As you approach this week’s assignment, you are encouraged to allow yourself the time and space to deeply reflect on your cultural characteristics and the larger contextual influences on your worldview. This assignment is intended to increase your awareness of subconscious processes and enhance your insight as it relates to the power and privilege we experience as a result of our social characteristics.
For this week’s assignment, complete the following steps:
After finishing the readings, complete the Cultural Self-Assessment (exercises 3.1 and 3.2) in the Hays (2016) reading located in your weekly resources. As you are completing the assessment, recognize your process, and make a note of any reactions you have as you reflect on your dominant and/or minority cultural characteristics. You do not need to submit the actual responses to these exercises. The main purpose of completing these exercises is for critical self-examination of how your privilege and subsequent bias may impact your use of assessment measures.
Once you have completed this week’s assigned readings and exercises, answer the following questions in a short reflection paper.
What was your experience of completing the Cultural Self-Assessment?
How might your cultural influences affect your feelings toward clients who have had the same cultural influences as you? And those who have different cultural influences?
How might your visible identity be perceived by your future clients?
When using assessment measures, what information should you know before using it with your clients? Why is this important?
How might your cultural influences affect how you might interpret the results of the assessment measure? Reflect on a specific measure you have used in a previous assignment.
Length: 2-3 pages
I am a 24-year-old white female living in the Midwest.
