This article draws on cross-cultural counselling theories and strategies to help us better provide culturally informed care in school counselling. It also aims to acknowledge that school counselling is by default cross-cultural. The article expands the viewpoint that Canadian school counselling requires a culturally informed approach.
Introduction
If I were to use one phrase to summarize what I like about school counselling in Canada it would be the following: supporting developing human beings in all their diversity. I find this phrase really gets to the core of what make school counselling so attractive for me as a professional. For me, culturally informed care is at the core of that joy. If I am going to support students in their variety of experiences, perspectives, values, backgrounds, then I have no choice but to be culturally informed. What do I mean by culturally informed? For me, being culturally informed as a school counsellor means having sufficient knowledge and skills to build empathy and trust with every student I work with. Yes, it is that simple sometimes. Certainly, I find great value in the training we receive on cross-cultural competencies, but it is for a purpose. When we apply all this knowledge into the school counselling office, the key is being able to build empathy and trust effectively with any student. In this article, I plan to discuss the knowledge and skills that have been most effective in helping me build empathy and trust with any student.
Culturally Informed Truths
In a Canadian high school context, recognizing the richness and diversity in our students is a reality and a privilege. Each day I can work with students in counselling who are culturally diverse from my own experience. For me, this is a gift, because I get to be in touch with the beauty of human diversity, while also being able to offer professional and ethical support using culturally informed practices. Though it can be overwhelming to try and navigate the amount of diversity we experience in a typical school day, developing a certain level of cross-cultural competency is not only an ethical imperative, but a means to developing stronger counselling relationships with students.
When it comes to cross-cultural factors in school counselling, there are a couple tidbits I like to keep in mind. They are the sort of information you find in textbooks but can be easy to miss, especially if we’re only reading the textbook to pass the exam or write a paper. First, is the reminder that we work with students who are of a different generation or age group to ourselves – at least most of the time. That reality alone means we work in a cross-cultural context (Baruth & Manning, 2016). As a school counsellor, I cannot assume I know exactly what my student is going through, I need to remain open and curious to my student’s story and experience, without projecting my own onto them. Secondly, it is essential for us to critically examine our underlying worldview assumptions, particularly within educational settings where interventions such as the teaching of social skills and communication are significantly influenced by beliefs regarding truth, morality, and values. In the words of Smith-Adcock and Tucker (2023) “Counselors need to be aware of how their own cultural and personal background and experiences inform their ideas about child development, what is considered normal and what is not.” (p.94). When I lack clarity about my values, assumptions, and personal beliefs—and how they manifest in the counselling office—I might find it difficult to maintain professionalism, especially when working with students whose perspectives differ from mine. Thirdly, I find it most important to not dwell on either the similarities or the differences in our counselling interventions (Baruth & Manning, 2016). When we dwell to much on the similarities, we run the risk of making assumptions, and when we dwell on the differences, we run the risk of labelling or stereotyping (Baruth & Manning, 2016). Fourth, for individuals who have been taught that discussing sexuality, religion, and politics in public is inappropriate, I offer the following guidance. As counsellors, it is expected that topics related to sexuality, religion or spirituality, and politics may arise. Within Canadian school counselling offices, it is essential to provide a safe and non-judgmental environment where students can openly address these subjects. This approach fosters identity development and supports the growth of students’ self-concept (Baruth & Manning, 1016). That said, it is important to note that this openness and non-judgmental space must never jeopardize the safety or well-being of ourselves, our students, or other persons; keeping safety and appropriate limits are as necessary with students as a safe place to express feelings and thoughts (Smith-Adcock & Tucker, 2023).
Culturally Informed Humility
While the tidbits I just shared are a reminder for culturally informed counselling, we need to recognize that as school counsellors we cannot be experts in everything. I do not say this to try and lessen our responsibility towards ethical practice and culturally informed intervention. It’s challenging to stay on top of all that we need to manage, and that’s why it’s important to acknowledge that, as a school counselor, I can’t be an expert on every culture or form of diversity represented among our students. Practically, this means that cultural humility is a skill that I regularly cultivate. By cultural humility, I mean the skill of focusing on the student in front of us and their experience of their culture to build empathy and trust, without turning the focus to ourselves (Jones & Durodoye, 2022). When we focus in empathy, curiosity, and not dwelling too much on the similarities and differences, we can be culturally informed while focusing on responding to our students true counselling need (Fisher, 2021). At the end of the day, our students are not seeking our help because they are diverse, but because they have needs and goals and dreams. Our role as school counsellors is to support those needs and goals and dreams, while being culturally informed and culturally humble.
Conclusion
Ultimately, as school counsellors in a Canadian context, we are working in a culturally diverse reality. In short, effective school counselling is infused with culturally informed care. In this article, we looked at key pieces of information which mold my own cross-cultural approach to working with my high-school students as well as the importance of developing cultural humility. Through culturally informed care, we as school counsellors can respond to and honour our students needs as well as their diversity.
Bibliography
Baruth, L. G., & Manning, M. L. (2016). Multicultural Counseling And Psychotherapy: A Lifespan Approach. (6. ed, Ed.) New York, NY: Routledge.
Fisher, L. (2021). Diversity in Clinical Practice: A Practical & Shame-Free Guide to Reducing Cultural Offenses & Repairing Cross-Cultural Relationships. Eau Claire, WI: PESI Publishing.
Jones, B., & Durodoye, B. (2022). Child And Adolescent Counseling: An Integrated Approach. Danvers, MA: Springer Publishing Company.
Smith-adcock, S., & Tucker, C. (2023). Counseling Children And Adolescents; Connecting Theory, Development, and Diversity (2nd ed. ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications, Inc.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Justin Bertrand is a counsellor in academic training at the high school level in Quebec, with over a decade of counselling experience across diverse settings. He holds a Master of Divinity and is currently a candidate for the MA in Counselling and Spiritual Care at McMaster Divinity College.
