Vignette and Class Discussion: How to Make the Most of Your Time in Class

Findings  

Minority groups perceive family as an essential element in their daily work. They value collectivism and would not like to be treated individually. Subscribing them to one on one sessions negate their cultural beliefs discouraging them from participating in counseling sessions. The staff members who speak a different language are few compared to the number of patients from minority groups. Such disparities contribute to language barriers that limit the effectiveness of service delivery. Where clients are not conversant with the dominant language, an interpreter or family member who understands the language is employed. Challenges arise when the interpretation is done wrongly or used in a different context. 

Some of the minority group members cannot afford to pay the required fee per session. This is because some of them do not have reliable sources of income or lead poor lifestyles. Limited acceptance of insurance by the firm also limits the number of minority clients who can access counseling sessions. Having a fixed time of operation from nine to five restricts the number of customers that access services offered by the agency. Time orientation is different among various cultural groups. Some of the minority group members do not take time as crucial like their white counterparts. Some would even like to participate in counseling sessions late in the evening. 

Minority groups perceive the dominant race as biased and insensitive. Some of them would not be comfortable attending meetings with White counselors. They read nonverbal communications that display the perception of the professional towards them. Some therapists from the dominant group are not conversant with the culture of the minority groups. Their orientation to counseling is different and would take a medical approach to all their diagnosis. Lack of understanding contributes to wrong treatment of patients. 

Recommendations 

To reduce cases of premature termination of counseling/ therapy, Generic Family Services should employ different strategies that will promote multicultural counseling. To effectively manage minority groups, therapists should incorporate family in the sessions. The success of therapy can only be achieved if the language barrier is eliminated by having bilingual counselors or employing qualified interpreters. Clients who are not conversant with the dominant language should only be served by someone who understands their language and culture. The firm should develop user-friendly products for minority groups. Such services should take into account the incomes of the clients and charge according to their ability to pay. The agency should also increase insurance products that are acceptable to reach more customers. It should develop a flexible working time to accommodate the needs of its clients. The firm should employ more therapists from minority groups. The counselors should, first of all, understand the cultural practices of minority groups before administering any therapy. It is also necessary to know the conditions that affect different groups in order to develop an effective therapy. 

Reference  

Sue, D. W., & Sue, D. (2013).  Counselling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice  (6th ed.). Hobroken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons