MULTICULTURAL

COUNSELING PORTFOLIO

By. Bethany Drees

In working as a school counselor, it will be my mission to

effectively help students in the areas of academics,
personal/social, and career. The school will consist of students
from many different cultures, ethnicities, backgrounds, SES, and
family systems that need to be acknowledged and understood.
As a school counselor, it will be important to be able to adapt
and change in order to meet the differentiated needs of the
students. We must take in the education and experiences in order
to become more culturally competent and aware of the diversity
all around us.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

My background consists of mostly German decent, with

some Irish and French. I connect a lot with my German
decent with my family participating in some of that
cultures events. We have attended and participated in
German festivals, danced to Polka, and eaten the
traditional German food-bratwurst with sauerkraut and
bierocks. I look like an average brown haired, blue eyed,
White American and because of that fact I have not felt
very much discrimination from society.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND

My own experience within the multicultural aspect would be that

of me working with the students I was taught in a low SES school.
These children allowed me to see into their lives and helped me
understand what it means to be unique. I did have different
ethnicities within my classroom dynamics but the majority of
these students were in low income families, which I had not
worked closely with before this job opportunity. These students
were all different races, African American, Asian, Hispanic/Latino,
and White. I was able to learn a little bit about their cultures and
a lot about the way they view the world.

NARRATIVE DESCRIPTIONS

Multicultural counseling is a helping role that supports the

values of different cultures and ethnicities. It is important in
order to be culturally competent, one must be aware of
their own culture and biases. Being knowledgeable about
various cultures, their values, traditions, and cultural
expectations. Understanding the worldview and culture of
clients is imperative to meet the needs of the client with
interventions and strategies in order to provide effective
therapy.

WHAT IS MULTICULTURAL COUNSELING?

Family and extended family generally large

Family is hierarchical, father being head of household

Religion is very important

Largest minority group in the U.S.

Susceptible to poverty, language barriers, and employment

issues

Counseling- culturally adapted time-limited, solution-based

therapies

MULTICULTURAL REPRESENTATIONS
HISPANIC/LATINO AMERICANS

Extended or nontraditional family arrangements is common

More likely household is headed by a single-parent

Spiritual beliefs are important to many and serve as

protective factor against stressors

High rates of unemployment, poverty, and prison vs White

Nonverbal communication is significant

Positive ethnic identity

Women are self-reliant, capable of handling challenges

and have pride in their racial identity

Counseling- problem-solving and time-limited therapies

MULTICULTURAL REPRESENTATIONS
AFRICAN AMERICANS

Hierarchical and patriarchal family structure

Many struggle with negative self-image

Stress about academic success

Negative stereotype beliefs are still an issue for many

Americans

Adolescents struggle with interdependence vs independent

Counseling- culturally adapted problem-focused and timelimited therapies

MULTICULTURAL REPRESENTIONS
ASIAN AMERICANS

Trouble adjusting to new culture/environment

Many American citizens are against so many entering the U.S.

Communication and language barriers

High rate of unemployment and vulnerable to poverty, loss of

identity and absence of support

Counseling- allow them to open up and share their background

Counseling- help them to become aware of what counseling is

MULTICULTURAL REPRESENTATIONS
IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES

