3 module counselling values and beliefs 100 Immigrant Settlement Counselling: A Training Guide Part 2 OCASI 2000
CONTENTS Objectives...102 Activity 3.1- A Counsellor You Admire...103 Responses from CSISW participants to Activity 3.1...104 Activity 3.2 - Role Circles...105 Handout 3.2 Role Circles...106 Activity 3.3 - Values and Beliefs Checklist...107 Handout 3.3 Values and Beliefs Checklist...109 Responses from participants to Activity 3.3...111 Activity 3.4- Conditioning Factors...112 Handout 3.4 Counselling Values and Beliefs Conditioning Factors...113 Activity 3.5- Characteristics of Western-style Counselling...114 Handout 3.5 Reading: Barriers to effective cross-cultural counselling...115 Handout 3.5.1 What is expected of Clients in Conventional Clinical Counselling...116 Activity 3.6 - Values in Conflict...117 Handout 3.6 Reading: Failure of rapport...118 Handout 3.6.1 Failure of Rapport: Questions for discussion...119 OCASI 2000 Immigrant Settlement Counselling: A Training Guide Part 2 101
COUNSELLING VALUES AND BELIEFS Objectives of this module The activities included in this module are designed to: 1. Help participants recognize their own key values and beliefs related to counselling. 2. Increase participants awareness of how differences in values and beliefs may affect the relationship between counsellor and client. 3. Give participants the opportunity to compare and contrast their own values and beliefs with other counsellors and to identify common principles that should guide settlement counselling. 4. Increase participants awareness of aspects of their cultural identities that have conditioned their counselling values and beliefs. 102 Immigrant Settlement Counselling: A Training Guide Part 2 OCASI 2000
ACTIVITY 3.1 A COUNSELLOR YOU ADMIRE Purpose of the activity This activity can be used as a warm-up to introduce a discussion on counselling values and beliefs. It can be used to: help participants identify what counselling styles and processes are important to them and to consider why they hold these particular values and beliefs. stimulate participants thinking about whether the counselling approaches that they favour are appropriate for their clients. Time required: 1 1\2 hours. Supplies needed: Flipchart and marker. Suggested process: 1. Participants are asked to think of someone they admire as a counsellor. (This does not have to be someone who does formal counselling; it can be someone whom other people call on for help informally.) They take a moment to get a mental picture of that person when they are counselling - what they see that person doing and hear them saying, and what the situation feels like. 2. Each participant says one thing they admire about the counselling style or approach of the person they have thought of; the trainer records one response from each person on a flipchart. 3. Commonalities and differences are discussed. The trainer establishes that the items recorded are some of the values and beliefs that different participants hold related to counselling. The group discusses why these items are important to them - where their values have come from. 4. In small groups (three to five people) participants discuss the following: Are there clients for whom the counselling approaches that we admire and value would be unsuitable? 5. The small group discussions are debriefed in the larger group. * This activity was developed by Janis Galway OCASI 2000 Immigrant Settlement Counselling: A Training Guide Part 2 103
Responses from CSISW participants to Activity 3.1 Below are some of the qualities that participants in the course said that they admired in other counsellors: identifies almost immediately with the person being helped is able to read the other person s vibes her eyes, smile, touch show connectedness makes you feel at ease verbally and non-verbally meets you on an equal footing can express warmth has a calming way of speaking shows genuineness of interest even if she is busy doesn t jump in - lets you direct the interaction doesn t intrude - enters gently listens well - analyses accurately is sensitive, empathetic and in control builds trust quickly - has gone through similar experiences is gentle outside but forceful inside (force of principle) hones in on the issue without being pushy is knowledgeable - gives me confidence uses humour knows me better than I know myself validates and empowers people - hears your story and then guides you illuminates the mess (your problem) never tells you what to do gives advice (her personal opinion) but leaves the decision to you 104 Immigrant Settlement Counselling: A Training Guide Part 2 OCASI 2000
