POSITION PAPER 1

POSITION PAPER 1
NORANISA BT IBRAHIM
0732118
Counseling is a two ways process carryout an interview session between skilled counselor and
client or clients where the former who has the knowledge on psychology of counseling would try to help
the latter based on method that is suitable to the needs of the client. This means that a professional
counselor must have knowledge, skills and competencies to come out with an efficient session with
clients.
When we talk about counseling, it closely related with communication. Communication is a part
of cultural. We do not always communicate the same way from day to day, factors like context,
individual personality, and mood interact with the variety of cultural influences we have internalized
that influence our choices. In interview session counselor will have a communication with clients
sincerely with positive unconditional regard and no bias, without thinking clients status, power, gender,
race and religion. This is the challenges to the counselor that miscommunication is likely to happen,
especially when there are cultural differences between communicators and it may lead to conflict,
this is why counselor should not only be teaching a theory and skills but also cross-culture subject to
create a cooperative communication. Therefore, counselor and clients will become more comfortable
and can accept each other.
In Malaysia for example, there have so many religion, ethnics, races and culture. Each of these
has a different belief. In these situation counselor may get clients from different race, religion and
culture. As a counselor they have to accept them as what they are, understand their belief and try to
practice their routine as it not break the counselor culture and religion. For instance, the way of hand
shake, the way of respond and the way of speak. Therefore, the client will respect to the counselor,
think that the counselor are very understanding, honest and sincere. It encourage client to give
cooperation in their session, so the counseling session will become more effective because even though
they are different but they can sit together and have a sharing moment. Other than that this situation
will make counselor be more confident.
In addition, group counseling also need counselor who have cross cultural competence because
in that group there may have clients who come from are different culture. Furthermore, with cross
cultural competence, there will not have bias and miscommunication. Each client will be comfortable to
voice out their problem, share experience, feeling and opinion. Besides that, multicultural counseling
might have different view, in group counseling the differences may give solution to the members of that
group to solve their problem because there have so many choices. Sometimes, they can take other
religion or culture view as a guide.
As a conclusion, counselor should not learn theories and skills also but others culture. It may
develop counselor competency and increase multicultural communication skills. Then, the counseling
session will be more efficient and effective that clients feel satisfied.