Culturally Responsive Counseling

892 Words4 Pages

Many experts in the field of child and adolescent counseling have acknowledged the necessity for culturally informed and empirically supported interventions to respond to the mental health needs of an increasingly diverse population (Canino & Spurlock, 2000; Liu & Clay, 2002; Park-Taylor, Ventura, & Ng, 2010). In light of the rising prevalence of emotional and behavioral difficulties in children and adolescents, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2000) emphasized the need for more effective and accessible mental health services for children and adolescents. These individuals represent a culturally diverse group. Several studies have been conducted regarding multicultural counseling and culturally diverse individuals. These studies …show more content…

Census Bureau, approximately 21.8% of the U.S. population in 2011 was comprised of non-white individuals. In addition, 16.7% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino at that time, and approximately 21.9% of children lived below the poverty line. From 2006 to 2008, one in six children in the U.S. were diagnosed with a learning disability (Boyle, et al., 2011). Although there are many other important dimensions of diversity such as family composition, sexual orientation, and physical disabilities, these statistics clearly indicate the need exists for culturally responsive counseling interventions. Despite the growing focus on multicultural counseling in recent years (Worthington, Soth-McNett, & Moreno, 2007) theoretical and conceptual discussions of multicultural issues in counseling are disproportionally represented in the literature compared to empirically-based studies (D’Andrea & Heckman, 2008; Worthington, et al., 2007). Although discussions of theory advance the field, they need to be supplemented with research supporting the use of multicultural counseling …show more content…

M., Stulmaker, H. L., Purswell, K. E. Multicultural dimensions in child counseling research: A systematic review. Journal of Professional Counseling: Practice, Theory & Research. Summer/Fall2013. 40(2). 15-32. 18p. LeBeauf, I., Smaby, M., & Maddux, C. (2009). Adapting counseling skills for multicultural and diverse clients. In G.R. Walz, I.C. Bleuer, & R.K. Yep (Eds.), Compelling counseling interventions: VISTAS 2009. 33-42. Alexandria, V.A.: American Counseling Association. Liu, W. M., & Clay, D. L. (2002). Multicultural counseling competencies: Guidelines in working with children and adolescents. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 24,