siti hazirah

Title: Teaching cross-cultural to trainee counselors is a waste of time. Instead, we
should focus on equipping them with the skills and competencies for being
good counselors.

I agree with this statement that teaching cross-cultural to trainee counselors is a waste of the time. It is because cross-cultural can learned by reading a lot if books about other cultures. Besides that, to get knowledge about other culture, we can make a lot of friends with difference types of cultures. It is more efficient rather than just learn in class.

Lecturer should focus more on equipping trainee counselors with the skills and competencies for making them to be good counselors. To be good counselors she/he has to master all the skills in counseling. It is because not all the skills we learned are accepted by other culture. Difference clients will likely to approach the relationship with a counselor differently as function of their cultural values and beliefs. These differences may surface during counseling in verbal and nonverbal. For example, eye contact. For Western people, eye contact is important skill in counseling. It is to know whether the client telling the truth or not. But for Arabs/ some Muslim country this skill cannot be used because it can lead to other meaning. Other example is, the distance between counselor and client must also be concerned by the counselor. For Western people, sitting near between men and women is permissible in counseling session. But for Muslim, sitting near between men and women is haram whether in counseling session. Even sitting too close between men and men or women and women also sometimes can make the client uncomfortable.

Reading, skills and training is the most important thing. It is because from reading, counselor will get the point what to do with client with different culture. From the skills, counselor will have the idea or ability to do the right thing at the right time in the right way. From the training, counselor will memorize all the things she/he had read and skills he/she had learned. From this point, counselor can change how they think by increasing their awareness, knowledge and skills in working with other cultures. Training can also change how people feel about a situation or a group. It is to avoid counselor from culture shock when he/she has to adapt to an unfamiliar situation. Good training is defined by positive goals and by long-term outcomes.