Blog 8

            Chapter 8 was very interesting to read.  This chapter was about multi-cultural approaches to career counseling.  I believe this to be an appropriate topic due to the amount of diversity counselors will encounter within students.  Brown (2016) mentions “Values-Based Multicultural Career Counseling” and the eight steps a counselor should take (pg. 145).  The eight steps are (1) assessing cultural variables, (2) communication style and establishing the relationship, (3) selecting a decision-making model, (4) the identification of career issues, (5) and (6) the establishment of culturally appropriate goals and the selection of culturally appropriate interventions, (7) the implementation and evaluation of the interventions used, and (8) advocacy.  I really enjoyed reading those eight different steps because it takes into consideration the person you are working with and their culture. 

            As a counselor we need to take into account that not every one we are working will, culturally are the same.  What I, the counselor, might find to be appropriate may very well be an insult to others and vice versa.  The one step that caught my attention was step 2 the communication style and establishing the relationship.  I found this to be compelling because Brown (2016) lists figure 8.3 the different “Verbal Styles of the Major Cultural Groups in the United States” (pg. 149).  For example, in that figure Brown (2016) says that those who are culturally whit will speak in a moderate loudness and moderately rapid.  Interruption with this cultural is acceptable and they are very direct.  As compared to those of white cultural, someone in the Asian American cultural will talk soft and rather slow.  Interruption is not acceptable and they may speak very indirect.  It is important to know the differences in language because you do not want to come off as rude or disrespectful to another person’s cultural.

            I will not remember all the different languages and what’s appropriate to cultural and what’s not appropriate to cultural but I appreciate this chapter exposing me to the differences.  Being exposed to such differences will allow me, the counselor, to think twice before becoming offended with different types of language that is used also help me understand the differences amongst students.  When I think that a child’s language or verbal style is “weird” I will double think my reaction and realize this issue could be culturally based and it is no my job as a counselor to judge but to understand and accept the differences.