Cross-cultural Counseling

“Teaching Cross-cultural Counseling to trainee counselors is a waste of time. Instead, we should focus on equipping them with the skills and competencies for being good counselors. These have nothing to do with culture."



In my opinion about the topic above, as a counselor, we cannot deny that skills and competencies are very important things to being a good counselor. Among the important skills that a counselor needs are to do attending behavior like eye contact, body postures, gestures, verbal statements, vocal qualities, listening, clarifying, paraphrasing, reflection, confrontation, summarizing and self-disclosure.
As a competent counselor, some characteristics that he or she must have are self-aware individual, sensitive to others, comfortable with people, be gentle, not overbearing, aware of his own value system, able to manifest the degree of warmth and humor toward counselee, can give true information and not false information for the question that requires specific information then she have to say so and find the information. Beside that, as a competent counselor, she should know her own limitations if she might require the help of a more experienced counselor or other professional.
Teaching Cross-cultural Counseling to trainee counselors is also important and it is absolutely not waste of time because actually as we know in this world where there are many countries that different in gender, ethnicity, geographical location whether in urban or rural area, religion, age, sexual orientation and relationship status, health/illness or disability and one’s educational experiences. In other words, as a counselor, we are facing with wide range of backgrounds. Many people when they are thinking of meeting with a counselor to discuss their personal concerns would like to speak with someone whose own background and values approximate those of their own for example international students from China might like to meet a persons who speaks Mandarin or who has lived or visited China and understands the values of their community. Another example, gay or lesbian students may wish to meet with a counselor who is very comfortable with her/his own sexual orientation and preferences. Another reason why Cross-cultural Counseling is important to trainee counselors, it is because what is considered as useful and good in one culture may be thought of as stupid and immoral in a another culture. If we as a counselor not learn Cross-cultural Counseling, actually we are in trouble because maybe there are no one will see you as counselor for counseling session because they do not believe in you which have difference culture from them. Beside that, the counseling session between you as counselor with your client will not working smoothly. Therefore, teaching Cross-cultural Counseling would help trainee counselors better serve their clients and improve the lives of many people whose backgrounds and experiences may differ from trainee counselors.


Name : Nur Farahiyah bt Yahaya
Matric No : 0737718