ACTIVITY 3.2 ROLE CIRCLES Purpose of the activity In this activity participants explore their expectations about their role as a counsellor and how these may differ from the expectations of their clients. The activity raises participants awareness of the reasons for differences in expectations, the impact they have on the relationship between counsellor and client and what can be done to overcome the differences. Time required: 1 hour. Supplies needed: Handout 3.2: ROLE CIRCLES, or a larger version of this diagram on flipchart paper at the front of the room. Suggested process: 1. Participants look at the diagram and individually, write down: the word that best describes how they see their present role as counsellor the word that best describes how their clients see their (the counsellor s) role the word that best describes how they would ideally like their role as a counsellor to be (Participants can use their own words instead of choosing from the diagram if desired.) 2. In small groups, each participant talks about the three words s/he has chosen and explains the reasons for differences in the three words, including any cultural influences s/he is aware of. 3. The small group discusses the following: What is the impact on the counselling relationship of the differences in expectations between counsellors and clients that we have identified in this group? How can the counsellor and the client overcome these differences? 4. A reporter from each small group reports the results of the discussion back for the larger group. OCASI 2000 Immigrant Settlement Counselling: A Training Guide Part 2 105
ACTIVITY 3.2,, HANDOUT 3.2 ROLE CIRCLES* listener servant friend fixer teacher confidante saviour advisor parent magician facilitator motivator expert sage guide protector detective shock- transabsorber former instrument * This activity was developed by Janis Galway, influenced by the writings and comments of settlement counsellors 106 Immigrant Settlement Counselling: A Training Guide Part 2 OCASI 2000
ACTIVITY 3.3 VALUES AND BELIEFS CHECKLIST* Purpose of the activity * In this activity participants react to a specific set of statements related to counselling goals and processes. This enables them to : a) start clarifying their values around their roles as counsellors; b) reflect on their values regarding the desired goals/outcomes of therapy; and c) get a feeling for the extent of agreement and disagreement in the group about the best approach to counselling. Time required: Supplies needed: Option A - 1 1\2 hours Option B - 2 hours Handout 3.3: Values And Beliefs Checklist Option A - flipchart paper and markers Option B - six 3" X 5" index cards per participant Suggested process: There are many possible ways of working with the checklist. Two possible processes are described below. OPTION A 1. Participants mark the checklist according to how strongly they agree or disagree with each statement. They are encouraged to fill in their own statements in the space provided at the end of the list. 2. When they have finished doing this, they circle the three statements in the checklist (including the ones they have added at the end of the list) which they agree with most strongly, or value the most, and put an X beside the three statements which they disagree with most strongly or value the least. 3. Participants break into groups of three to five people and compare the items they have identified as the most or the least valued. 4. The big group reconvenes and the trainer asks for feedback from the small group about similarities and differences in values and beliefs. 5. Then each participant chooses the single most critical value to them on the checklist and calls out the number of the item to the trainer, who records this on flipchart. After all choices are recorded, top priorities are compared and discussed. * For training on counselling cross-cultural groups refer to Counselling Cross-Cultural Groups by Tamem McCallum OCASI 2000 Immigrant Settlement Counselling: A Training Guide Part 2 107
OPTION B* Steps 1 and 2 are the same as in Option A. 3. Participants write their three most highly valued and the three least highly valued statements on individual index cards. They then circulate in the room and attempt to trade cards with each other, trying to get rid of cards they dislike and acquire cards they like. 4. When trading is finished, they circulate again to find other people who have cards which indicate that they have similar beliefs and values about counselling. 5. They meet with these people as a group and identify items which they agree on; they then formulate a set of guidelines for settlement counselling based on their shared beliefs and values. For each guideline, they also discuss the counselling behaviours they would expect to see and hear if the counsellor is following that guideline. They record guidelines and behaviours on flipchart. 6. The large group reconvenes and a reporter from each small group shares what they have written on guidelines and behaviours with the other groups. 108 Immigrant Settlement Counselling: A Training Guide Part 2 OCASI 2000
ACTIVITY 3.3, HANDOUT 3.3 VALUES AND BELIEFS CHECKLIST Instructions: Below are a series of value/belief statements related to counselling. Read each one and mark a score of 1 to 4 on the line to the left indicating your reaction to each statement. Do not spend too long on each statement; give your initial reaction, not on what you think the answer should be. After you have finished marking the 40 statements, add some statements of your own in the space provided at the end of the list. Coding key: 1 = I strongly agree 2 = I agree somewhat 3 = I disagree somewhat 4 = I strongly disagree 1. I think I can be most helpful to my clients by giving them good advice. 2. I see most of my clients problems as being self-generated. 3. I try to show the qualities of poise and strength as a counsellor to gain the respect of my clients. 4. I think personal problems are better handled inside the family than by a stranger. 5. I think it is best for the counsellor to come straight to the point in a counselling interview. 