Cross Cultural Family Values in Mental Health Counseling Free Essay Example, 1750 words

During the therapy session, the client shares personal information that is confidential. For therapy to be successful, the patient should be truthful in their conversations with their therapists. Therapists should assure confidentiality and privilege ensures this. Privilege is the therapist’s responsibility despite the type of therapy; be it personal or group. Privilege also extends to the therapists’ notes on the patient, tests or raw data collected during therapy sessions (Corey et. al., 1998). Question #5 Race refers to an individual’s distinctive features such as skin tone, eye colour, bone structure and others. Ethnicity, on the other hand, refers to an individual’s cultural factors that define them. Ancestry, language, culture, beliefs and nationality are some of the factors that define one’s ethnicity (Duncan & Trejo, 2011). Both ethnicity and race enable individuals to identify with one another with either their physical or cultural similarities. The two are powerful factors that end up defining an individual’s life unbeknownst to them. People are stereotyped, by others, according to the two. Question #6 Culture, like race and ethnicity, defines individuals in society. We will write a custom essay sample on Cross Cultural Family Values in Mental Health Counseling or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Culture refers to the knowledge, experience and beliefs accumulated by individuals helping them to form societies. Other defining factors of culture include values, notions of time, universal concepts, religions, hierarchies and many others (Duncan & Trejo, 2011). Other than the aforementioned factors, all cultures have symbols, language, rituals, heroes and values. Families, on the other hand, also have cultures that distinguish them from others. Family culture determines how a family forms itself, the rules, habits and roles of all family members. This culture is not unique as it is a derivative of the ethnic or racial society the family dwells in. Question #7 An individual’s sense of home is one of the factors that lead to their definition of self. A home, or family, provides an individual with certain elements that cannot be derived elsewhere. Firstly, an individual is a member of their home as they share the home with other family members. The home has boundaries that distinguish it from other homes. The boundaries make an individual feel safe and have a sense of belonging (McGoldrick & Hardy, 2008). People outside the boundaries are outsiders and are held in lower regard. The home serves as a place where the individual can experience emotional safety and reveal what they really feel.