Counseling African Americans Essay

work and Sues Chapter 14 Counseling Afri crowd out Ameri raises spends a not bad(p) deal of effort exploring pagan particulars and corresponding clinical implications while running(a) with African Americans factors such(prenominal) as family dynamics, educational orientation, spirituality, and the pressures and sieve of racism and marginalization. This offered me perspective through a lens lots broader than my own thus farhandedly narrow, predominantly white, and fairly privileged govern handst agency of relating to the world. Before intellect cultur bothy allow for interventions, one moldiness consume an understanding of the cultural context or the cultural word of an item-by-item.For me, this first means that differences must be noted, either literally in relationship with the African American client or simply as a clinical observation I have on my own. Of course the difference in the two will depend on the client, context, and general relevancy in the mo ment. In my own experience, noting racial difference obstreperously with a client has been most encouraging in that it gives permission for the potentially proscribed topic of race and differences to be selected, brought into the situation at a later time, and even into the forefront of consciousness.Apart from the explicit healthfulal relationship, noting difference is a personal proctor that I am no intelligent on anyones experience save my own, I whitethorn lease mistakes (and belike will), I should steer clear of assumptions, its ok to be curious, and to do my homework. erst a general understanding of differences is established, and then one can begin to consider appropriate redress interventions. Lets take the issue of racism and unlikeness the byproduct of these atrocities oftentimes manifests as defense reaction and survival mechanisms in Black Americans.Which can lead to a general suspicion or as its verbalise (by Sue and Sue) a healthy cultural paranoia, as a way of coping. This doubt can be of individuals, entire races of people, the government, amic fit service providers With this in mind, its primary(prenominal) to determine what the clients feelings and understandings approximately therapy ar. To touch base and explain what benign of therapy I engage in, how it can be dishful to them, and what can be expect of our time together. Hope justy this will help to assuage uneasy feelings of fear of the extraterrestrial being or mistrust, as well as set up a bag for a healthy therapeutic alliance.Although Sue and Sues Afrocentric perspective can be helpful it can in any case simultaneously be placemented as reductive. Its important not to discount individual differences by universalizing traits of African Americans. Self cannot be defined as a unitary concept evolving from a single shaping vari commensurate, such as race or sexual practice (Williams, 1999). For instance, not all women are nurturing, caring, and relational. Similarl y, not all African Americans possess an African ethos of communalism or spirituality. Race, class, sexual orientation, and gender are all complex synergistic components that make up the self.To approach a client through the lens of simply one of these variables, means potentially silencing a central component of their identity. Additionally, it is also essential to consider an internal state without learn to the social demands of each variable. Collectively, these considerations can aide-de-camp to a more holistic view when working with African American clients. place Two After spending a year in practicum at the SF county jail, I feel as though Ive had a fairly decent gate to working with African American females.When I began practicum I had had very little preparedness in diversity or cross-cultural instruction. Turns out that a year in the jail was one large readying in diversity and cross-cultural counseling Now Im able to pin my personal experience against the reading s and gauge my success as a culturally competent therapist. When assessing my strengths, I find that I possess a keen and enormously empathic understanding of how the taste of racism, sexism, and onerousness can manifest in African American women. Oftentimes the byproduct of this stress is what brings the individual to jail.As a clinician, I can confidently say that I am able to enter the therapeutic relationship with a greater readiness for empathy because of this understanding and build a inviolate alliance as an ally as well as a therapist. Im not afraid to make mistakes and have no attachment to being right these qualities will only view as me as a clinician. In addition, my upfront demeanor and willingness to self-disclose have had a unique impact on the therapeutic relationship. My empathy is potently with women and their plight of identifying and addressing all the isms that stand amidst them and equality, wholeness, and health.Frequently, those isms are at the hand s of men and I certainly have a bias towards this, and towards men in general. Its no accident that I worn-out(a) an entire year of practicum working all with women although it wasnt a conscious choice, I study on some aim I chose not to work with men. I have incredible biases towards men as perpetrators and oppressors and men and their privilege, African American men as well as Caucasian. These biases financial support me terrified at the thought of working with male clients. I imagine haemorrhoid and heaps of countertransference between male clients and myself countertransference that is full of pain and rage.Im not sure that I have such(prenominal) to offer men inside the therapeutic space. I dont believe this to be my final answer, I just make love that I have some work to do around my relationship with men before I make the leap of working with them in such sacred space. Essentially, it all comes tidy sum to two core qualities- and they are humility and flexibility h umility in all that I think I know and the flexibility to shift or flip that knowledge. My experience of working with, knowing, and reading almost African American culture, difference, and oppression whitethorn or may not assist me as a therapist at any given moment.What works for and makes awareness in the context of client A, may not be so for Client B, and vise versa. Although it is crucial to have sound knowledge of the legacy of oppression against African American people and to consider factors such as interdependence, collectivism, and emotional vitality as presumed long- standing black personality traits, I must also be able to draw connections between those factors and the individual experience- much like the womanist techniques mentioned in Carmen von Braun Williams obligate African American Women, Afrocentrism and Feminism Implications for Therapy.As a therapist, I am amenable for guiding and supporting the client in making the shift from object to pass on transfe rring ownership of self from one whose self is externally determined to one who is self- determine (Freire, 1990). And practice practice practice, with an open heart, ears, and mind. References Braun Williams, C. (1999). African American women, afrocentrism and feminism Implications for therapy. Women & Therapy, Vol. 22(4) 1999. Freire, P. (1990). direction of the oppressed. New York Continuum. Sue, D. & Sue, D. (2008). Counseling the culturally respective(a) Theory and practice, Chapter 14.