JOURNAL REFLECTION

JOURNAL REFLECTION
CROSS-CULTURAL COUNSELING (EDG 4008)
SUZIELAWATI BT OMAR @ ABDUL AZIZ (0816548)


Cross-cultural can be defined as a recognition of a pluralistic society, one in which many different cultures coexist with equal respect and values. Since, we were living in a global linkage; people’s day-to-day lives are affected by interactions with others different from themselves, in terms of culture, beliefs, and religion and spiritual. As we can see of cross-cultural can be found in our daily live, such as in the business world, communication, interaction, as well as in counseling professions whereby a counselor needs to adapt themselves with the clients who come from vary of cultural background.
Since I’m becoming a counselor soon, I totally disagree about teaching cross-cultural counseling to trainee counselor is assume as waste of time. Instead, in my humble opinion, I’m strongly believed that teaching cross-cultural counseling is important as well equipping them with skills and competencies that are needed in order to become a superb counselor. In addition, I assume that having multicultural competencies may reinforce the importance of counselor’s understanding clients’ worldview, which may encompass the daily life of clients. So that, with having multicultural competencies, counselor be able to articulate their beliefs as well as know their limits of tolerance for differences of the clients.
Since, we have various cultures in Malaysia; there are no boundaries that a counselor should not learn about cross-cultures, especially the cultures of their clients. Instead, they need to be aware as well as be able to understand client’s worldview in order to have an effective counseling session with the client. As an evidence as we can see in our Malaysia’s culture that it seems nothing when a counselor cross the hands over the chest, but in some culture, that kind of action are likely to communicate wrong message. They may assume and feel like a counselor not close person that counselor does not want to let their client feel close to them. So, this didn’t lead counselor to have empathy with their client during the session. In fact, what if a counselor didn’t have multicultural competent and how they may know that such action convey a wrong message to the client. Another example is in Middle Eastern culture, setting eye to eye contact is not permitted between man and women. So, in order to respect clients’ culture, a counselor should be train and learn about cross-cultural counseling competent. So that, a counselor be able to adopt themselves with client even they come from different cultures background.
To sum up, I’m strongly disagree that teaching cross-cultural counseling is waste o f time because without having cross-cultural competent, it may lead to be a major barrier between counselor and client in building rapport in the counseling relationship because of cultural differences. In other words, counselor should have knowledge of the culture they work in as part of their expertise and competence, as well as to be open to and accepting their clients as for who they are without having any discrimination and biased, in terms of their cultures, religions, beliefs, social economics status and so on. So that, with the cross-cultural counseling those counselors have, it may provide some very valuable and specific information to keep in mind when initiating and maintaining contact with clients of another culture during the counseling session.