Social workers encounter different situations that require their experience and skills to address the issues affecting each client. The situation is further complicated when they are dealing with minority groups from different cultures. A social worker must understand the role of culture and develop appropriate multicultural and cross-cultural skills to help them understand a client and recommend appropriate therapies (Bent-Goodley et al., 2016) . In the case of Aaron should be aware of the influence of culture, have relevant knowledge and counseling skills, be mindful of language barriers, and address fear and distrust to successfully counsel the client.
A councilor from a dominant group can use their racial and ethnic characteristics to marginalize clients from minority groups by assuming that what works for the dominant group will achieve the same results for minority groups. Such assumptions will lead to potentially harmful therapies that will not realize the desired outcome (Wendt et al., 2014). A social worker from a dominant culture will not understand the unique attributes of an immigrant or refugee and will use the wrong approaches without understanding the interplay of cultural factors on a client's wellbeing and state of mind (Bent-Goodley et al., 2016). The inability to understand an immigrant like Aaron will make it difficult for them to open up and share relevant information to help develop a therapy.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Racism and prejudice can have devastating effects on an immigrant by affecting their ability to acculturate and understand the dominant culture but instead will prefer doing things the way they know, creating negative perceptions from the dominant culture affecting the process of assimilation. Aaron's case is a classic example of the challenges faced by immigrants who try to integrate into the dominant culture yet lack requisite support from existing structures like family, friends, and institutions. Most clients feel neglected and secluded by the people they call family, and in the end, they will develop negative attitudes towards others, including family (Sue & Sue, 2016). The best response for Aaron on seclusion should be to encourage him to understand the dominant culture and try to acculturate. Relevant skills for multicultural sensitive social workers include self-awareness of cultural worldview, valuing diversity, knowledge of Aaron's culture, and the dynamics of minor cultures (Sue, 2010). Lastly, it is critical to institutionalize cultural knowledge and adapt to diversity.
References
Bent-Goodley, T., Snell, C., & Carlton-LaNey, I. (2016). Black perspectives and social work practice. Journal Of Human Behavior In The Social Environment , 27 (1-2), 27-35. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2016.1252604
Sue, D. (2010). Microaggressions and Marginality: Manifestation, Dynamics, and Impact . John Wiley & Sons.
Sue, D., & Sue, D. (2016). Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice, 7th Edition (7th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Wendt, D., Gone, J., & Nagata, D. (2014). Potentially Harmful Therapy and Multicultural Counseling. The Counseling Psychologist , 43 (3), 334-358. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000014548280
