Sue and sue counseling the culturally diverse 6th edition

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OBSTACLES TO CULTURAL COMPETENCE UNDERSTANDING RESISTANCE TO MULTICULTURAL TRAINING
Chapter Objectives

1. Acknowledge and understand personal resistance to multicultural training.

2. Identify how emotional reactions to topics of prejudice, discrimination, and oppression can act as obstacles to cultural competence.

3. Understand worldview differences between majority and socially devalued group members in this society.

4. Make sense of why majority group members often react differently from marginalized group members when issues of racism, sexism, or heterosexism are discussed.

5. Be cognizant of how worldviews may influence the ability to understand, empathize, and work effectively with diverse clients.

6. Realize that becoming an effective multicultural counselor is more than an intellectual exercise and is a lifelong journey.

Reading and digesting the content of this book may prove difficult and filled with powerful feelings for many of you. Students who have taken a course on multicultural counseling/therapy or multicultural mental health issues have almost universally felt both positive and negative feelings that affect their ability to learn about diversity issues. It is important not to allow those emotions to go unacknowledged, or to avoid exploring the psychological meanings they may have for you. As you begin your journey to becoming a culturally competent counselor/mental health professional, the road will be filled with obstacles to self-exploration, to understanding yourself as a racial/cultural being, and to understanding the worldview of those who differ from you in race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and other sociodemographic characteristics.

The subject matter in this book and course requires you to explore your biases and prejudices, a task that often evokes defensiveness and resistance. It is important to recognize personal resistance to the material, to explore its meanings, and to learn about yourself and others. Sometimes what is revealed about you may prove disturbing, but having the courage to continue is necessary to becoming a culturally competent counselor or therapist. This chapter is specifically written to help readers understand and overcome their emotive reactions to the substance of the text, and the course you are about to take. Let us begin by sharing reactions from four past students to reading Counseling the Culturally Diverse and discuss their meaning for the students, and the implications for mental health practice.

Reactions to Reading Counseling the Culturally Diverse

Reaction #1

1. White Female Student: “How dare you and your fellow caustic co-author express such vitriol against my people? You two are racists, but of a different color. . .I can't believe you two are counselors. Your book does nothing but to weaken our nationalism, our sense of unity and solidarity. If you don't like it here, leave my country. You are both spoiled hate-mongers who take advantage of our educational system by convincing others to use such a propagandistic book! Shame on you. Your book doesn't make me want to be more multicultural, but take ungrateful people like you and export them out of this great land of mine.” (Name withheld)

2. Analysis: This response reveals immense anger at the content of CCD, and especially at the authors, whom she labels “hate mongers” and “racists.” It is obvious that she feels the book is biased and propagandistic. The language of her words seems to indicate defensiveness on her part as she easily dismisses the material covered. More important, there is an implicit suggestion in the use of “people like you” and “land of mine” that conveys a perception that only certain groups can be considered “American” and others are “foreigners.” This is similar to statements often made to people of color: “If you don't like it here, go back to China, Africa or Latin America.” Likewise, the implication is that this land does not belong to persons of color who are U.S. Citizens, but only to White Americans.

Reaction #2

1. White Male Student: “I am a student in the field of Professional Counseling and feel compelled to write you because your text is required reading in our program. I am offended that you seem to think that the United States is the only perpetrator of prejudice and horrific acts. Excuse me sir, but racism and oppression are part of every society in the world ad infinitum, not just the United States. I do not appreciate reading biased material that does not take into account all forms of prejudice including those from minorities. You obviously have a bone to grind with White people. Minorities are equally racist. Why do you take such pleasure in attacking whites when we have done so much to help you people?” (Anonymous)

2. Analysis: Similar to the first response, the male student is also angry and offended about the content. There is a strong feeling of defensiveness, however, that emanates from his narrative. It appears he feels unjustly accused of being bigoted and that we are implying that only U.S. society and not others are racist. To make himself feel less guilty, he emphasizes that “every society” oppresses “minority” constituents and it is not Whites alone who are prejudiced. These are actually accurate statements, but they mask the defensiveness of the student, and have the goal of exonerating him and other Whites for being prejudiced. If he can get other groups to admit they too are racist, then he feels less guilt and responsibility for his own beliefs and actions.

