Post-disaster psychological intervention since 9/11 and managing culturally learned assumptions

Managing Culturally Learned Assumptions

In "Chapter 2: Managing Culturally Learned Assumptions," Pedersen seeks to increase awareness of culturally leaned assumptions that are relevant to counseling interventions, describe the importance of cultural assumptions in understanding the complex cultural context, and identify alternative assumptions that can be used in culture-centered counseling interventions (1997). This article is a chapter in a textbook, not a research article, so it does not describe research findings, or methodology. However, it does reference prior research and discuss how increasing cultural awareness can impact the interviewing and diagnostic process.

Culturally learned attitudes reflect the internalization of those very assumptions that people are taught of the rules of life. Because of their very fixedness, these assumptions are considered unchanging. However, they differ for different social groups and behavior that may seem maladaptive to a person who grew up with one set of cultural norms and standards is positively adapted for someone from a different cultural background and perspective. This can be something very difficult to recognize, especially if the counselor is from the majority culture, which is far less likely than minority members to recognize the fact that there are alternative, frequently competing cultural norms and assumptions. Perhaps the most helpful part of the chapter was Pedersen explaining how people can be simultaneously similar and different, so that cultural competency requires one to consider their similarities and differences at the same time. Understanding this helps prevent the counselor from relegating someone to the role of "other" which lessens the chance of empathy and understanding, while also reducing the risk that the counselor will assume that majority-derived assumptions drive the client's own personal assumptions.

Article Summary: Postdisaster Psychological Intervention Since 9/11

In "Postdisaster Psychological Intervention Since 9/11," Watson et al. discuss how 9/11 changed the way that people approach psychological intervention. The article is not a research article, but a summary article. Therefore, it does not have a specific hypothesis, specific research findings, or a research methodology. However, the purpose of the article is to explain how 9/11 changed the approach to psychological intervention. The article discusses advances that have been made in a variety of areas, including different ways to assess needs, screen potential clients, determine the efficacy of programs, and look at how different programs impact survivors (Watson, 2011). What the article reveals is that there have been significant differences in how psychological interventions are conducted post 9/11. Not surprisingly, they found that traumatic bereavement counseling is not yet an adequately developed area. First, they suggested that disaster response could be better coordinated to respond to huge disasters like 9/11. Next, they discussed how policy decisions are needed to enhance federal funding and access to services. They also discuss the fact that traumatic bereavement represents an area for critical future research.