6. I want to help my clients become fully independent and assertive. 7. I see my job as counsellor as helping my clients fit into the mainstream culture. 8. I believe that our lives are to a great extent controlled by fate; many problems are beyond human control. 9. I like a casual, relaxed style of counselling. 10. I believe it is important to get a client to talk about inner thoughts and feelings. 11. I need to know my clients class and educational background before I can counsel them properly. 12. I view professionalism as keeping a formal distance between myself and my client. 13. I think a counsellor should give clients the tools to actively fight oppressive conditions in society. 14. I need to do things for my clients until they are able to do them for themselves. 15. I believe that the church is one of the best sources of assistance for people with emotional problems. 16. I believe fortune-tellers can be good counsellors. 17. I prefer never to tell my clients what to do. * This activity was developed by Janis Galway. It was inspired by an exercise in Pierre Casse s Workshop 1 in Training for the Cross-Cultural Mind, SIETAR 1981. OCASI 2000 Immigrant Settlement Counselling: A Training Guide Part 2 109
18. I feel responsible for my clients happiness. 19. I feel that to gain trust a counsellor needs to demonstrate to a client that s/he is very knowledgeable and experienced. 20. I feel that helping clients keep peace within their families is a high priority for a counsellor. 21. I let my clients take the initiative in our conversations. 22. I focus on solving my clients immediate, concrete problems. 23. I try to be non-judgemental with clients. 24. I think the answers to most people s problems are to be found within themselves. 25. I hope to teach my clients problem-solving skills. 26. I accept my clients decisions, even if I don t agree with them. 27. I feel that as a professional I should have solutions for my clients problems. 28. I like my clients to see me as a friend whom they can confide in. 29. I want to help clients learn how to follow procedures. 30. I think people should seek advice and counselling from elders in their community, who are rich in life experiences. 31. I let a client know right away if I don t agree with what they are saying. 32. I believe it is often the environment that needs to be changed, not the client. 33. I feel it is difficult to help a client if you have not experienced a similar problem. 34. I use a different counselling approach depending on the age and sex of my client. 35. I encourage my clients to focus on long-range goals. 36. I think counsellors should disclose personal information about themselves to make their clients trust them more. 37. I think I should try to help clients accept their situations in life. 38. I focus on empowering my clients. 39. I try to help my clients dig down below the surface to explore the real causes of their problems. 40. I think the family is the best source of counselling for a person in crisis. OTHERS (Add your own statements.) 41. 42. 43. 44. 110 Immigrant Settlement Counselling: A Training Guide Part 2 OCASI 2000
Responses from CSISW participants to Activity 3.3 Option A One-quarter of the participants chose item number 38 - I focus on empowering my clients - as the statement they valued most highly on the list. This lead to a heated discussion amongst participants on the meaning of the word empowerment, some people seeing it as a word with negative connotations in their cultures. The group s proposed the following interpretations of empowerment: giving people information helping people make their own decisions giving people tools showing respect mobilizing people Option B Below are the results of two group s attempts to formulate counselling guidelines for settlement counsellors. Under each one are the behaviours the counsellor should exhibit if the guidelines are being followed. Group A 1. The client is the decision-maker. the discussion between the client and counsellor highlights options available to the client - the conclusion is implemented by the client 2. The counsellor empowers the client. the client verbalizes what she is going to do; action takes place; the counsellor positively encourages the client. 3. The counsellor is a resource-source for the client. provides referrals 4. The counsellor has the human capacity to understand and empathize with the client. listens and gives feedback to the client; reflects the client s feelings Group B 1. The counsellor assesses and focuses on immediate needs. asks questions, listens, uses appropriate body language; puts own biases aside 2. The counsellor should be flexible and culturally aware. educates self through reading, workshops, networking; maintains open-mindedness 3. The counsellor encourages the client to make her own decisions. does not do things for the client that she can do for herself 4. The counsellor empowers the client. helps the client form a plan of action; provides encouragement, reassurance; gives written information such as pamphlets, brochures OCASI 2000 Immigrant Settlement Counselling: A Training Guide Part 2 111
