Culture Working With Refugees: Challenges

Culture

Working With Refugees: Challenges in Counseling

More and more counselors and social workers are assisting growing numbers of clientele that are refugees rather than ordinary citizens. The needs of refugees are highly specialized compared with traditional clients in a social work setting. Because the population of refugees within the United States continues to grow, social workers and counselors must continue to make efforts to understand what methods are best employed to counsel these individuals effectively (Potocky-Tripody, 202). Counselors working with refugees must often adapt traditional techniques and mainstream interventions because the needs of refugee populations and common or shared experiences of this group are often so different from those of mainstream Americans seeking counseling and social support (Potocky-Tripody, 2002; Clark & Hofsess, 1998).

Challenges and Obstacles

There are many challenges and problems western counselors may expect to encounter when working with refugees. These include their own biases toward members of certain cultures or ethnicities and their own reliance on their own ethnic groups or cultural identity (Potocky-Tripodi, 2002). It is often difficult for westerners to relate to the strong traditions, values and practices typically associated with refugees ethnic identity, particularly when that ethnic identity falls outside of the scope of the traditional "American" culture (Potocky-Tripodi, 2002; Devore & Schlesinger, 1999).

What westerners may also not expect is the vast array of refugees that associate with cultures other than the dominant culture in the United States. Whereas the predominant culture in the U.S. For example is "White Anglo Saxon" a refugee might associate more "with African-American cultures" than the dominant culture when attempting to acculturate to society (Potocky-Tripody, 123). A counselor must realize what factors may influence a refugees including environmental, socioeconomic and even religious or familial factors to provide competent care to refugees (Clark & Hofsess, 1998).

Fortunately most counselors can overcome their biases and opinions of refugee populations by participating in intensive multicultural training. This training is rapidly becoming emphasized in social work circles whether or not a counselor plans to interact with refugees or not during the course of his or her lifetime. Multicultural training can also benefit counselors in traditional practice settings when working with diverse populations in general (Clark & Hofsess, 1998).

Need For Sensitivity