Introduction
Mental counselors otherwise famously referred to as psychiatrists have over the years been challenged by the civil society and well-informed world to be competent when it comes to multicultural awareness issues. This paper identifies multicultural ability as the framework that is very critical in guiding counselors or counselor educators in articulating their roles, motivation and practice to enhance service to their patients. Addressing the issue of cultural diversity is very imperative amidst modern society even as speculation is rife that mental health services need to take into consideration cultural diversity in order to achieve required competence.
Multicultural Awareness Is Essential
Past studies and literature indicate that multicultural competence should be conceptualized in three basic dimensions namely; self-awareness, skills, and knowledge. These dimensions form the basis for counseling mentally ill people. The multicultural counselors association has also developed its standards based on these aspects (Arthur & Achenback, 2002, p. 11). These standards are regarded as dependable and moral codes of practice for guiding the counselors in their counseling sessions, even as they have to attend to clients with a varied ethnic backgrounds.
These three domains are usually incorporated with three traits so as to offer a 3 by 3 design for effective achievement of the counseling goals. This design entails self-awareness by the mental healthcare professionals concerning cultural values and favoritisms (Arthur & Achenback, 2002, p. 12). It also involves professional counselor awareness of the patients’ world perception and culturally correct interventions. These standards present a conceptual structure that helps to promote the multicultural understanding (or sensitivity) and competency of professional counseling.
Amidst universal advancement towards achieving competitive healthcare, there is a lot of pressure on professional practitioners to create or rather define a framework of multicultural competent service with evidence for its efficacy and soundness in enhancing the international results (Arthur & Achenback, 2002, p. 12).
Critical to offering substantial evidence for the grounds on scholar’s base their concern is the question of multicultural competence evaluation. This means that professional mental counselors have to incessantly assess their multicultural competence. They then have to know the available tools for this evaluation, to create and more importantly, to be certain about the constancy and validity of the grading of these tools. As Arredondo and colleagues have noted, research assessment of multicultural competence is the keystone of this practice (1996, p. 17). Competent practitioners have managed to evaluate multicultural competence from the healthcare provider’s perspectives, patient’s viewpoint, and even third person’s way of thought.
Self-Awareness: this can be described as the personal understanding of individual attitudes concerning others (diversity), understanding rights of the minority, character of certain persons, and skills of dealing with a wider range of personalities. Through this factor, professionals can understand that in order to achieve multicultural competence, they need to check their own attitudes, convictions and assumptions, in addition to assessing influence of cultural aspects on others and respect these variations (Arredondo et al, 1996, p. 26). Professional counselors realize that their own understanding and sensitivity to individual cultural tradition is very critical. These counselors are also required to be aware of how their own cultural beliefs and practices have affected their attitudes, values and biases regarding psychological processes (Hill, 2003, p. 8). Professional therapists are also required to identify the limits of their competence and knowledge.
Knowledge: this is understanding or being well acquainted with professional expertise to perform duties. Professionals need to be widely read so as to understand different cultural practices and behaviors. In this way, they are able to have explicit knowledge of their personal cultural background and the ways it influences their personality and professional service (Arredondo et al, 1996, p. 29). Professionals are able to comprehend how discrimination, intimidation, and even stereotyping can affect them or their clients when doing their job. Through this knowledge, practitioners are able to accept personal attitudes, thoughts, and beliefs (Hill, 2003, p. 9). Practitioners in mental healthcare have knowledge of the kind of social impact they can create on others, they understand the different ways of communication since the style could conflict with or instigate efficient counseling procedures with diverse ranger of people.
Professional mental health providers are required to be knowledgeable on how culture, religion and ethnicity influence formation of personality, career choices, the manifestation of mental problems, means of looking to assistance, character, and suitability of interventional approaches (Arthur & Achenback, 2002, p.11). These experts also need to have diverse understanding of patients’ culture in relation to life expectations, history and other experiences.
