RELEVANCE TO FUTURE PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
Marginalised groups are everywhere in our community. We encounter them in our workplace, in churches and even in our homes. Some of these marginalized communities include senior citizens, those with disabilities, racial minorities, drug abusers, those with cognitive impairments, people living in poverty and even sex offenders. These groups are often excluded from full participation of the American dream. There is little to no contact between the society and the marginalized groups hence they secretly suffer from low confidence levels ,which in turn deters them from achieving their potential. Marginalised groups encounter barriers in accessing healthcare, public services, employment opportunities and human rights. In the end, it society that pays the price when they fail to achieve their potential. These groups need to have full access to the opportunities out there to help them achieve their potential.
U.S citizens have mixed reactions when it comes to matters related to equity, diversity and inclusion. Some support a more diverse and inclusive country while others feel the need to limit the access and privileges of people from marginalized people. Marginalised communities are often victims of society stigma, discrimination, bullying and violence hence there is need to encourage professionals such as counselors to open doors for them. Counselors also encounter individuals who have a strong discrimination to marginalised groups. The counseling profession is one committed to social justice and embracing diversity. Several articles have been written to help them work without biasness when working with clients from marginalized groups but few have been written on handling clients with a strong discrimination to marginalised people. My target group in this research will be counselors because they often encounter these two groups. They have to help their clients and guide them towards the path of achieving their potential .I decided to delve in this subject and see the relevance to counselors in their future professional practice
Counselors meet clients who express strong discriminatory views about marginalized groups. Therefore, they are often faced with the dilemma of advocating for social justice and equality and at the same time avoid imposing their personal values on their clients. If counselors erroneously assume discriminatory statements from these clients and the statements are not related to the client’s problem, it may directly cause a barrier between the counselor and the client . Handling these clients is a topic that is hardly covered in counseling programs. It is important for counselors to be exposed to materials that will help them make sound decisions based on worth ethics, values and social justice concerns .Counseling students are required to learn theories and frameworks such the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics (2014) which have been developed based on single-cultural society. However, with the rising diversity in our society there is need for counselors to be trained to practice in a multicultural world. The American Counseling Association had initially identified “fostering human development throughout their lifetime” as a core value of counseling profession. However, the national accrediting body for counselors later established human development was as one of the eight knowledge areas . This shows that in today’s society, counselors should not only focus on human development but also be equipped with skills of understanding the nature of individuals in these multicultural societies. Focusing on theories that are only centered on the dominant population may be a big disservice to a multi- cultural society.
In conclusion, having identified that our society is increasingly becoming multicultural and diversified, there is need for counselors to move towards a social justice standpoint when offering counseling services. This research will focus on the shifting of counselors’ perspectives and methods they can use to achieve this.
Annoted Bibliography
These articles used were suitable because they express the difference in counseling in the ancient days where there was not so much diversity, and how counseling ought to have changed in this diversified society. The articles then proceed to show how counselors can delve in research, cultivate different ways of tackling human development and deepening the understanding of how interconnected our society is. After knowing the interconnection, the articles show how counselors can identify the human and nonhuman elements that affect the way people work together.
Guiffrida, D., Tansey, M., & Miller, D. (2019). A Constructive Approach to Help Counselors
Work With Clients Who Express Discriminatory Views. Journal of Counseling &
Development, 97(1), 105-112. doi:10.1002/jcad.12240
This article discusses how counselors ought to go grow and increase skills, that is undergo clinical supervision, in their profession. Guiffrida claims that that will make them make sound ethical decisions and work from a social justice perspective. It also gives an approach to clinical supervision that is based on constructivist principles of learning and growth. For instance, the author cites that reflective approaches to supervision , facilitates self-examination required to help counselors work through complex ethical dilemmas. This is where supervisees will develop their own decisions by reflecting on their prejudice and reactions to clients. The article proceeds to talk about how this reflective process enables counselors to understand clients by exploring how the culture and experiences of the client can shape his world view. Guiffrida argues that this approach is a good approach because it is in line with principles of multicultural counseling. The authors further give an over view of the foundations constructive clinical supervision, how to facilitate self-reflection and foster the relationships between clients and their employees.
The article is relevant to counselors who face the dilemma of balancing between social justice and imposing their beliefs to their clients. Counselors should see to it that they maintain the rapport with their clients for effective counseling. The self-reflective approach to counseling will help counselors maintain this rapport.
Lee, K. A., & Kelley-Petersen, D. J. (2018). Service Learning in Human Development:
Promoting Social Justice Perspectives in Counseling. The Professional Counselor, 8(2),
146-158.doi:10.15241/kal.8.2.146
This article emphasizes on the need for counselors to shift to a social justice perspective when dealing with clients. The authors start by noting that counselors need to be involved in service learning in this diversified society. Service learning involves teaching that is active and is centered on real world issues. This approach integrates the academic content obtained in class with the activities in the community that address the society needs. The article describes how exposure to counseling environments has enhanced counselor’s professional development. It further describes how to engage in service learning and how the engagement impacts counselors application of social justice perspective in their counseling services .Finally, the authors call to counselors is for them to be advocates of social justice.
The introduction to service learning to counseling education is a good step because counselors get exposed to real life issues in a multicultural world. Therefore, future counselors will be more skilled when dealing with clients who are marginalised or clients who have strong discrimination towards marginalised groups.
Grzanka, P. R. (2020). The shape of knowledge: Situational analysis in counseling psychology
research. Journal of Counseling Psychology. doi:10.1037/cou0000527
This article describes situational analysis as a tool for mapping qualitative data. This tool helps researchers in counseling to make visual maps that will show dynamics, that may not be clear through traditional approaches using qualitative data. Grzanka talks of how situational analysis is useful in helping researchers unearth what is present and not present in any set of data. He adds that what is often not said makes the shape of knowledge to be structural rather than biased. This article then describes different kinds of situational analysis maps. For example, he describes that part of the mapping process involves identifying human and non-human factors. This process shows how factors that may not initially seem major such as having a new technology or new bureaucratic are affecting individuals and other things in a particular situation. He then challenges researchers to consider non-human objects and claims that counselors who don’t factor in the role of non-humans may find this method to be difficult. Finally, the article to outlines the assumptions made with the situational maps.
This article is very relevant to a counselor’s professional practice. Counselors ought to include research as they shift towards engaging equality and social justice perspective in their services. This article shows how situational analysis tool aids in factoring in the information that is not said yet may affect the decisions made by counselors. However, just like any research methodology, it might have errors. Therefore, the method cannot be completely accurate.