COUC 504 Week 5 Group DB Forum 4 Example

Group Discussion Board Forum 4: Thread and Replies

COUC 504 Multicultural Counseling, Group Discussion Board Forum 4 (thread and two replies)

Thread by [Student Name]

The prompt, the writer's background and the classmates' posts are composites standing in for the course's own forum; the studies, Scripture and textbooks are real and described from their published sources; the requirements follow Liberty's public course guide for COUC 504.

Thread

Writing about a whole cultural group in 450 words risks turning people into a list of traits, so I want to focus on one issue that this module's readings and article made clear: trust. Many African American clients come to counseling, if they come at all, carrying good reasons to be cautious about it. As a White counselor in training, I need to understand those reasons before I can expect a client to sit across from me and speak freely.

Whaley (2001) describes cultural mistrust as a psychological construct with deep historical roots and two decades of research behind it at the time he wrote. Among African Americans, wariness of White people and institutions developed in response to discrimination, and Whaley argues that clinicians should understand it rather than mistake it for paranoia or resistance. He also notes the double bind counselors face: they are told to respect cultural differences yet warned against stereotyping. His answer is to focus on specific, researched cultural factors, which is what I am trying to do here.

Ward et al. (2013) add a community picture. In a survey of 272 African American adults aged 25 to 72, participants showed some knowledge of the symptoms and causes of mental illness but were not very open to acknowledging psychological problems, were very concerned about stigma, were somewhat open to seeking mental health services and preferred religious coping. Men and women, and younger and older adults, differed in significant ways, which is a reminder that no single description fits everyone.

For a counselor, the first session may have to earn trust that history has given clients good reason to withhold. In practice, I would explain confidentiality carefully, invite questions about me and my approach, ask how the client's faith helps them cope and treat early guardedness as a sensible starting point rather than an obstacle. Hays and Erford (2018) describe that kind of transparency as part of building culturally responsive relationships.

The prophet Micah sums up what God requires as justice, steadfast kindness and a humble walk (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Micah 6:8). Humility, for a counselor, includes accepting that a client owes me no trust at the start.

Classmates: how would you respond if a client asked directly whether you could understand their experience?

Reply to Monique

Monique, you proposed that counselors build partnerships with Black churches, since many African American families turn to their pastors first. Your idea fits the preference for religious coping that Ward et al. (2013) found, and I think it is one of the most promising strategies we have discussed. Research suggests, however, that it is still at an early stage. Hankerson and Weissman (2012) systematically reviewed studies of church-based programs for mental disorders among African Americans published over three decades. Of 1,451 studies identified, only eight met their criteria; five focused on substance use, and only one, with just seven participants, focused on depression. They concluded that church-based programs have helped address racial disparities for several chronic medical conditions, but the evidence for mental disorders is extremely limited.

That does not argue against your idea; if anything, it shows how much room there is for counselors to contribute. It suggests that counselors who partner with churches should evaluate what they do, so that the partnership produces evidence as well as goodwill. A counselor could, for example, offer a depression education series with a pastor and measure whether attendees later seek help. Have you seen a church in your area that already works with mental health professionals, and what made that partnership work?

Reply to Kyle

Kyle, you asked whether a White counselor can ever be as effective with African American clients as a Black counselor, and you admitted the question makes you anxious. It is an honest question, and the research gives a more hopeful answer than you might expect. In a pair of meta-analyses, Soto et al. (2018) found that what predicted outcomes was clients' perception of their therapist's cultural competence, which correlated with outcomes at about .38, while therapists' own ratings of their competence did not. In other words, clients care about how well the counselor understands them, which is something a counselor of any background can work to earn.

That does not mean race is irrelevant. Some clients will prefer a counselor who shares their background, and honoring that preference, including referring when appropriate, is part of respecting client autonomy. But it suggests that your anxiety could be redirected into the skills that clients actually notice: curiosity, transparency, willingness to discuss race and openness to feedback. The account of cultural mistrust in Whaley (2001) also suggests that acknowledging the history directly may help rather than hurt, since a client who sees the counselor name the reason for caution has less need to test whether the counselor understands it. What do you think would help you feel ready to raise race with a client yourself?

References

English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)

Hankerson, S. H., & Weissman, M. M. (2012). Church-based health programs for mental disorders among African Americans: A review. Psychiatric Services, 63(3), 243-249. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201100216

Hays, D. G., & Erford, B. T. (2018). Developing multicultural counseling competence: A systems approach (3rd ed.). Pearson.

Soto, A., Smith, T. B., Griner, D., Domenech Rodríguez, M., & Bernal, G. (2018). Cultural adaptations and therapist multicultural competence: Two meta-analytic reviews. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74(11), 1907-1923. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22679

Ward, E. C., Wiltshire, J. C., Detry, M. A., & Brown, R. L. (2013). African American men and women's attitude toward mental illness, perceptions of stigma, and preferred coping behaviors. Nursing Research, 62(3), 185-194. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNR.0b013e31827bf533

Whaley, A. L. (2001). Cultural mistrust: An important psychological construct for diagnosis and treatment of African Americans. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 32(6), 555-562. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.32.6.555