Being a therapist means that one should be able to understand the problems and concerns of their clients and see the way that the customer perceives them. This often might be a hard task, but it can be made even more complicated if the patient and the therapist have different cultural backgrounds. It is no wonder that, for instance, ethnic matching is associated with better counseling results (Weiner & Craighead, 2010, p. 450). Therefore, it is crucial for a therapist to be culturally competent in order to be able to understand the patient’s cultural assumptions, unerringly identify their diagnosis, and choose the proper treatment.
It is noted that the main aspects of diversity include a patient’s identity, culture, ethnicity, race, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, and socioeconomic class (Faculty, 2014). The first and most obvious step for a multicultural therapist is to free oneself from any possible prejudice. To do that, it is worth taking time to carefully reflect upon one’s perceptions of the culture the client belongs to to explicitly see one’s own biases and feelings (Faculty, 2014); trying to track their origins should also be useful. It is also pointed out that considering one’s historical roots, worldview, and beliefs is one of the critical first steps for a therapist (Clay, 2010).
Further, a therapist should study other cultures. Reading books and articles will prove useful. Also, learning a foreign language is recommended, for this will enable a therapist to see the limits imposed on people by their word and to understand cultural differences better (Clay, 2010). It is also worth interacting and socializing with other cultural groups, attending conferences and other research activities dealing with diversity, and putting oneself in a multicultural context.
While interacting with patients, the open acknowledgment of any cultural differences is one of the most useful instruments for a therapist. Even the most obvious steps a therapist can make, such as directly inquiring about the client’s problems, might be considered impolite by representatives of other cultures, and the acknowledgment of the differences will help not to make a wrong impression on the customer (Faculty, 2014). It is also recommended to inquire about any aspects of the patient’s culture that the therapist does not understand, and to keep learning about various aspects of that culture. Even for a highly competent and experienced therapist, there will always be space for improvement, and cultural education needs to be ongoing in their career (Faculty, 2014).
To sum up, it should be stressed that cultural background can play a crucial role in the ability of a therapist to help their patient. Therefore, it is essential to be open towards people’s otherness, continuously learn about other cultures, and openly acknowledge any differences to avoid misunderstandings and not let the patient’s differences hinder the therapy.
References
Clay, R. A. (2010). How do I become culturally competent? Web.
Faculty. (2014). Five important aspects of multicultural counseling competencies. Web.
Weiner, I. B., & Craighead, W. E. (Eds.) (2010). The Corsini encyclopedia of psychology (Vol. 1) (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.