Counseling the Culturally Diverse. Laura Smith L.
man.
REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1 How do you explain the different expectations that these two trainees have about a course on multicultural counseling and therapy?
2 Part of becoming a multiculturally competent counselor or therapist is the ability to understand the worldview of clients. What in the lived experience of these two individuals might explain their outlooks?
3 How much does your own racial background affect your perception of these two narratives?
4 Both trainees approach the course with some unease. From analyzing the statements, can you determine what fears they have?
5 Take a few moments to reflect upon your own expectations for the course. What would you like to have covered? What apprehensions or concerns do you have about the course? Can you give voice to them?
6 Because of the changing demographics of the nation, no helping professional can escape from encountering diverse clients. Are you comfortable in talking about issues of differences, marginalization, racism, sexism, and heterosexism with them? If not, what does this mean for you as a helping professional?
Students are frequently asked at the beginning of a course on MCT, what expectations they have. One of the more common responses from White trainees is revealed in the quote above. Reading between the lines, the White trainee seems to be implying that (a) learning about race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation is purely a cognitive or intellectual exercise, (b) emotion is antagonistic to reason, (c) “politics” should be left outside of the classroom, and (d) as a White person, he/she may be blamed for all the racial/ethnic injustices of the world. As we shall see shortly, these expectations are setting up the White student for a very challenging experience in the course.
On the other hand, students of color also approach courses on race with great trepidation. Their concerns are different from that of their White counterparts. They silently ask, “Will my voice be heard or not?” Their experience is that (a) honesty and authenticity in discussing race issues are often absent or glossed over in classes, (b) that when discussed they are “sugar‐coated,” avoided, dismissed, or rationalized away, (c) that students of color are silenced from expressing their emotionality for fear of being labeled “angry or irrational,” and (d) that they are caught in a double‐bind in that they are asked to share their true thoughts and feelings, but are invalidated when they do.
REACTIONS TO THE COURSE
Expectations oftentimes shape the reactions to the course content, especially those in the book. As the course evolves, emotional hot buttons become pushed, as exemplified in the following reactions.
White Student: “How dare you and your fellow caustic co‐authors express such vitriol against White Americans? You are all racists, but of a different color … What makes you think that racism comes just from Whites? Minorities are equally racist. I can't believe you are counselors. Your book does nothing but to weaken our nationalism, our sense of unity and solidarity. If you don't like it here, leave this country. You are all spoiled hate‐mongers who take advantage of our educational system by convincing others to use such a propagandistic book! Shame on you. Your book doesn't make me want to be more multicultural, but take ungrateful people like you and export them out of this great land of mine.”
African American Student: “When I first took this course (multicultural counseling) I did not have much hope that it would be different from all the others in our program, White and Eurocentric. I felt it would be the typical cosmetic and superficial coverage of minority issues. Boy was I wrong. I like that you did not ‘tip toe’ around the subject. Your book Counseling the Culturally Diverse was so forceful and honest that it made me feel liberated … I felt like I had a voice, and it allowed me to truly express my anger and frustration against racism, and to honestly talk about what we experience on a daily basis. White folks don't seem to want to understand how we have been oppressed. Some of the white students were upset and I could see them squirming in their seats when the professor discussed the book. I felt like saying ‘good, it's about time Whites suffer like we have. I have no sympathy for you. It's about time they learned to listen.’ Thank you, thank you, and thank you all for having the courage to write such an honest book.”
Many students approach courses on race, gender, sexual orientation and identity with a combination of excitement, curiosity, and ambivalence. They may have varying expectations about the course content, but are often unprepared to deal with the “hot emotional buttons” pushed in them. Understanding and being able to process feelings are the first steps to becoming a culturally competent counselor/therapist. Unless adequately understood and resolved, these nested or embedded feelings can serve as roadblocks to working effectively with clients who differ from you in terms of race, ethnicity, culture, gender, etc. Let us turn our attention to the reactions of the last two students and distill their meanings.
First, the reactions by the White student reveal immense anger at the content of Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice (CCD), and especially at the authors whom are labeled “hate‐mongers” and “racists.” It is obvious that the student feels the book is biased and propagandistic. The language used by the student seems to indicate defensiveness and the material covered in the book is easily dismissed as political indoctrination. More important, there is an implicit suggestion in the use of “people like you” and “land of mine” that conveys a perception that only certain groups can be considered “American” and that others are “foreigners.” This is similar to statements often made to People of Color: “If you don't like it here, go back to China, Africa, or Latin America.” Likewise, the implication is that this land does not belong to Persons of Color who are U.S. Citizens, but only to White Americans. The emotive tone of the student is one of being angered, offended, and defensive.
What hot buttons are being pushed in the student? Where are the strong reactions coming from? Is the material in the book, biased and political rhetoric, or is the White student having his view of the world challenged? We will delve more deeply into these emotive reactions shortly, but it appears that the student feels unjustly accused of being bigoted. To feel less guilty, the student emphasizes that minorities are equally prejudiced against White Americans. Although it may be an accurate observation, it serves to make the student and other Whites less culpable by equating one form of bias with another. If the student can get other groups to admit they too are “racist,” then less guilt and responsibility for one's own biased beliefs and actions will be experienced.
Second, note that the reaction from the student of color is diametrically opposite to that of the White trainee. This student reacts positively to the material, finds the content helpful in explaining his/her experiential reality, and feels validated and reaffirmed. In other words, the student finds the content of the book truthful, compelling and empathetic. The student of color describes how the content and tone of the book make him/her feel liberated, provide a voice to describe racial experiences, and tap into and allow him/her to express feelings like anger and frustration. The student implies that most courses on multicultural psychology are taught from a EuroAmerican perspective, but the book content “tells it like it is.” Additionally, the student seems to take pleasure in observing the discomfort of White students, expresses little sympathy for their struggles in the class, and enjoys seeing them being placed on the defensive. (We will return to the meaning of this last point shortly.)
It would be a mistake, however, to conclude that White students and students of color respond uniformly in one way. As we will explore in future chapters, many White students react positively to the book and some students of color report negative reactions. However, in general, there are major worldview differences and reactions to the material between the groups. For example, many socially marginalized group members find solace in the book; they describe a deep sense of validation, release, elation, joy, and even feelings of liberation as they read the text.
The important question to ask is, “Why do Students of Color react