Louise, a 57-year-old Native American widow, was referred to your agency for counseling by her doctor. The doctor recently diagnosed her with diabetes and is worried that her drinking will seriously impact her health. She receives $479 per month from her deceased husband’s Social Security, and lives with her niece and her niece’s husband in a suburb of Phoenix, where she babysits her niece’s three small children during the day as payment for living in their home. She tells you that she has no living children of her own; her husband was an African American who worked as a cab driver when he wasn’t sick. Louise admits to binge drinking but believes she is entitled to feel good from time to time. Plus, she tells you that everyone in her family drinks, so it’s okay. She also tells you that she believes the troubles in her life have been inflicted on her by an ex-family member she describes as a witch.
How would your cultural identity affect how you approach and/or treat this client? List potential generalizations and stereotypes that you may have about this client, based on her cultural background. Describe some of your own cultural assumptions, beliefs, and values that might create barriers in the counseling relationship.
What are some cultural and sociopolitical reasons that this client might mistrust you? Using culture-centered concepts discussed in the readings and videos, describe how you would work with this client to build trust.
Based on what you learned in the readings about background, gender, values and risk factors of this client’s culture, what elements of communication (both verbal and nonverbal) would impact your effectiveness as a counselor with this client?
Identify three guidelines you could use to ensure that your counseling and communication with this client are ethical. Give examples of how you would follow each guideline in your work with this client.
Each answer should be between 150–200 words, and supported by relevant research. Cite your work using APA style and provide a list of references.
