Multicultural Counseling

School counselors are ethically obligated to maintain the highest respect for student diversity, respecting students’ and families’ values, beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identification/expression and cultural background and exercise great care to avoid imposing personal beliefs or values rooted in one’s religion, culture or ethnicity.

BRIEF SUMMARY

School counselors are ethically obligated to maintain the highest respect for student diversity, respecting students’ and families’ values, beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identification/expression and cultural background and exercise great care to avoid imposing personal beliefs or values rooted in one’s religion, culture or ethnicity.

KEY POINTS

  • The driving force behind multicultural counseling is that people from minority groups view the world through different lenses and that counselors, psychologists, and therapists of any race need to be sensitive to their unique difficulties and experiences.
  • Becoming a counselor who is skilled at multicultural counseling is an ongoing process. It takes years of training, education, and on-the-job experience to become culturally competent.

RESOURCES

SHARED WISDOM

  • The Ethical Standards for School Counselors laid out by the American School Counseling Association  require cultural competency on the part of school counselors.
  • School counselors are advocates for the equitable treatment of all students in school and in the community. School counselors must be prepared to talk to students about race issues and anti-racism.
  • Culturally competent counselors must consider many different multicultural issues in counseling when working with their students. One of the most prevalent in American society is systemic racism.

CONTENT FEEDBACK

If you have suggestions, feedback, or resources, please email counselor1stop@inspiresuccess.org and let us know.