ACTIVITY 3.4 CONDITIONING FACTORS Purpose of the activity In this activity, which is a follow-up to Activity 3.3, Values and Beliefs Checklist, participants focus on the aspects of their cultural identity which have shaped their values and beliefs as counsellors. It gives participants practice in questioning their assumptions related to counselling, and in thinking about where they have learned certain ideas that they hold to be important. Time required: 1 hour. Supplies needed: Handout 3.4: Counselling Values And Beliefs: Conditioning Factors. Suggested process: 1. After finishing Activity 3.3, the Values and Beliefs Checklist, participants discuss where their values and beliefs have come from and brainstorm a list of conditioning factors. They then compare what they have listed with the Conditioning Factors on Handout 3.4. 2. Using the Conditioning Factors sheet, they code all 40 statements on the Values and Beliefs Checklist. (If desired, the activity can be shortened by dividing the Checklist into two parts and having each half of the group code half of the list.) 3. In small groups, participants compare results and discuss which aspects of their conditioning have had the strongest influence on their beliefs and values. 4. The large group reconvenes and discusses the activity. 112 Immigrant Settlement Counselling: A Training Guide Part 2 OCASI 2000
ACTIVITY 3.4,, HANDOUT 3.4 COUNSELLING VALUES AND BELIEFS CONDITIONING FACTORS Instructions: What factors in your background have had the strongest effect on your values as a counsellor? Using the coding key below, code each of the statements in the Values and Beliefs Checklist you completed previously, according to where you think your value or belief has come from. Write the code in the margin beside each statement. If more than one factor has conditioned a particular value or belief, give it more than one code. Coding key: E = your ethnicity C = your class G = your gender R = your religion S = your education F = your family upbringing P = your professional training in counselling (Add others below.) = = Example: G 1 18. I feel responsible for my clients happiness. (The person strongly agrees with this statement, and feels that this value is most influenced by her gender. The reason may be that she feels that as a woman she has been conditioned to feel that it is her role to look after the emotional well-being of others.) OCASI 2000 Immigrant Settlement Counselling: A Training Guide Part 2 113
ACTIVITY 3.5 CHARA HARACTERISTICS OF WESTERN-STYLE COUNSELLING Purpose of the activity This is a reading and discussion activity in which participants examine in detail the assumptions and values underlying approaches to counselling and therapy in Western cultures (North America and Europe). They look at how these assumptions and values are incompatible with those held by many people from other cultures with different approaches to helping and healing. Participants consider to what extent they use a Western-style approach and how suitable this is for their clients. Time required: Supplies needed: 1 hour. Handout 3.5: Reading: Barriers to Effective Cross-Cultural Counselling Handout 3.5.1: What Is Expected Of Clients In Western-Style Counselling Suggested process: 1. Participants prepare for the session by reading the article beforehand. 2. In the large group, the trainer leads a general discussion on how the typical Western-trained counsellor sees his/her role and the role of the client. 3. Handout 3.5 is distributed. This contains a summary of some of the points in the article for participants reference, and questions for small group discussion. 4. In groups of three, participants discuss the questions on the handout. 5. The small groups report the results of their discussions back to the larger group. 114 Immigrant Settlement Counselling: A Training Guide Part 2 OCASI 2000
ACTIVITY 3.5,, HANDOUT 3.5 Reading: Barriers to effective cross-cultural counselling Barriers to effective cross-cultural counselling by Derald W. Sue and David Sue, in the Journal of Counselling Psychology, 1977, 24, 420-429. (Reproduced as Chapter 2 in Counselling the Culturally Different, by Derald W. Sue, New York, John Wiley & Sons, 1981.) Summary of the reading*: In this article Sue and Sue focus on the values which condition Western approaches to counselling and values and how these may have a negative impact on clients from different value backgrounds. They identify features of Western counselling which they link to middle class values, including a) strict adherence to time schedules (a limited period of time for counselling scheduled for a certain time slot during the week); b) an ambiguous and unstructured approach to problems (the client ideally directs the interaction); and c) the emphasis on longrange goals and solutions. Other features they attribute to culture-bound values from the West, including a) the individual-centred nature of Western counselling; b) the emphasis on verbal and emotional expressiveness; c) the emphasis on client openness to discussing intimate aspects of their lives,; d) the focus on cause and effect relationships for client problems and e) the separation of physical and mental well-being. Related readings and resources Cross-cultural counselling in perspective with recommended areas for training by Maryse Rinfret-Raynor and Thomas E. Raynor, in the Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, Vol. 2, No 1, March 1983, 49-58. This is another good overview of expectations related to the roles and behaviours of counsellor and client which are conditioned by North American cultural assumptions. It contains suggestions for training that would prepare counsellors to be effective across cultural and class barriers. * Summarized by Janis Galway OCASI 2000 Immigrant Settlement Counselling: A Training Guide Part 2 115