Skills: skills are very important in order to be able to function or work with different personalities. They are greatly enhanced by the available literature on same topics. Years of practice also enhance practical skills besides those obtained during training (Arredondo et al, p. 29). Mental health providers required very effective communication skills so as to be able to offer their services effectively. Understanding these patients can be tricky. Culturally competent professionals constantly search to recognize themselves as cultural individuals and try to establish a non-racial identity (Hill, 2003, p. 9). Constant searching of consultative, educational and practical experience to enhance understanding and efficiency in the workplace with a variety of patients improves service. This is an indication that the practitioner has accepted his/her limitations and seeks to bridge the gap from consultations or training from other experts (Miller 2003, p. 144).
Professional and multicultural competence requires that the counselors continually get acquainted with applicable and most up-to-date findings concerning mental health and psychological disorders that have an effect on a range of races and ethnic groupings (Arredondo et al, 1996, p. 30). This means that they need to constantly find learning experiences that supplement their skills and awareness for more competitive counseling. It’s also very important for the practitioners to be involved with the underprivileged groups outside practice like in social and community events so that they can have a wider perspective of such groups beyond education and service.
Spiritual Assessment
When treating mental health problems, it’s been found to be very beneficial when spiritual assessment is included. Spiritual beliefs include faiths and thoughts that an individual attaches to aspects of life like the meaning or purposes of living, creation, God and natural powers among others (Geri, 2003, p. 46). Including or use of some spiritual approaches in counseling helps to reveal some morals, beliefs, suppositions and preferences even perception of good and evil among certain patients. However, this approach has over the years raised critical concerns about its ethical considerations since it can get very personal (Dombeck & Karl, 2005, p. 31). Many people link their identity to their beliefs concerning good and evil (Geri, 2003, p. 31). In this regard, spiritual beliefs influence the areas of life that some people attach real importance of living. Many people can attest that the spiritual aspect concerning the purpose of life gives them hope and drive their zeal to live and see what the future holds for them (Miller 2003, p. 144).
Incase the professional counselor realizes that the religious beliefs have contributed or are part of the problems of a mentally ill patient, its pertinent for them to recommend spiritual involvement. Many mental patients also hold believes about their faith and exoneration of sins. Ignoring such concerns may not be advisable (Geri, 2003, p. 31). Common practices have invited clergymen to try and interrogate or get the patient to communicate his/her beliefs. Nevertheless, the most efficient method is that which involves the healthcare practitioner and the clergyman working together and sharing critical information about the client (Dombeck & Karl, 1987, p. 185). Such approach has been very competent as each of them has a change to put in unique skills from their relevant disciplines and offer common solution to the problems. In fact this approach is more holistic kind.
The studies of spiritual analysis indicated that problem-solving was successfully achieved. The patients respond positively when intuitive conceptions of couselling are used just as it would be when spiritual assessment is incorporated. The clients slowly develop the internal experience of recuperation (Dombeck & Karl, 1987, p. 186). This emotional reaction correlates positively with instinctive concept of fighting disability. Hope and self mastery are inspired in patient thus building strong recovery process.
Conclusion
Management of mental healthcare problems requires a holistic approach in relation to the identification of the root cause of the problem, a careful analysis of the problem, and treatment ensuring that the major areas of unhealthiness are treated. This necessitates multicultural competency that enables the practitioner identify culturally related problems with ease and also know how to handle them (Miller 2003, p. 144).
References List
Arthur, N., & Achenback, K. (2002). Developing multicultural counseling competencies through experiential learning. Counselor Education and Supervision, 42(1): 2-15
Arredondo P., Toporek M., Brown S., Jones J., Sanchez J., Locke D., & Stadler, H. (1996). Operation of Multicultural Counseling Competency. Alexandria VA: AMCD A.
Dombeck, M., & Karl, J. (1987). Spiritual Issues in Mental Healthcare. Journal of Religion and Health, 26(3): 183-197.
Geri, M. (2003). Incorporating spirituality in counseling and psychotherapy: theory and technique. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Hill, R. L (2003). Promoting and Celebrating Multicultural Competence in Counselor Trainees. Counselor Education and Supervision, 43:39-51
Miller, G. (2003). Integrating spirituality in counseling and psychotherapy: theory. New Jersey. John Wiley & Sons.