Religion and spirituality is highly important

Family structure and values differ widely

Some Muslim women wear traditional clothing

9/11 had a profound impact on increasing hate crimes and

discrimination

Family and community are large support systems

Self-disclosure is viewed as a weakness

Counseling- cognitive-behavioral strategies

MULTICULTURAL REPRESENTATIONS
ARAB AND MUSLIM AMERICANS

Highly stigmatized cross-gender behaviors and appearances

Identity issues with self and others

Relationships with family and friends can be affected

Feel isolated and alone

Suffer discrimination, violence and harassment

Conflict with religion/spiritual beliefs

Need support for coming out

Counseling- issues need to be addressed, assessed and treated

Counseling- number of therapeutic strategies are helpful

MULTICULTURAL REPRESENTATIONS
LGBT INDIVIDUALS

Learning comes from listening not talking

Allegiance to family, community, tribe

Valued respect for the environment, land and spirituality

Extended family and tribe members are family structure

Alcohol abuse is higher than any other ethnicity

Live in the here and now

Counseling- concrete goals and create solutions

Counseling- explore ethnic identity and tribal affiliation

MULTICULTURAL REPRESENTATIONS
AMERICAN INDIANS AND ALASKA NATIVES

Societal privileges and opportunities that benefit White

people beyond the experience of non-white people

Many environments within society are based upon White

standards- schools, doctor, even counseling

Define ones own Whiteness in a nondefensive and nonracist

way

Many Whites are unaware or dont acknowledge it exists

Attend cultural events and spend time with another culture or

racial group

Be more aware of the worlds thoughts and feelings

MULTICULTURAL REPRESENTATIONS
WHITE PRIVILEGE

Training/teaching school counselors how to implement multicultural social

justice strategies

Educating teachers/administration how to incorporate multicultural

learning in classrooms and throughout the whole school

Provide culturally appropriate strategies and interventions

Implementing multicultural activities within the comprehensive school

counseling program

Creating awareness and acceptance of different cultures and ethnicities

DOCUMENTATION
PROGRAMS

Elementary

Book Lists

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3721.Best_Multicultural_Books_for_Children

http://www.pragmaticmom.com/multicultural-books-for-children/

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/how-choose-best-multicultural-books

Lesson Plans

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/multiculturalism-and-diversity

http://www.diversitycouncil.org/elActivities.shtml

Art- http://www.kidactivities.net/category/diversitymulti-cultural.aspx

DOCUMENTATION

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES- ELEMENTARY

Middle

Lesson Plans/Resources

http://www.harcoboe.com/LumberportMiddleSchool/multicultural.cfm

http://www.diversitycouncil.org/midActivities.shtml

http://www.middleschool.net/articles/multicultural-resources.html

Books

https://sites.google.com/a/berkeleycarroll.org/middle-school-reading/book-lists/fiction-with-multiculturalcharacters

High

Activities

http://www.diversitycouncil.org/hsActivities.shtml

http://www.harcoboe.com/LibertyHighSchool/multicultural.cfm

http://kellogg.nd.edu/outreach/culture.shtml

Middle school too

Books

http://guides.ccclib.org/c.php?g=43935&p=277543

DOCUMENTATION

Middle school too

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES- MIDDLE/HIGH

Approachest o Multicultural Educationi n the United States: Some Concepts

and Assumptions
http://faculty.coe.uh.edu/cwhite/CUIN4397/spring09/approaches%20to%20m
ulti%20education%20in%20US.pdf

Multicultural education and curriculum transformation by James A Banks

Teachers for Multicultural schools by Martin Haberman and Linda Post

http://www.metrostatecue.org/files/mscd/Documents/Effective%20Educators/Teache
rs%20for%20Multicultural%20Schools.pdf

JOURNAL ARTICLES

I was forced into realizing my White privilege and comprehending what that
means. Now, to get started on being more mindful of how other feel/think.

There were more thoughts in me of cultural bias than I had really realized. It
was good to recognize those in order to change

I have learned how to view different cultures/ethnicities in new ways. A lot

about the stereotypes that they face, family structures, religion, etc.

Directed in the right path to helping culturally diverse individuals through

counseling, through appropriate interventions and strategies tailored to meet
their needs

Important to recognize my own personal worldview and not imposing my

views upon others

REFLECTIONS
PERSONAL

Wing Sue, Derald, and David Sue. Counseling the Culturally Diverse Theory
and Practice. 6th ed. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2013. 379-90. Print.

Haberman, M., & Post, L. (1998, March). Teachers for Multicultural schools.
Theory into Practice, 96-104. Retrieved July 24, 2014

Gibson, M. A. (2009, February 18). Approaches to Multicultural Education in

the United States: Some Concepts and Assumptions. American
Anthropological Association, 15(1), 94-120. Retrieved July 23, 2014

REFERENCES