Counselling in Cultural Contexts

Book excerpt: This accessible practice-building reference establishes a clear social justice lens for providing culturally-responsive and ethical multicultural counseling for all clients. Rooted in the principles of Culture-Infused Counseling, the book’s practical framework spotlights the evolving therapeutic relationship and diverse approaches to working with clients’ personal and relational challenges, including at the community and system levels. Case studies illustrate interventions with clients across various identities from race, gender, and class to immigration status, sexuality, spirituality, and body size, emphasizing the importance of viewing client’s presenting concerns within the contexts of their lives. Chapters also model counselor self-awareness so readers can assess their strengths, identify their hidden assumptions, and evolve past basic cultural sensitivity to actively infusing social justice as an ethical stance in professional practice. Included in the chapters: · Culture-infused counseling, emphasizing context, identities, and social justice · Decolonizing and indigenous approaches · Social class awareness · Intersectionality of identities · Clients’ spiritual and religious beliefs · Weight bias as a social justice issue · Culturally responsive and socially just engagement in counselling women · Life-making in therapeutic work with transgender clients · Socially-just counseling for refugees · Multi-level systems approaches to interventions While Counseling in Cultural Contexts is geared toward a student/training audience, practicing professionals will also find the case study format of the book to be informative and stimulating.