Reaction #3

1. Latina Student: “I am currently embarking on the journey of becoming a Marriage and Family Therapist at a California State University. I just want to thank you for writing Counseling the Culturally Diverse. This book has spoken to me and given me so much knowledge that is beyond words to express. Finally, there is someone willing to tell it like it is. You have truly made an impact in my life because, being an ethnic minority, I could empathize with many of the concepts that were illustrated. Although some White classmates had difficulty with it, you truly validated much of my experiences. It reaffirmed how I see the world, and it felt good to know that I am not crazy! Once again thanks for writing the book.” (Name withheld)

2. Analysis: The reaction from the Latina student is diametrically opposite to that of her White counterparts. She reacts positively to the material, finds the content helpful in explaining her experiential reality, feels validated and reaffirmed, and realizes that she is “not crazy.” In other words, she finds the content of the book truthful and empathetic to her situation. The important question to ask is, “Why does she react so differently from the two White students?” After all, the content of the book remains the same, but the perceptions appear worlds apart.

Reaction #4

1. African American Male Student: “When I first took this course (multicultural counseling) I did not have much hope that it would be different from all the others in our program, White and Eurocentric. I felt it would be the typical cosmetic and superficial coverage of minority issues. Boy was I wrong. I like that you did not ‘tip toe' around the subject. Your book Counseling the Culturally Diverse was so forceful and honest that it made me feel liberated . . . I felt like I had a voice, and it allowed me to truly express my anger and frustration. Some of the white students were upset and I could see them squirming in their seats when the professor discussed the book. I felt like saying ‘good, it's about time Whites suffer like we have. I have no sympathy for you. It's about time they learned to listen.' Thank you, thank you, and thank you for having the courage to write such an honest book.” (Name withheld)

2. Analysis: Like the Latina student, the African American male finds the book compelling, honest, and truthful. He describes how it makes him feel liberated, provides him with a voice to describe his experiences, and taps into and allows him to express his anger and frustration, and he thanks the authors for writing CCD. He implies that most courses on multicultural psychology are taught from a EuroAmerican perspective, but the book content “tells it like it is.” Additionally, the student seems to take pleasure in observing the discomfort of White students, expresses little sympathy for their struggle in the class, and enjoys seeing them being placed on the defensive. (We will return to the meaning of this last point shortly.)

Reading Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice (CCD) is very likely to elicit strong emotions among readers. These four reactions, two by White students and two by readers of color, reveal the range of emotions and reactions likely to be expressed in classes that use the text. Over the last 35 years we have received literally hundreds of emails, letters, and phone calls from students, trainees, professors, and mental health professionals reacting strongly to the content and substance of CCD. Many of the readers praise the book for its honest portrayal of multicultural issues in mental health practice. Indeed, it has become the most widely used and cited text in multicultural psychology, considered a classic in the field (Ponterotto, Fingerhut, & McGuinness, 2013; Ponterotto & Sabnani, 1989), and now forms the knowledge base of licensing and certification exams for counseling and mental health professionals.

Despite the scholarly status that CCD has achieved, some readers (generally those from the majority group) find the substance of the book difficult to digest and have reacted very strongly to the content. According to instructors of multicultural counseling/therapy classes, the powerful feelings aroused in some students prevent them from being open to diversity issues, and from making classroom discussions on the topic a learning opportunity. Instead, conversations on diversity become “shouting matches” or become monologues rather than dialogues. These instructors indicate that the content of the book challenges many White students about their racial, gender, and sexual orientation realities, and that the book's writing style (passionate, direct, and hard-hitting) also arouses deep feelings of defensiveness, anger, anxiety, guilt, sadness, hopelessness, and a multitude of other strong emotions in many. Unless properly processed and understood, these emotions act as roadblocks to exploring issues of race, gender, and sexual orientation. Learning about multicultural psychology is much more than an intellectual exercise devoid of emotions.

It would be a mistake, however, to conclude from these examples that White students and students of color respond uniformly in one way. As we will explore in future chapters, many White students react positively to the book and some students of color report negative reactions. But, in general, there are major worldview differences and reactions to the material between the two groups. For example, many socially marginalized group members find solace in the book; they describe a deep sense of validation, release, elation, joy, and even feelings of liberation as they read the text. What accounts for these two very different reactions?

For practicing professionals and trainees in the helping professions, understanding the differing worldviews of our culturally diverse clients is tantamount to effective multicultural counseling. But understanding our own reactions to issues of diversity, multiculturalism, oppression, race, gender, and sexual orientation is equally important to our development as counselors/therapists (Todd & Abrams, 2011). As we will shortly see, that understanding can be quite anxiety provoking, especially when we are asked to confront our own biases, prejudices, and stereotypes. The old adage “counselor or therapist, know thyself” is the basic building block to cultural competence in the helping professions. Let us take a few moments here to dissect the reactions of the four readers in our opening narratives and attempt to make meaning of them. This is a task that we encourage you to personally take throughout your educational journey as well. Likewise, as a counselor or therapist working with culturally diverse clients, understanding differences in worldviews is an important first step to becoming culturally competent.

Emotional Self-Revelations and Fears: Majority Group Members

It is clear that the two White students are experiencing strong feelings to the content of CCD. As you will shortly see, the book's subject matter (a) deals with prejudice, bias, stereotyping, discrimination, and bigotry; (b) makes a strong case that counseling and psychotherapy may serve as instruments of cultural oppression rather than therapeutic liberation (Sue, 2015; Wendt, Gone, & Nagata, 2015); (c) indicates that well-intentioned mental health professionals are not immune from inheriting the racial and gender biases of the larger society; and (d) suggests therapists and trainees may be unconsciously biased toward clients from marginalized groups (Ratts & Pedersen, 2014).

Although supported by the research literature and by clinical observations and reports, these assertions can be quite disturbing to members of the majority group. If you are a majority group member and beginning the journey to cultural competence, it is possible that you may share similar reactions to those of the students. Both White students, for example, are reacting with anger and resentment; they believe that the authors are unjustly accusing U.S. Society and White Americans of racism, and claim the authors are themselves “racist” but of a different color. They have become defensive and are actively resisting and rejecting the content of the book. If these feelings persist throughout the course unabated, they will act as barriers to learning and further self-exploration. But what do these negative reactions mean to the students? Why are they so upset? Dr. Mark Kiselica (Sue & Sue, 2013, pp. 8–9), a White psychologist and now provost of a college in New York, writes about his own negative emotional reactions to reading the book during his graduate training. His personal and emotional reactions to the book provide us with some clues.

I was shaken to my core the first time I read Counseling the Culturally Different (now Counseling the Culturally Diverse). . . .At the time, I was a doctoral candidate at The Pennsylvania State University's counseling psychology program, and I had been reading Sue's book in preparation for my comprehensive examinations, which I was scheduled to take toward the end of the spring semester. . .

I wish I could tell you that I had acquired Sue's book because I was genuinely interested in learning about multicultural counseling. . .I am embarrassed to say, however, that that was not the case. I had purchased Sue's book purely out of necessity, figuring out that I had better read the book because I was likely to be asked a major question about cross-cultural counseling on the comps. During the early and middle 1980s, taking a course in multicultural counseling was not a requirement in many graduate counseling programs, including mine, and I had decided not to take my department's pertinent course as an elective. I saw myself as a culturally sensitive person, and I concluded that the course wouldn't have much to offer me. Nevertheless, I understood that. . .the professor, who taught the course, would likely submit a question to the pool of materials being used to construct the comps. So, I prudently went to the university bookstore and purchased a copy. . . .because that was the text. . . .used for his course.

I didn't get very far with my highlighting and note-taking before I started to react to Sue's book with great anger and disgust. Early on in the text, Sue blasted the mental health system for its historical mistreatment of people who were considered to be ethnic minorities in the United States. He especially took on White mental health professionals, charging them with a legacy of ethnocentric and racist beliefs and practices that had harmed people of color and made them leery of counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists. It seemed that Sue didn't have a single good thing to say about White America. I was ticked off at him, and I resented that I had to read his book. However, I knew I had better complete his text and know the subject matter covered in it if I wanted to succeed on the examinations. So, out of necessity, I read on and struggled with the feelings that Sue's words stirred in me.

I was very upset as I read and reread Sue's book. I felt that Sue had an axe to grind with White America and that he was using his book to do so. I believed that his accusations were grossly exaggerated and, at least to some extent, unfair. And I felt defensive because I am White and my ancestors had not perpetrated any of the offenses against ethnic minorities that Sue had charged. I looked forward to the day when I would be relieved of him and his writings.

Becoming culturally competent in counseling/mental health practice demands that nested or embedded emotions associated with race, culture, gender, and other sociodemographic differences be openly experienced and discussed. It is these intense feelings that often block our ability to hear the voices of those most oppressed and disempowered (Sue, 2011). How we, as helping professionals, deal with these strong feelings can either enhance or impede a deeper understanding of ourselves as racial/cultural beings and our understanding of the worldviews of culturally diverse clients. Because Mark did not allow his defensiveness and anger to get the best of him, he was able to achieve insights into his own biases and false assumptions about people of color. The following passage reveals the internal struggle that he courageously fought and the disturbing realization of his own racism.

I tried to make sense of my emotions—to ascertain why I was drawn back to Sue's book again and again in spite of my initial rejection of it. I know it may sound crazy, but I read certain sections of Sue's book repeatedly and then reflected on what was happening inside of me. . . .I began to discover important lessons about myself, significant insights prompted by reading Sue's book that would shape the direction of my future. . . . I now realized that Sue was right! The system had been destructive toward people of color, and although my ancestors and I had not directly been a part of that oppressive system, I had unknowingly contributed to it. I began to think about how I had viewed people of color throughout my life, and I had to admit to myself that I had unconsciously bought into the racist stereotypes about African Americans and Latinos. Yes, I had laughed at and told racist jokes. Yes, I had used the “N” word when referring to African Americans. Yes, I had been a racist.

Sue's book forced me to remove my blinders. He helped me to see that I was both a product and an architect of a racist culture. Initially, I didn't want to admit this to myself. That is part of the reason I got so angry at Sue for his book. “His accusations don't apply to me!” was the predominant, initial thought that went through my mind. But Sue's words were too powerful to let me escape my denial of my racism. It was as though I was in a deep sleep and someone had dumped a bucket of ice-cold water onto me, shocking me into a state of sudden wakefulness: The sleep was the denial of my racism; the water was Sue's provocative words; and the wakefulness was the painful recognition that I was a racist. (Sue & Sue, 2013, pp. 9–10)

Years later, Mark Kiselica (1999) talks about his racial awakening and identifies some of the major fears many well-intentioned Whites struggle with as they begin studying racism, sexism, or heterosexism on a personal level. This passage, perhaps, identifies the major psychological obstacle that confronts many Whites as they process the content and meaning of the book.

You see, the subjects I [White psychologist] am about to discuss—ethnocentrism and racism, including my own racism—are topics that most Whites tend to avoid. We shy away from discussing these issues for many reasons: We are racked with guilt over the way people of color have been treated in our nation; we fear that we will be accused of mistreating others; we particularly fear being called the “R” word—racist—so we grow uneasy whenever issues of race emerge; and we tend to back away, change the subject, respond defensively, assert our innocence and our “color blindness,” denying that we could possibly be ethnocentric or racist.” (p. 14)

It is important to note Kiselica's open admission to racist thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. As a White psychologist, he offers insights into the reasons why many White trainees fear open dialogues on race; they may ultimately reveal unpleasant secrets about themselves. In his own racial/cultural awakening, he realizes that discussing race and racism is so difficult for many Whites because they are racked with guilt about how people of color have been treated in the United States and are fearful that they will be accused of being a racist and be blamed for the oppression of others. Maintaining one's innocence by rejecting and avoiding racial topics are major strategies used to hold on to one's self-image as a good, moral, and decent human being who is innocent of racial bias and discrimination.

Kiselica's reflection is a powerful statement that addresses a major question: Can anyone born and raised in our society not inherit the racial biases of our ancestors and institutions? When we pose this question to our students, surprisingly an overwhelming number say “no.” In other words, on an intellectual level they admit that people are products of their social conditioning and that escaping internalizing biases and prejudices is impossible. Yet when racial biases are discussed, these same students have great difficulty entertaining the notion that they have personally inherited racial biases and benefited from the oppression of others, because “racism resides in others, not me!”

Mark's honesty in confronting his own racism is refreshing, and his insights are invaluable to those who wish to become culturally competent counselors and allies in the struggle for equal rights (Chao, Wei, Spanierman, Longo, & Northart, 2015). He is a rarity in academic circles, even rarer because he was willing to put his words on paper for the whole world to read as a means to help others understand the meaning of racism on a human level. Mark's courageous and open exploration of his initial reactions to CCD indicates what we have come to learn is a common, intensely emotional experience from many readers. Because CCD deals openly, honestly, and passionately with issues of racism, sexism, and homophobia and challenges our belief that we are free of biases, it is likely to evoke defensiveness, resentment, and anger in readers. In Mark's case, he did not allow these reactions to sabotage his own self-exploration and journey to cultural competence. And we hope you will not allow your emotional “hot buttons” to deter you from your journey to cultural competence as well.

Emotional Invalidation versus Affirmation: For Marginalized Group Members

It is clear that the same subject matter in CCD often arouses a different emotional response from marginalized group members; for the two students of color, for example, they felt heard, liberated, and validated. They describe the book content as “honest” and “truthful,” indicating that their lived experiences were finally validated rather than silenced or ignored. One of the more interesting comments is made by the Latina student that “it felt good to know that I am not crazy.” What did she mean by that? Many people of color describe how their thoughts and feelings about race and racism are often ignored, dismissed, negated, or seen as having no basis in fact by majority group members. They are told that they are misreading things, overly sensitive, unduly suspicious or even paranoid when they bring up issues of bias and discrimination; in other words, they are “crazy” to think or feel that way.

As can be seen from the students of color, many marginalized group members react equally strongly as their White counterparts when issues of oppression are raised, especially when their stories of discrimination and pain are minimized or neglected. Their reality of racism, sexism, and homophobia, they contend, is relatively unknown or ignored by those in power because of the discomfort that pervades such topics. Worse yet, many well-intentioned majority persons seem disinclined to hear the personal stories of suffering, humiliation, and pain that accrue to persons of color and other marginalized groups in our society (Sue, 2015). The following quote gives some idea of what it is like for a Black man to live his life day in and day out in a society filled with both covert and overt racist acts that often are invisible to well-intentioned White Americans.

I don't think white people, generally, understand the full meaning of racist discriminatory behaviors directed toward Americans of African descent. They seem to see each act of discrimination or any act of violence as an “isolated” event. As a result, most white Americans cannot understand the strong reaction manifested by blacks when such events occur. . . .They forget that in most cases, we live lives of quiet desperation generated by a litany of daily large and small events that, whether or not by design, remind us of our “place” in American society. [Whites] ignore the personal context of the stimulus. That is, they deny the historical impact that a negative act may have on an individual. “Nigger” to a white may simply be an epithet that should be ignored. To most blacks, the term brings into sharp and current focus all kinds of acts of racism—murder, rape, torture, denial of constitutional rights, insults, limited opportunity structure, economic problems, unequal justice under the law and a myriad of. . .other racist and discriminatory acts that occur daily in the lives of most Americans of African descent. (Feagin & Sikes, 2002, pp. 23–24)

The lived experience of people of color is generally invisible to most White Americans, as this quotation portrays. As we will discuss in Chapter 6 , racial, gender, and sexual orientation microaggressions are experienced frequently by people of color, women, and LGBTQ persons in their day-to-day interactions with well-intentioned members of the dominant society (Velez, Moradi, & DeBlaere, 2015). Microaggressions are the everyday slights, put-downs, invalidations, and insults directed to socially devalued group members by well-intentioned people who are unaware that they have engaged in such biased and harmful behaviors. A lifetime of microaggressions can have a major harmful impact on the psychological well-being of victims. Note the following narrative provided by an African American man as he describes his day-to-day experiences with microaggressions that label him a dangerous person, a lesser human being, and a potential criminal.

It gets so tiring, you know. It sucks you dry. People don't trust you. From the moment I [African American male] wake up, I know stepping out the door, that it will be the same, day after day. The bus can be packed, but no one will sit next to you. . . I guess it may be a good thing because you always get more room, no one crowds you. You get served last . . . when they serve you, they have this phony smile and just want to get rid of you . . . you have to show more ID to cash a check, you turn on the TV and there you always see someone like you, being handcuffed and jailed. They look like you and sometimes you begin to think it is you! You are a plague! You try to hold it in, but sometimes you lose it. Explaining doesn't help. They don't want to hear. Even when they ask, “Why do you have a chip on your shoulder?” Shit . . . I just walk away now. It doesn't do any good explaining. (Sue, 2010, p. 87)

Here it is important to note the strong and powerful negative emotions and sense of hopelessness that pervades this narrative. The Black man expresses strong anger and resentment toward Whites for how he perceives they are treating him. His daily experiences of racial slights have made him believe that trying to explain to Whites Americans about these indignities would do little good. In fact, he expresses pessimism, rightly or wrongly, that Whites simply do not understand, and worse yet, they do not care to hear his thoughts and feelings about race and racism. He feels hopeless and frustrated about making White Americans understand, and states, “Shit . . . I just walk away now. It doesn't do any good explaining.” Although he does not directly mention it, one can surmise that he is also tired and drained at having to constantly deal with the never-ending onslaught of microaggressions. For some people of color, the sense of hopelessness can lead to simply giving up.

Dr. Le Ondra Clark, now an African American psychologist in California, describes her experiences of being one of the few Black students in a graduate program and the feeling of affirmation that flooded her when taking a multicultural counseling course and using CCD as the textbook.

I, a native of Southern California, arrived at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and was eager to learn. I remember the harsh reality I experienced as I confronted the Midwest culture. I felt like I stood out, and I learned quickly that I did. As I walked around the campus and surrounding area, I remember counting on one hand the number of racial and ethnic minorities I saw. I was not completely surprised about this, as I had done some research and was aware that there would be a lack of racial and ethnic diversity on and around campus. However, I was baffled by the paucity of exposure that the 25 members of my master's cohort had to racial and ethnic minority individuals. I assumed that because I was traveling across the country to attend this top-ranked program focused on social justice, everyone else must have been as well. I was wrong.

The majority of my cohort was from the Midwest, and their experiences varied greatly from mine. For example, I remember sitting in my Theories of Counseling course during the first week of the semester. The instructor asked each of us to share about our first exposure to individuals who were racially and ethnically different from ourselves. I thought this was a strange question. . . .I was quite surprised as I listened to what my cohort members shared. I listened to several members share that their first exposure to someone different from them had not occurred until high school and, for some, college. When it came time for me to share, I remember stating that, as a racial and ethnic minority, I had never been in a situation where there was not some type of racial and ethnic diversity. Just sharing this made me feel distant from my cohort, as our different cultural experiences were now plainly highlighted. I remember thinking to myself, “Where am I?” For the first time in my life, I felt as if I was a foreigner, and I badly needed something or someone to relate to.

I did not begin to feel comfortable until I attended the Multicultural Counseling course later that week. Students were assigned a number of textbooks as part of this course, including CCD. . . . I never imagined a textbook would bring me so much comfort. I vividly remember reading each chapter and vigorously taking notes in the margins. I also remember the energy I felt as I wrote about my reactions to the readings each week. I felt like the book legitimized the experiences of racial and ethnic minorities and helped me understand what I was encountering in my Midwest surroundings. It became a platform from which I could explain my own experience as a racial and ethnic minority from Southern California who was transplanted to the Midwest. The personal stories, concepts, and theories illustrated in CCD resonated with me and ultimately helped me overcome my feelings of isolation. CCD provided me with the language to engage in intellectual discourse about race, ethnicity, social class, privilege, and disparities. I remember the awareness that swept over the class as we progressed through the textbook. . .I felt that they were beginning to view things through my cultural lens, and I through theirs. We were gaining greater understanding of how our differing cultural realities had shaped us and would impact the work we conducted as therapists. (Sue & Sue, 2013, pp. 17–18)