1996 Journal Related to Counseling

¶ … 1996 journal related to counseling and development. The article was written by Pamela Hays and it addressed the complexities of culture and gender as it relates to counseling. As the article appeared in a journal, rather than a regular news periodical, the odds are likely that it was peer-reviewed before it was published (Hays, 1996).

Procedures & Method of Analysis

The author, Ms. Hays, certainly uses a literature review and qualitative approach to her research and report. There are no data tables of any great complexity nor is there a distinct section where methodology and such are broken down. Ms. Hays is simply weighing in her two cents on a topic that many others have covered and she is quick to pepper in contrarian or concurring insights from a lot of different authors. Indeed, the tail end of the article document has roughly 50 different secondary sources that are cited or otherwise used for the research (Hays, 1996).

The sampling of the data seemed to be fairly purposeful as it is quite clear that Hays did not pick her sources at random. There was not a quantitative study in play here and the sources she used were probably reputable, so that is surely not a failing of the study as the author was not really saying anything that someone else hasn't already said.

Major Conclusions

The article being reviewed seeks to address the ADRESSING model of counseling as a means to address the fact that standardized models of counseling, some would use the term "cookie-cutter," are falling far short in addressing the unique and pressing needs of cultures that are less prominent in the society for which the broader models are created. Different dimensions, per the author as well as numerous secondary sources cited by Ms. Hays, that require attention include national ordigin, ethnicity and indigenous cultural heritage (Hays, 1996).

Ms. Hays notes that the ADRESSING factors do not, and do not purport to, account for all of the required and necessary iterations as far as catering the counseling methods used for a given patient from a unique cultural or ethnic background, but the point the author tries to make is that using a counseling template to address the needs to all origins and types is simply not proper. Counseling should be catered and fine-tuned to the person's culture, sexual orientation and/or ethnic background rather than using the same approach on everyone (Hays, 1996).

The ADRESSING model covers nine different dimensions of bias and how they manifest themselves in the form of deficient counseling. The victims of those biases, as noted in the one and only table in the document, are age/generational, disability, religion, ethnicity/race, social status, sexual orientation, indigenous heritage, national origin and gender. As one can quite easily tell, ADRESSING is an acronym for each of the affected groups just named. The biases with power, as listed in the same order as the victims, are ageism, bias against people with disabilities, bias against religious people and groups, racism, classism, heterosexism, racism, racism/colonialism and sexism (Hays, 1996).

Summary

The salient point that ends the Hays treatise states that counselors must use the ADRESSING or some other similar method to fight bias and make sure that preconceived notions and habits are not creeping into their work. Hays notes that people in the counseling profession must always be introspect and honest about their preconceptions and tactics and make sure that the clinical strategies they use are appropriate and effective for the person and the diagnosis involved. Leaving either out of the equation will lead to misdiagnosis and/or the client disengaging from the process, in part or in full, due to the counselor being abrasive, not empathetic enough or otherwise not catering to the circumstances, traits and personality of the person involved (Hays, 1996).

The critical point of the paper is to cater the counseling methodology and structure to the person that is being counseled. Using a one-size-fits-all template simply does not work when speaking of people from different cultures and backgrounds. The strengths of this article include the fact that there were many corroborating sources and many to most (if not all) of those sources were presumably scholarly in nature. The data collection was deliberate and non-random, but the sourcing of the data and the fact that the sources buttressing her point (rather than conflicting with it) make the methodology proper and correct, given the structure of the research (Hays, 1996).

One issue at hand as it relates to counselor bias and how to avoid it is that not all racial, ethnic and other social traits are easily detectable. Not all disabilities, as another example, are not obvious to the naked eye. Even ethnic/national origin traits are not something that a person can simply observe. Black people, just as one example, could be born and raised in the United States but they could just as easily be from Britain or Haiti. White people can easily be from Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia or even parts of South America (Hays, 1996).

Where this detection can be an issue is that some patients do not readily or easily self-identify the traits that are related to the aggravating issues or conditions in their life. As such, the counselor must build a rapport with the client and make it clear that they have to know the honest truth of what is going on and why and what factors and phobias are feeding the problem. If this does not occur, the counselor will probably struggle because they really need to know the true issue and the factors that are feeding the same if they want to be of any help (Hays, 1996).

A good ice-breaker that the Hays article suggests is to ask the patient to describe themselves, to define what they find important and to ask how they think others see the patient. This line of questioning, coupled with a major focus on non-judgment and the genuine intent to help, should help patients open up about their struggles. Ms. Hays then discusses how it is important to center on what is important factor (or factors) in a given person's life. For example, many black people take very pride in their race, their ancestry and their origins. Other black people, however, are indifferent about the subject. Many people define themselves through their sexuality or religion, while others may give it less emphasis even if it plays a prominent part in their life (Hays, 1996).

Even if the proper cultural and social factors are addressed, there are a few things that can still cause problems. For example, a heterosexual counselor may find problems giving good counsel to a homosexual patient. The main reason for this is that one person is within the sphere in which they are affected and the other is probably not. Another example would be a counselor that has never been disabled counseling someone that has issues pertaining to the treatment they endure because of the disability, either past or present (Hays, 1996).

The other main speed bump is that many people will manifest more than one factor at the same time. Two good examples of this would be a gay black man or an older Hispanic. Both of these examples are of people that could very well be facing more than one bias or other challenge relating to their sexual, social and racial traits. The problem inherent to such a happenstance is that there is probably a "weighting" as to what is more prominent and/or problematic. For example, the gay black man may be fine from a racial standpoint but may endure a lot of homophobia, or it could very well be the opposite or even both at once (Hays, 1996).