Bias and Prejudice
Kottler and Shepard (2014) indicate that prejudice and bias affect society negatively. Bias is a downbeat thought of a group or an individual based on economics, religions, or politics. Prejudice revolves around making inappropriate decisions about specific groups without upholding the right truth (Kottler & Shepard, 2014). Bias and prejudice are critical attributes in counseling relationships and acceptance of individual differences. Counselors should reexamine their past views and prejudices against other racial groups. The professionals should be on the frontline to support the rights of every client. Counselors should also guide their clients to neutralize their biases and promote the idea of diversity.
These attributes will definitely dictate my duties as a counselor. I will be obliged to respect the values, concepts, and practices of my clients. Prejudice and bias encourage me to maintain a nonjudgmental stance. This approach will minimize the challenges of bias and prejudice. As a counselor, I will be guided by advocacy and social justice. This knowledge will guide me to develop personalized and culturally competent therapies depending on the attributes of the clients (Kottler & Shepard, 2014). This approach will eventually result in a powerful counseling philosophy.
Diversity and Parity of Services
The world is becoming diverse in terms of population. This kind of diversity explains why mental health workers and counselors have been promoting the parity of services. This emphasis will ensure evidence-based support is available to diverse populations. Flexible therapies will be required to support the diverse needs of different groups. The issue of parity is also critical, whereby every client receives adequate care without discrimination (Kottler & Shepard, 2014). The implementation of powerful programs advocating for parity of services will ensure quality services are available to more people.
I have the potential to take responsibility for responding to these emerging concerns. I will begin by developing a powerful philosophy that can meet the needs of more diverse populations. Whenever providing counseling and human services, I will always focus on diverse groups and provide equal support. The inclusion of more professionals from different backgrounds in my counseling teams will make it easier for me to respond to these concerns (Kottler & Shepard, 2014). I will engage in lifelong learning in an attempt to understand the values and beliefs of more cultural groups.
Understanding the Perspectives of Others
Human service professionals and counselors should be willing to expand their world. Personally, I am planning to implement a powerful plan that can guide me to understand the perspectives of diverse populations. The first approach will be to engage in constant learning. This practice will make it easier for me to learn more about different cultural groups and religious practices (Kottler & Shepard, 2014). The second step is to interact with more counselors and professionals from different regional and cultural backgrounds. The counselors will equip me with new ideas that can expand my world.
The third strategy will be to travel widely and interact with more people from diverse backgrounds. This practice will equip me with new competencies that can support my philosophy. The fourth approach will be to engage in continuous practice. This kind of practice will guide me to offer quality therapy to more people from diverse backgrounds. The fifth strategy will be to provide counseling to more individuals from drivers backgrounds (Kottler & Shepard, 2014). I will offer support to different groups, such as African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans. The practice will widen my skills and eventually make me a knowledgeable provider of culturally competent therapies.
Reference
Kottler, A., & Shepard, S. (2014). Introduction to counseling: Voices from the field (8th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks.