Multiculturalism and Social Justice in Counseling Practice

Introduction: Two Perspectives on Counseling

One interesting theme that emerges in the book Counseling for Multiculturalism and Social Justice: Integration, Theory, and Application is the idea that the multicultural and social justice perspectives counselors may adopt are not necessarily synonymous. Although multiculturalism may stress the need to take into consideration a counseling client's unique needs — including the fact that the client may come from a more collectivist culture — the social justice perspective emphasizes the need for change and dynamism in society and for ensuring fairness for clients in frequently unfair situations. The social justice perspective may challenge some of the client's deeply held social assumptions and push the client beyond his or her comfort zone. The counselor must therefore weigh the need to be sensitive and avoid imposing a particular worldview against the obligation to offer the client an accurate assessment of his or her situation.

Common Ground Between Multiculturalism and Social Justice

It is true that multiculturalism and the social justice perspective share some common traits, such as the notion that the ahistorical and individualist assumptions embedded in many counseling approaches must be questioned (Ratts & Pedersen, 2014, p. 6). Both perspectives also stress the fact that "counseling is not a process in which counselors act as experts imparting knowledge to passive and unaware clients," but rather are approaches that emphasize the need for the counselor to learn from the client as a student of humanity (Ratts & Pedersen, 2014, p. 12). A good counselor will recognize the different worldviews held by counselor and client alike, neither assuming that the two are identical nor viewing the client as inferior because he or she seeks help.

Complementary Frameworks in Practice

Multiculturalist and social justice perspectives may be distinct, but they are often complementary. For example, a counselor may need to address the rejection of a client by his family because of his sexuality. A social justice perspective emphasizes the need for the client to recognize the homophobia exhibited by his family and to connect that experience to larger social problems. A multicultural perspective, by contrast, emphasizes understanding how the client may experience anxiety at defying the cultural norms with which he was raised. A counselor does not necessarily have to reject one perspective in favor of the other, but should at least be aware of when each is most appropriate.

Finally, the counselor should always strive to see the client as an individual, without applying a predetermined approach to the problem. The client's circumstances should dictate the counseling approach — not the counselor's preferred framework — and the client within his or her particular environment must be understood holistically.

The Fifth Force: Social Justice and Systemic Change

The emphasis on what has been called the "fifth force" — the social justice dimension of counseling — underlines the fact that without addressing a client's needs in a social context, meaningful change is often impossible (Ratts & Pedersen, 2014, p. 28). A client may appreciate the individual support provided by a counselor, but that alone will not be sufficient to produce the fundamental changes needed for the client to truly benefit. Although social workers have long attempted to connect clients with needed services, when those services are inadequate, counselors must act as advocates. They should also be careful not to pass judgment on clients when it is the inadequacy of social services — not the client — that is at fault.

A good example of this might be a mother who struggles to leave social assistance. The counselor may attempt to connect her with job training programs, childcare, and transportation subsidies to help her reach her goals. But if there is no effective transportation network or safe and reliable daycare — as is the case in many cities — the client's progress may become stymied. The counselor cannot immediately fix all of these systemic issues, but can at minimum help the client see the link between her personal struggles and larger social problems, so that she does not entirely internalize her situation and engage in unproductive self-blame. A counselor must develop a sense of when individual change is needed, when environmental change is needed, or when both are required (Ratts & Pedersen, 2014, p. 51).

References

Ratts, M., & Pedersen, P. (2014). Counseling for multiculturalism and social justice: Integration, theory, and application. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.