DIVERSITY CHALLENGES AND REFLECTIONS ASSIGNMENT PAPER

DIVERSITY CHALLENGES AND REFLECTIONS ASSIGNMENT PAPER

DIVERSITY CHALLENGES AND REFLECTIONS ASSIGNMENT PAPER

Diversity Challenges and Reflections

Diversity is characterized by a wide variety of cultural, racial, and religious identities. My family has been fighting obstacles for as long as I can remember. Black males in the African-American community received harsh sentences for very minor acts throughout the 1970s and 1980s (Derald Wing Sue et al., 2022). Two of my uncles were falsely accused of drug trafficking after being in the wrong location at the wrong time with people they thought of as friends at work. My grandmother, whom I first met when I was three years old, was also brought into custody when her home was searched. These events took place over 30 years ago, yet we are still living with the consequences. Even though the arresting officer appears at each parole hearing to advocate for my uncle’s release, he remains behind bars.

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Impact on family

My mother is the lone breadwinner in our household of five. She has always been there for my uncle, acting as the primary caretaker, beneficiary, chauffeur, and decision-maker. Because of the domino effect, many members of the family have been negatively affected. When one goes down, they all go down. When conflict erupts, it is difficult since everyone’s emotions are affected. What was once a normal existence has been transformed into decades of grief, pain, and loss of hope, making the effect unmistakable. The family is motivated to leave because they have accepted the truth that their situation will not improve (Dilworth-Anderson et al., 2020). My genuine motivation for participating in this program is to address issues at home.

Counseling and therapy are misunderstood by the African American population (Kelly, 2019). I want to serve as an example for others around me, showing them that it is normal to feel pain as a result of the actions of others, and that seeking professional help is a positive step toward healing and moving on. My family might benefit from counseling because it would help them work through their problems and heal their wounds. The effects have been so devastating that the family continues to feel a deep affinity with the victims of police brutality, even after everything that has transpired in the last several years with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Family Counseling

If my family ever accepted and attended a therapy session, the therapist would have to be ready to break through decades’ worth of barriers. They will not be completely unreachable, but they will be wary of your approach. Family members should talk about the things that have been bothering them for a long time so that the tension may lessen and the curses on previous generations can be broken (Shih et al., 2019). My relatives could be persuaded to modify their behavior if I opened the floor for debate by explaining the circumstances that led to the present situation.

Group therapy sessions like this may continue once a month, and ultimately expand into one-on-one help. Everyone in the family was impacted in unique ways. Some individuals can take it when things go rough, while others are far more easily broken. While a couple of them are casual and dismissive, a few others are loose cannons with quick tempers. The therapist should inquire about the siblings’ upbringing and current sentiments, as well as the nature of their bond (Dilworth-Anderson et al., 2020). Some people are not satisfied with their lives, but I see that they are trying to make the most of it. Because of my experiences, I consider myself strong and determined, and I vow to protect my future family from harm. I have a lot of respect for my family, but I do not get out with them very much because I do not want to be involved in the drama.

Future counselor sensitivity to diversity

My first course of action as a prospective counselor would be to reassure the family that the session is not an intervention and that they have come to it voluntarily. I would reassure them that I am here to help in any way I can, but I would also let them know that there are certain to be some awkward moments throughout therapy (Mcgoldrick & Hardy, 2019). One of the most considerate things you can do is to inquire about their concerns and preferred methods of communication well before the start of the contract (Dilworth-Anderson et al., 2020). I can prevent being shut down if I know what to look for. As a counselor, my priority is to foster a positive connection with my clients. They will feel valued and come back no matter what happens.

Conclusion

Family therapy is useful for helping couples and families work through their differences. Without the ability to communicate and problem-solve in productive ways, many of the challenges that families and couples experience may escalate into acrimony and violence. Problems in interpersonal relationships may affect persons of any race or ethnicity. This does not prove, however, that individuals of all backgrounds accept family therapy in the same way. In reality, African Americans, including my situation, are far less likely to seek counseling for family difficulties than white individuals. Possible causes include people’s inability to pay for treatment, their lack of confidence in mental health specialists, their shame at seeking help, or their lack of access to services.

References

Derald Wing Sue, Sue, D., Neville, H. A., Smith, L., & Wiley, J. (2022). Counseling the culturally diverse: theory and practice. Wiley.

Dilworth-Anderson, P., Moon, H., & Aranda, M. P. (2020). Dementia Caregiving Research: Expanding and Reframing the Lens of Diversity, Inclusivity, and Intersectionality. The Gerontologist, 60(5), 797–805. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnaa050

Kelly, S. (2019). Cognitive behavior therapy with African Americans. Culturally Responsive Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Practice and Supervision (2nd Ed.)., 105–128. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000119-005

Mcgoldrick, M., & Hardy, K. V. (2019). Re-visioning family therapy: addressing diversity in clinical practice. Guilford Press.

Shih, K. Y., Chang, T., & Chen, S. (2019). Impacts of the Model Minority Myth on Asian American Individuals and Families: Social Justice and Critical Race Feminist Perspectives. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12342‌

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To Prepare:

Review the Learning Resources and consider the many challenges diverse populations bring to counseling sessions.

Reflect on a time when diversity touched your family.

Assignment:

In your Journal, identify a time where diversity touched your African American family. Based on this time, answer the following questions:

What impact did this time have on your African American family?

Hypothetically, if you addressed the issue in a family counseling session, what do you think the counselor should know and explore with your African American family to fully address the issue?

How will you be sensitive to the impact diversity has on families and couples in your own professional practice?

Your journal should be 2-3 pages in length, excluding the title page, and in APA 7 standard format for student papers (See Section 2.2 of the APA 7 manual). Please note this is a personal journal so use of first person (“I” “my) is acceptable.

Rubric:

Adherence to Assignment ExpectationsBy Day 7, post in your Journal the following:Identify a time where diversity touched your African American family. Based on this time, answer the following questions:What impact did this time have on your African American family?Hypothetically, if you addressed the issue in a family counseling session, what do you think the counselor should know and explore with your family to fully address the issue?How will you be sensitive to the impact diversity has on families and couples in your own professional practice?

Thoroughly addresses all required components of the assignment with a well-developed, cohesive, and insightful narrative that exceeds expectations.

Assimilation and Synthesis of IdeasCourse content is synthesized and supported with information from the learning resources and examples.

Critically evaluates course content and main points. Supports the evaluation with information from the Learning Resources and additional outside sources….Exceeds expectations by clearly connecting several concepts from the Learning Resources to multiple experiences and examples from the field.

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeExpression and Formatting: The extent to which scholarly, critical, analytical writing is presented in APA 7 format for student papers and style, including use of unbiased and person-first language.

Writing is organized, concise, and scholarly written with no grammatical errors.