Dr' Erwin, Chika Asai, Jenny Durham, Amy Halvorson,

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Benefiting Multicultural Clients by Considering
Acculturation

• PRESENTED BY
• Dr. Erwin, Chika Asai,Jenny Durham, Amy
  Halvorson,
• Sarah Holte
• Counseling and Student Affairs
• Minnesota State University Moorhead
• North Dakota Counseling Conference
• Bismark, North Dakota
• February 6, 2006

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Agenda

• Acculturation Overview
• Individualism vs. Collectivism
• Berrys Model of Acculturation
• Assessing Acculturation
• Acculturation Strategies
• Case Study
• Questions

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Acculturation

• Definition
• A process that entails contact between two
  cultural groups, which results in numerous
  cultural changes in both parties

4
Acculturation

• Explore clients acculturation level
• Understand their worldviews
• Adjust interventions to meet the clients needs
• Be cultural sensitive

5
Individualism vs. Collectivism

• Individualism
• A world view that respects personal goals and
  individual uniqueness more than communal goals
  and social unity
• Personal needs have priority over in-group needs
• Collectivism
• A worldview that group members are connected with
  and interdependent between each other
• In-group needs are placed before personal needs

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Self concept

• Individualism
• The self is independent from a group

• Collectivism
• The self is a part of a group

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Relationships

• Individualism
• Autonomous in interpersonal relationships
• Higher social skill in starting new relationships
• May give up unproductive social relationships
  easily

• Collectivism
• Interpersonal harmony is the primal concern
• Take time in forming new relationships
• Relationships tend to be Intimate and
  long-lasting
• Make efforts to maintain relationships

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Communication Style

• Individualism
• Direct communication style
• Focuses on content
• Verbal communication is stressed

• Collectivism
• Indirect communication style
• Focuses on context
• Non-verbal communication is important

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Coping Strategies

• Individualism
• Assertiveness
• Expressing emotions
• Confrontation

• Collectivism
• Social Support
• Avoidance
• Forbearance

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Principles

• John Berrys model is based on the principles of
  cultural maintenance and contact-participation
• Cultural Maintenance
• the extent individuals value and wish to maintain
  their cultural identity
• Contact-Participation
• the extent individuals value and seek out contact
  with those outside their own group, and wish to
  participate in the daily life of the larger
  society

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Cultural Maintenance / Contact-Participation

• From these two principles come two questions that
  form the model
• Cultural Maintenance Is it considered to be of
  value to maintain ones identity and
  characteristics?
• Contact-Participation Is it considered to be of
  value to maintain relationships with larger
  society?

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Berrys Model of Acculturation
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Characteristics of Acculturation

• Integrated individuals
• Individuals want to maintain their identity with
  home culture, but also want to take on some
  characteristics of the new culture
• Assimilated individuals
• These people do not want to keep their identity
  from their home culture, but would rather take on
  all of the characteristics of the new culture
• Separated individuals
• They want to separate themselves from the
  dominant culture
• Can be called segregation if it is forced
  separation
• Marginalized individuals
• These individuals dont want anything to do with
  either the new culture or the old culture

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Assessing Acculturation

• Language
• Religious Beliefs
• Educational status
• Employment
• Societal norms

• Social status
• Media usage
• Social relations
• Gender roles

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Questions Used to Assess Acculturation

• What language do you speak?
• What language do you prefer?
• How do you self identify?
• Which ethnic identification does (did) your
  mother and father use?
• What was the ethnic origin of the friends a peers
  you had as a child?
• Whom do you now associate with in the outside
  community?
• What is your music/television/movie preference?
• Where were you born?
• Where were you raised?
• What is your food preference?
• What language do you read/write/think it?
• How much pride do you have in your ethnic group?

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Learn about your clients culture

• Talk with clients
• Cultural consultants
• Involvement in community
• Visit cultural centers
• Research

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Consider Adjusting Your Interview Style

• Eye Contact
• Personal Space
• Rate of Speech

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Culture Self Assessment

• Have I been able to separate what is important to
  me, and what is important to my client?
• What do I know about the clients cultural
  heritage?
• What is the clients relationship with his/her
  culture from his/her perspective?
• What are my stereotypes, beliefs and biases about
  this culture?
• Have I appropriately consulted with other mental
  health professionals, members from this culture,
  and/or members of the clients family or extended
  family?
• Have I incorporated culturally appropriate
  strategies/techniques with this client?

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Empathy can be just a word

• or it can be an exceedingly intense attempt to
  capture or understand the inner world of the
  person youre dealing with- with all the nuances
  of feeling and meaning and so on which are real
  of him or her- not real for you but for him or
  her. Thats particularly evident when youre
  dealing with someone of a different culture,
  where their attitudes towards the opposite sex
  are quite different then your own. Can you catch
  the attitude or feeling that person has and
  understand it as it is in him or her? It is a
  very demanding task. And the notion of just
  listening is far from catching what it contains.
  When one is endeavoring to capture the whole
  inner world of this person, that takes all you
  have. It means laying aside something of
  yourself, of your own personal values and
  attitudes in order to really catch the attitudes
  of the other person.-Carl Rogers

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Case Study

• What do you think of Annas level of
  acculturation?
• What might you ask her to find out more about her
  acculturation?
• How might her level of acculturation affect the
  way you might work with her?

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References

• Berry, J. W.  (1998).  Intercultural relations in
  plural societies.  Canadian Psychology, 40,
  12-21.
• Berry, J. W.  (2001).  A psychology of
  immigration.  Journal of Social Issues, 57,
  615-631.
• Don , G. Berry, J. W.  (1994).  Acculturation
  attitudes and acculturative stress of Central
  American refugees.  International Journal of
  Psychology, 29, 57-70.
• Kress, V. E., Eriksen, K. P., Rayle, A. D., Ford,
  S. J. (2005). The DSM-IV-TR and culture
  Considerations for counselors. Journal of
  Counseling Development. 83, 97-104.
• Kuo, B. C. H. (2004). Interdependent and
  relational tendencies among Asian clients
  Infusing collectivistic strategies into
  counseling. Guidance Counseling, 19(4),
  158-162.
• Moore, III, J. L. Constantine, M. G. (2005).
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  collectivistic coping styles measure with
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  students. Journal of Mental Health Counseling,
  27(4), 329-347.
• Rogers, C. (1985). Characteristics of effective
  counseling. Retrieved January 22, 2006, from
  http//centerfortheperson.org/

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References

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