ACTIVITY 3.5,, HANDOUT 3.5.1 WHAT T IS EXPECTED OF CLIENTS IN WESTERN-STYLE COUNSELLING Clients are expected to: 1. Be open and willing to disclose intimate aspects of their personal lives. 2. Be psychologically-minded (wanting to gain insight into their own personality). 3. Be expressive of their feelings, verbally and behaviourally. 4. Initiate the communication with the counsellor - take an active role, while the counsellor listens and responds. 5. Look for the linear, cause and effect relationships in their lives. 6. Focus on long-range goals and solutions. 7. Distinguish clearly between mental and physical health. QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION 1. Would these expectations present difficulties for any of the clients you see? In what ways? 2. What counselling approach would be more suitable for them? 3. How does your own style as a counsellor compare with the Western-style approach described in the Sue and Sue article? If your approach is different, what has influenced it? * Summarized by Janis Galway from Barriers to effective cross-cultural counselling by Sue and Sue. 116 Immigrant Settlement Counselling: A Training Guide Part 2 OCASI 2000
ACTIVITY 3.6 VALUES IN CONFLICT Purpose of the activity This is a reading and role playing activity that allows participants to see how the values differences between counsellors and clients can result in a failure to establish a helping relationship. It gives them the opportunity to apply what they learned in Module 2 about the resources counsellors need to be effective cross-cultural counsellors. Time required: 1 1/2 hours. Supplies needed: Handout 3.6: Reading: Failure of Rapport Handout 3.6.1: Failure Of Rapport: Questions For Discussion Suggested process: 1. Participants prepare for this session by reading the article beforehand. 2. The trainer asks for general comments on the usefulness of the article. 3. The trainer asks for two volunteers from the group to read aloud the roles of the Chinese client and the white therapist in the script mentioned in the summary of the reading above (pages 565 to 566 in the article). 4. The group responds to the questions on Handout 3.6.1 regarding differences in values and beliefs between the client and therapist in this script. (Note: it helps if participants have completed Activities 2.2 (Culture Sets) and 2.4 (Counsellor Resources) in Module 2 before doing this activity.) 5. The trainer asks for two new volunteers to take the two roles in the case, and to demonstrate how the interview might be conducted more effectively, with the counsellor using the appropriate resources to deal with the difference in values and beliefs between herself and the client. 6. After the two participants have tried this for a short time, the trainer stops the role play and invites comments. Then, any participant who wants to try using different resources replaces the counsellor and carries on the role play. 7. The trainer debriefs the role plays with the grouping OCASI 2000 Immigrant Settlement Counselling: A Training Guide Part 2 117
ACTIVITY 3.6, HANDOUT 3.6 READING: FAILURE OF RAPPORT Failure of rapport: why psychotherapeutic engagement fails in the treatment of Asian clients in American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 55, 1985, 561-569. Summary of the reading: According to Tsui, Asian clients expect a therapist to be an authority who will provide advice and solve problems. Therapists, on the other hand, see their role as that of mobilizing clients resources so that they are better able to cope with their problems themselves. This difference in expectations often results in the client quitting therapy and the therapist feeling frustrated about the client s resistance and reserve. Tsui provides an interesting script of an interview between a middle-aged, Chinese male client and a young, white female therapist. He analyses each segment of the interaction and points out the different moments at which the interview deteriorates. The article ends with practical guidelines to help therapist establish rapport with Asian clients. * Summarized by Janis Galway 118 Immigrant Settlement Counselling: A Training Guide Part 2 OCASI 2000
ACTIVITY 3.6, HANDOUT 3.6.1 FAILURE OF RAPPORT: QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION * Instructions: You have just experienced a role play in which a counsellor is having difficulty establishing rapport with a client because of differences in their cultural identities. The following questions may help you identify the reasons for the discomfort felt by both this counsellor and client. They may also be helpful questions for you to ask yourself when you experience similar difficulties establishing rapport. 1. In this role play, how many culture sets can you list that are very different for the counsellor and client? 2. What differences in beliefs or values related to their culture sets are interfering with the establishment of rapport between this counsellor and client? 3. What resources (knowledge, attitudes and skills) does the counsellor in this case need to counsel her client more effectively? * This activity was developed by Janis Galway. OCASI 2000 Immigrant Settlement Counselling: A Training Guide Part 2 119