well on tests. John and Melinda have been called by the school about Leo’s sleeping in class and poor test scores. They are very upset with Leo’s recent performance on tests and have tried to talk to him about his recent poor performance. However, whenever his parents approach him, Leo says he has it under control and that he will take care of it and then goes to his room. The school scheduled a meeting during the school day with John and Melinda, but they were unable to attend it because of their work schedules, and the school did not offer an alternative. The school assumed that the Whites were not invested in Leo’s education. The school counselor, Ms. Fields, is a White woman from a middle-class background. She has met with Leo. Ms. Fields tried to talk to Leo, but he would barely speak to her and kept shrugging his shoulders, looking at the floor when she tried to elicit reasons for his sleeping and poor test performance. The school counselor has seen kids like Leo before and assumes that school is not a priority at home for Leo; judging from his parents’ absence from the meeting, she feels her opinion is correct. She meets with Leo a few more times, but he refuses to answer questions about what he is doing with his time and who he is spending time with. She tells Leo to schedule a session with her when he is ready to be a bit more forthcoming. Leo never reschedules, and his performance continues to be poor for the rest of the year, resulting in him having to repeat math. Questions 1. How does the school’s approach to resolving Leo’s school problems reflect culturally embedded beliefs? 2. How might Ms. Fields’s culturally embedded beliefs have affected her interactions with Leo? 3. What should Ms. Fields have taken into account to practice with cultural humility? 4. If you were the counselor, what would you do? Why? Discussion The school and the counselor seem to be making assumptions about the reasons for Leo’s poor performance. As an end result, Leo was left without help that might Case 2: James Choi James Choi is a 25-year-old Korean American, a new college graduate who recently accepted a job as a fundraiser at the Humane Society. He was adopted when he was eight months old into a middle-class White family. He seeks therapy because he feels that he is not achieving as much as he would like with his career. James is feeling anxious and has some symptoms of depression. His family physician has prescribed an antidepressant and encourages James to participate in psychotherapy. He is seeing Denise, a clinical psychologist who works in a large mental and behavioral health counseling practice. Denise is a 30-year-old White woman. She is a recent graduate who learned a bit about Asian American culture in her graduate coursework. On James’s first visit, Denise asks him what brings him to counseling. James explains that he is disappointed in himself for not achieving more in his career. He explains that he has been feeling anxious and depressed and identifies the antidepressant that he is taking. Denise nods in understanding and remembers that Asian American families often have high academic standards and family members have a difficult time seeking therapy, as they are concerned about losing face. As a result, Denise compliments James for being brave enough to seek therapy. James seems confused by Denise’s response but manages to say thank you. James then proceeds to tell Denise that his parents encouraged him to seek therapy, as they thought that he was showing signs of
have prevented him from failing math. The Whites might benefit from the school’s engaging in a dialogue with them regarding their availability to meet; the school could offer to meet at the Whites’ home and could inquire about the overall situation at home. The counselor neglected to engage Leo as an equal partner in the counseling process, leaving it to him to speak up, and located the problem squarely within him. Had Ms. Fields considered the possible institutional and societal structures that might be preventing Leo from doing his homework, she might have been more successful in advocating for him on a variety of levels. Although it is unlikely Ms. Fields could have changed the Whites’ work schedules, she might have advocated for the school administrators or, perhaps, the teachers in the school to change some of their practices, allowing Leo the opportunity to succeed given the circumstances of his family life that are rooted in societal inequities. A counselor practicing within a culturally humble and social justice orientation would not locate the problem within the individual but would look to the environmental factors that contribute to the actions and reactions of the individual (Sue & Sue, 2021). In the case of Leo White, he is not performing well in school. The school counselor locates the problem within Leo and his family and is thus unable to help Leo as he continues to struggle in school. Social justice counseling would suggest that Leo and his family might be victims of a school environment and a larger sociocultural environment that is racist and classist. The White, middle-class school counselor has failed to understand Leo’s experience as both a Black student and a student with few financial resources. If she had looked at these mezzo and macro issues, the focus of her assessment and intervention would have shifted, as she would have been inclined to explore the economic and residential realities of the White family (Sue & Sue, 2021). The assessment of the Whites’ economic reality would require the counselor to focus on the larger systems contributing to Leo’s school difficulties and thus to look for solutions to Leo’s school difficulties on the systems level (Sue & Sue, 2021). depression. Denise is surprised that an Asian family would encourage their son to seek counseling but knows that she may have been stereotyping based on his ethnicity. Denise continues with the questions, as she does want to know more about his feelings regarding not achieving as much as he would like in his career as well as his symptoms of anxiety and depression. She asks James why he is feeling that he is not achieving as much as he should be. James shrugs and says he thought he would be at a higher position after completing college. Denise knows that Asian Americans often expect high achievement from their children, so she asks James how his parents feel about his success thus far. James surprises her again when he says his parents are extremely proud of him and think he has landed a great first job. Denise is baffled and asks James to share more about his disappointment given his parents’ support and his success at both graduating from college and getting a job so quickly. She remembers again to be careful not to stereotype. When the session concludes, she asks James to schedule another session so they can explore his concerns further. James says he will on his way out and thanks Denise for her help. Yet, he never returns to counseling. Questions 1. What are some of the possible reasons James did not pursue further therapy with Denise? 2. How could Denise have prepared differently for her session with James?
Book Code: PCUS1526
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