Counselor And Client Characteristics Of The American Indians

Counselor and Client Characteristics
This counselor used tables: 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3 in the textbook. When this counselor looked that the componts of white culture, generic characteristics of counseling, and the racial/ethnic minority group variables of the American Indians. First thing that stood out to this counselor is: the compont of white culture is individual is the primary unit and has the primary responsivity. Another thing is that the single person can control their environment. Also in the white culture the nuclear family is ideal for the social unit. The characteristic of counseling is the nuclear family. However, Native American culture believes that they have an extended family and do not have to be necessarily be blood related. They believe that the whole tribe is there family. When it comes to communication white culture’s belief is standard English and direct eye contact and the same thing for the counseling characteristics. However, Native American culture is bilingual background and they perceive direct eye contact to be disrespectful. On the aspect of competition in white culture it is a win/lose dichotomy and winning is everything, but in the Native American culture it is not competitive it is cooperation. The white culture says that time is a commodity and the generic counseling characteristic is faithful to fifty minute sessions; however, the Native American culture believes on the present time position.
Cultural Awareness
When a counselor wants to provide services to Native American populations, they first need to know some facts about the population. According to Harper 2011, the are 550 federally reconized tribes in the United States. These 550 tribes represent over 200 different languages. When...

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...antraditonal (Thomason, 2011, p. 25)”. In the previous addiction of the DSM-IV, it mentions numerous found in Native Americans and they mimic the same symptoms of found in other cultures. Most of those due to spiritual practices like possession.
Trimble (2010), asserts that when working with Native Amercian populations, counselors need to embrace the differences, make sure appointments are sheduled for flexibility in the counseling sessions, be open to allow the extended family in the in the counseling sessions, be mindful that it takes time to build trust with this population and allow extra sessions and do not force the trusting process before getting to the root issues, if the client wants to be silent be respectful as this could be a part of their process, respect their culture, and confidentality is important to them so have a high respect for this part.