The 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 individual’s actions and reactions (Sue & Sue, 2016). 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 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, 2016). 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, 2016). Case 2: James James is a 25-year-old Korean American, a new college graduate who recently accepted a job as a fund-raiser at the Humane Society. He was adopted into a middle-class White family when he was eight. He seeks counseling because he feels he is not achieving as much as he would like with his career. He is assigned to Denise, who is a 30-year-old White counselor. Denise is a recent graduate who has learned a bit about Asian American culture in her counseling 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. Denise nods in understanding and remembers that Asian American families often have high academic standards and difficulty seeking counseling, concerned about losing face. As a result, Denise compliments James on being brave enough to seek counseling. James seems confused by Denise’s response but manages to say thank you. James then tells Denise his parents encouraged him to seek counseling, as they thought he was a bit depressed. 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. She asks James why he feels he is not achieving as much as he should be. James shrugs and says he thinks he will be in 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 incredibly 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 graduating from college and getting a job quickly. She remembers again to be careful not to stereotype. However, the session is over, and she asks James to schedule another session so they can explore his concerns further. James says he will be on his way out and thanks Denise for her help. However, he never returns to counseling. Questions 1. What are some reasons James might not have pursued further counseling with Denise? 2. How could Denise have prepared differently for her session with James? 3. How might she have applied some of the facets of cultural humility in her counseling? 4. How do you think James thinks the counselor perceives him? Is it helpful to the therapeutic relationship? Discussion The case illustrates how unintentional stereotyping can hinder the development of a therapeutic relationship. Denise is aware that she may be stereotyping but is having difficulty changing
her thinking about Asian Americans. James’s experiences in life are vastly different from what Denise imagines; thus, he feels as if he is not being understood or helped by Denise. Denise might be allowed to engage in critical self-reflection after her session with James. She might ask herself what went wrong. She might further explore her stereotypical reaction to James and how that might have alienated him rather than engaged him in working with her. Denise might have had more success if she had questioned him more about his background and family and hired him as an expert on his own life as she forged a respectful partnership with him. It seems as if Denise felt she had to be the expert and display cultural competency, which may have prevented her from listening to James and discovering the unique diversity in his life. Case Study 3: Linda Linda is a 28-year-old White woman with two children, ages 7 and 3. She and her fiancé live in a trailer park in a rural area. She comes into the county mental health clinic because she is experiencing headaches and dizziness and often has severe stomachaches. The clinic physician suggested Linda make an appointment because, upon examination, she could not find a physical reason for Linda’s headaches and stomach problems. During the intake, Linda reports that she often skips meals or eats something from the vending machine at work for lunch; she also admits smoking. Linda also says that she typically feels fine and tries limiting her clinic visits. When Janine, the Black, upper-middle-class counselor, asks Linda what she feels her stomachaches are caused by, Janine seems unsure and on the verge of tears. Janine compliments Linda for coming to counseling and asks her to discuss her problems more fully. Linda states that she has much stress in her life as she has two minimum-wage jobs and two kids. She says that her fiancé is supportive, but he also experiences tremendous stress. Janine is empathetic and agrees that there is much stress in Linda’s life. Janine asks Linda what she does to reduce stress. Linda states that her breaks at work allow her to smoke and temporarily relieve her anxiety and physical symptoms. Janine feels strongly that smoking is a bad habit, and although it might temporarily relieve stress, Linda should attempt healthy stress relief techniques. Linda nods in agreement but acknowledges it has been difficult to quit smoking. Janine asks what Linda likes to do in her free time. Linda states she has little free time between work and her kids. Janine asked Linda if she would like information about a smoking-cessation class offered at the clinic to help her stop smoking. Linda nods and accepts the pamphlet Janine offers. They spend the rest of the session brainstorming about other ways to reduce the stress in Linda’s life. Linda is engaged in the brainstorming and agrees to use her work breaks to overcome her anxiety. At the end of the session, Janine again affirms Linda, telling her she is glad that she came in and that it is beautiful. She will begin smoking-cessation classes and use her work breaks to decrease her stress by taking a short walk. Linda misses several subsequent sessions with Janine. She showed up for a session with Janine several months later. Janine greets Linda warmly and says she has missed her at her previously scheduled sessions. Janine then asks Linda about her stress and her headaches and stomachaches. Linda says she is still very stressed and continues to experience headaches and stomachaches. Janine gently asks whether she attended any smoking cessation sessions. Linda states she does not have the time or energy to attend the classes. Janine asks whether Linda has been walking during work breaks. Linda looks abashed but admits that she is still using leaves to smoke. Janine is frustrated and asks Linda what she thinks they should work on in session today to reduce stress. Linda does not know what to do, so Janine suggests they try other options to reduce stress. Linda agrees. The rest of the session is spent developing a detailed plan to reduce stress through breathing exercises and a plan to try to attend smoking cessation sessions.
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