Counseling African Americans Essay

execute and Sues Chapter 14 rede Afri atomic number 50 Americans spends a great deal of effort exploring ethnical particulars and corresponding clinical implications while holding with African Americans factors such as family dynamics, educational orientation, spirituality, and the pressures and workforcetal strain of racism and marginalization. This offered me perspective through a lens much broader than my seeledge somewhat narrow, predominantly white, and fairly privileged way of relating to the world. Before agreement heathenishly appropriate interventions, oneness must(prenominal) confound an sympathy of the cultural context or the cultural word of an individual.For me, this first means that differences must be noted, either literally in relationship with the African American lymph gland or simply as a clinical reflection I make on my own. Of course the difference in the both entrust depend on the client, context, and general relevancy in the moment. In my own arrest, noting racial difference aloud with a client has been near helpful in that it gives permission for the potentially taboo topic of stimulate and differences to be deliberateed, brought into the space at a later time, and even into the promontory of consciousness.Apart from the explicit therapeutic relationship, noting difference is a personal admonisher that I am no expert on any(prenominal)ones give birth but my own, I whitethorn make mistakes (and probably will), I should maneuver clear of assumptions, its ok to be curious, and to do my homework. Once a general under rest of differences is established, then one can begin to consider appropriate therapeutic interventions. Lets take the issue of racism and discrimination the byproduct of these atrocities oftentimes manifests as defense and survival mechanisms in Black Americans.Which can lead to a general mistrust or as its stated (by Sue and Sue) a healthy cultural paranoia, as a way of coping. This mistrust can be of individuals, full races of large number, the government, social service providers With this in mind, its important to determine what the clients feelings and understandings about therapy argon. To touch base and explain what kind of therapy I engage in, how it can be helpful to them, and what can be pass judgment of our time together. Hopefully this will help to assuage uneasy feelings of upkeep of the unknown or mistrust, as well as set up a foundation for a healthy therapeutic alliance.Although Sue and Sues Afrocentric perspective can be helpful it can as well as simultaneously be viewed as reductive. Its important not to rebate individual differences by universalizing traits of African Americans. Self cannot be defined as a unitary concept evolving from a single defining vari subject, such as race or gender (Williams, 1999). For instance, not all women are nurturing, caring, and relational. Similarly, not all African Americans possess an African ethos of communalism or s pirituality. Race, class, knowledge equal orientation, and gender are all complex interactive components that make up the self-importance.To approach a client through the lens of only one of these variables, means potentially silencing a central component of their identity. Additionally, it is also required to consider an internal state without regard to the social demands of each variable. Collectively, these considerations can aide to a more holistic view when working with African American clients. Part Two After spending a stratum in practicum at the SF county throw out, I feel as though Ive had a fairly decent introduction to working with African American females.When I began practicum I had had very little training in novelty or cross-cultural talk over. Turns out that a year in the jail was one large training in diversity and cross-cultural counseling Now Im able to pin my personal experience against the breedings and gauge my success as a culturally competent therapist . When assessing my strengths, I find that I possess a keen and tremendously empathic understanding of how the stress of racism, sexism, and oppression can manifest in African American women. Oftentimes the byproduct of this stress is what brings the individual to jail.As a clinician, I can confidently say that I am able to enter the therapeutic relationship with a greater capacity for empathy because of this understanding and build a strong alliance as an ally as well as a therapist. Im not hunted to make mistakes and start no attachment to being right these qualities will only support me as a clinician. In addition, my upfront sort and willingness to self-disclose have had a remarkable impact on the therapeutic relationship. My empathy is powerfully with women and their plight of identifying and addressing all the isms that stand between them and equality, wholeness, and health.Frequently, those isms are at the pass of men and I certainly have a bias towards this, and towards men in general. Its no accident that I spent an full(a) year of practicum working solely with women although it wasnt a conscious choice, I believe on some level I chose not to work with men. I have incredible biases towards men as perpetrators and oppressors and men and their privilege, African American men as well as Caucasian. These biases keep me fright at the thought of working with male clients. I imagine loads and heaps of countertransference between male clients and myself countertransference that is full of pain and rage.Im not sure that I have much to offer men inside the therapeutic space. I dont believe this to be my final answer, I just know that I have some work to do around my relationship with men to begin with I make the leap of working with them in such unspeakable space. Essentially, it all comes down to two core qualities- and they are humility and flexibleness humility in all that I think I know and the flexibility to shift or discard that knowledge. My ex perience of working with, knowing, and reading about African American culture, difference, and oppression may or may not serve me as a therapist at any given moment.What works for and makes sense in the context of Client A, may not be so for Client B, and vise versa. Although it is crucial to have fundamental knowledge of the legacy of oppression against African American people and to consider factors such as interdependence, collectivism, and emotional vitality as presumed long- standing black personality traits, I must also be able to draw connections between those factors and the individual experience- much like the womanist techniques mentioned in Carmen von Braun Williams article African American Women, Afrocentrism and Feminism Implications for Therapy.As a therapist, I am responsible for guiding and supporting the client in reservation the shift from object to subject transferring ownership of self from one whose self is externally determined to one who is self- determining (Freire, 1990). And practice practice practice, with an pass heart, ears, and mind. References Braun Williams, C. (1999). African American women, afrocentrism and feminism Implications for therapy. Women & Therapy, Vol. 22(4) 1999. Freire, P. (1990). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York Continuum. Sue, D. & Sue, D. (2008). Counseling the culturally diverse Theory and practice, Chapter 14.