Clinical psychologists concern themselves with people's mental and emotional disorders. They assess and treat problems ranging from normal psychological crises, such as adolescent rebellion or middle-age loss of self-esteem, to extreme conditions, such as severe depression and schizophrenia.”According to Careers in Psychology, a clinical psychologist has three main jobs, to assess the patient, diagnose disorders, and recommend a possible treatment. When a clinical psychologist assesses a patient it usually involv...
People in general, not only psychologists, view human interactions through their individual worldview. Our worldview is linked to attitudes and beliefs that influence how we behave, interpret and perceive society. The document promotes that psychologists increase their cultural awareness by learning how the other cultures shape how they view the world. I support and believe these guidelines are necessary because when there are cultural differences between clients and psychologists, many issues can arise. Differences can cause treatment termination, communication problems and misdiagnosis. Psychologists are encouraged to understand the importance of the customs, traditions and values of their clients. When a psychologist is culturally aware, it doesn’t mean that their values, beliefs and traditions have to match up with their cl...
(Hays & Erford, 2014 p 59). In the counseling world in order to effectively work with clients from diverse background and cultures, it is important to provide a culturally safe environment and promote equality to all persons. Our main focus should be those that have already experienced discrimination due to their race/ethnicity, gender, age or economic status. Our efforts and “Beliefs that all people should have the right to equitable treatment and fair allocation of societal resources, the goal of social justice counseling is to establish an equal distribution of power and resources through advocacy to ensure that all people have the tools and resources for a “good life.” (Hays & Erford, 2014 p 59). The Multicultural and social justice counseling competencies (MSJCC) has implemented and created several competencies useful for the counseling profession. These competencies work as the foundation for something positive if properly implemented. It allows the counselor to address issues of power, privilege, and oppression and how each day the client is faced with a variety of worries that require the counselor to intervene and recommend the proper interventions needed in order for the client to move
SUE, D. W., ARREDONDO, P., & McDavis, R. J. (1992). Multicultural Counseling Competencies and Standards: A Call to the Profession. JOURNAL OF COUNSELING & DEVELOPMENT, 70, 477-486.
Many different types of skills are needed in the area where the job takes place. Analytical, communication, and observation skills are essential abilities that a good psychologist should possess (“Psychologists”). Mrs. Trottman says, “A good psychologist needs to have good writing skills to produce understandable reports in a timely manner and good organization skills. Along with these skills, a psychologist needs good ability to work with children and other adults and to express the results of complicated assessments in an understandable way or under the stress of giving results which may not be agreed with or welcomed” (Trottman). Logics and knowledge are important to possess as a psychologist, and in addition, practical ways of thinking and relating closely with the clients is also very crucial. For example, in the case of a psychologist working with children, it is important to also work together with the children’s parents for the children’s benefits (Trottman). Necessities that a psychologist is required to have are involved with many of psychological and emotional factors; nevertheless, excellence in academic fields is also
“Diversity is an aspect of human existence that cannot be eradicated by terrorism or war or self-consuming hatred. It can only be conquered by recognizing and claiming the wealth of values it represents for all (Aberjhani, 2007).” Over the last 30 years, multicultural counseling has developed tremendously. As America becomes more ethnically diverse, counselors have recognized that clients are dissimilar, firstly by their cultural temperament and secondly by the nature of their troubles. Multicultural psychology is the methodical study of all facets of social behavior as it transpires in surroundings where persons of different cultural backgrounds come across each other. Multicultural consciousness is an empathetic, compassionate, and inquisitive
On the down side there are a limited number of educational programs that adequately deal with the issue of incorporating religion and spirituality in therapeutic/counseling settings. This can be attributed to the fact that counseling is based in psychology, a scientific field, which has traditionally neglected issues of a spiritual nature (Nelson, Kirk, Ane, & Serres, 2011) as well as the practice used within the United States to separate education and religion (Cashwell and Young, 2011). This then results in a significant portion of therapist and counselors who are not prepared to address the issue of spirituality and religion with their clients. One would think that with the value many Americans place on the topic of religion and spirituality that there would come a time when a client would want to address this topic during his or her session.