3 Common Myths about Diversity & Multiculturalism in Counselling, Debunked

People from many different cultures live in Australia and present to therapy with various issues.  Part of the process of becoming an effective counsellor involves learning how to recognise and value diversity, and shaping counselling practice to respect clients’ worldviews.  You may be surprised by these three common myths about this aspect of the work, and hopefully encouraged that becoming a diversity-competent counsellor may be simpler than you think.

Myth 1: To be an effective multicultural counsellor, I must learn all I can about my clients’ culture and values.

Fact:  Whilst it is good practice to study about clients’ culture and values, we don’t need to know every detail of their ethnicity to provide good counselling.  In fact, it is just as important to know about our own culture – including assumptions, biases, values and the tendency toward ethnocentricity (the belief that our race/ethnic group is the most significant).  In other words, effective counsellors understand their own cultural conditioning.  Becoming a diversity-competent counsellor involves at times challenging the values we hold and how such values are likely to influence our multicultural practice.  Learning to reflect on whatever blind spots we may have, takes time and courage.  It can help to remember that, althoughwe may differ from one another in a lot of different ways, all of us have in common our humanity and God-given needs for significance, security and redemption.

Myth 2:  The most important instrument I have to work with clients from other cultures is cross-cultural sensitivity.

Fact:  Cross-cultural sensitivity is crucial, but the most important instrument you have to work with as a counsellor is yourself as a person.   To every counselling session, you bring your human qualities and the experiences that have influenced you.  You own needs, motivations; values and personality traits can either enhance or interfere with your effectiveness as counsellor.  Placing too much emphasis on cross-cultural sensitivity skills and processes, or the provision of value-free counselling, can be a swing too far on one extreme position, often at the expense of genuineness. A better choice may be our willingness to shed stereotypes roles and be a real person in a relationship. Don’t be afraid to ask clients directly to provide you with the information you need to work effectively (‘how do people do it from where you come from?’).  Gerald Corey puts it well: if as counsellors we hide behind the safety of our professional role, our clients will keep themselves hidden from us…the degree of aliveness and psychological health of the counsellor are crucial variables that determine the outcome.

Myth 3: Cross-cultural training is not necessary if I am an effective, person-centred therapist.

Fact: This is the flip side of the prior issue or myth.  Although it’s true that your personhood is a critical factor in building therapeutic alliance, effective multicultural practice does demand ongoing learning about culture; flexibility; and a willingness to modify strategies to fit the needs and the situation of individual clients.  In my work with survivors of torture and trauma, for example, it has been helpful to learn about the dynamics of oppression, racism, discrimination and stereotyping, because these issues impact on the counselling work and process. Likewise, knowledge about the historical and political background, traditions, and values of the client populations with whom I work adds a new dimension in understanding between me and my clients.  Whenever necessary, use professional interpreters for clients who require this, and consult with other multiculturally sensitive professionals to help you determine whether, or where, referral may be needed.

MAX SCHNEIDER – aifc Sydney Centre Director & Also Canberra Centre Director
CRED:  Grad Cert Psyc & Couns; Grad Cert Child MH; Adv Dip CFT; Cert IV TAE, WT; BA Comms

Max Schneider is counsellor and family therapist specialising in work with children and adolescent survivors of torture and trauma.  He has over 10 years’ experience counselling in a variety of settings including schools, the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS), and in private practice.  He is aifc’s NSW & Canberra Regional Director and International Student Program (English) Manager.