- Email: [email protected]
A handbook for developing multicultural awareness
I20
Book Reviews
lack an empirically derived understanding of what cultural content corresponds to a particular corpus of language to be taught. A research-based cultural knowledge, pedagogically organized for various TESLITEFL applications, would help to identify, for example, how academic culture and its subspecialties are distinct from general culture. Such knowledge would further indicate what aspects of culture learning can be optimally integrated with listening comprehension or with speaking courses. This is less a problem of the anthologies reviewed than that of the current state of the field. Many important issues in culture teaching emerge in these three anthologies. Taken together, they reveal how far the field has come, and how far it has yet to go.
Christine Winskowski-Jackson Hawaii Loa College Kaneohe, Hawaii
A HANDBOOK FOR DEVELOPING MULTICULTURAL AWARENESS
Paul Pedersen Alexandria, VA: American Association for Counseling and Development (AACD), 1988, 216 pp., $20.95 (paper), AACD Members: $24.95 (paper), Non-Members
The counseling profession in the United States has been harshly criticized as being culturally encapsulated (Wrenn, 1985) and ethnocentrically biased (Casas, Ponterotto, & Gutierrez, 1986). Critics argue that traditionally trained counselors are not adequately responding to the diverse needs of an increasingly varied and multicultural population. As a response to these mounting criticisms, the Education and Training Committee (Sue et al., 1982) of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Division of Counseling Psychology developed a position paper outlining eleven basic counseling competencies for working with culturally different clients. These competencies were divided into three basic areas: awareness of one’s own culturally-learned values and assumptions, knowledge of other cultures, and specific skills used in multicultural (or cross-cultural) counseling. Although numerous writers since Sue et al. (1982) have continued to argue for multicultural counseling, few have specified how to achieve these training goals. Intended to be a practical guide on teaching multi-
Book
Reviews
I21
cultural counseling, Pedersen’s A Handbook for Developing Multicultural Awareness outlines a training program specifically designed for building multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills. Pedersen’s new book (his fifteenth) is timely. There are numerous crosscultural counseling books currently available in the market, but most of them are “issues’‘-related and provide little specifics on training counselors to be cross-culturally competent. As the demographic composition of the United States continues to change (with the white majority decreasing in numbers, and the diverse racial/ethnic minority groups rapidly increasing in size), this text will grow increasingly important and relevant. Curriculum surveys show (e.g., Hollis & Wantz, 1986) that among the fastest growing and most popular courses are those dealing with multicultural or cross-cultural counseling topics. The Handbook is divided into three major parts. Part I, “Awareness of Multicultural Assumptions,” consists of three chapters which introduce the text, delineate culturally biased assumptions of traditional Western counseling, and outline structured experiential exercises for getting in touch with one’s values and assumptions and for gaining an appreciation for alternative value systems. Part II, “Knowledge of Multicultural Information,” consists of three chapters focusing on cultural identity models, recent research in multicultural counseling, and the need for multicultural counseling. Part III, “Skill for Multicultural Action,” consists of four chapters focusing on the role of method and context in multicultural counseling, on the Triad Model of counselor training (an often cited series of exercises used to train counselors in cross-cultural awareness), and on specific skills for multicultural counseling. This section concludes with a discussion on developing multicultural counselors. The book includes four appendices: (a) a 60-item self-assessment evaluation which would be helpful in monitoring the reader’s progress in comprehending the contents of the Handbook; (b) recommended changes for culturally-sensitizing the “Ethical Principles” of the American Psychological Association; (c) specific exercises using Pedersen’s (1977) well-known Triad Model of cross-cultural training; and (d) exercises aimed at multicultural counseling skill development. Of the many multicultural counseling books appearing on the market, the Handbook is probably the most practical in explicating how to teach and train counselors for work with culturally varied clientele. The many exercises described in the book, particularly the extensive discussion devoted to the “Triad Model” of training, provide the counselor educator with specific guidelines for training counselors. The conceptual basis for the book explains and describes the three major components necessary for skilled multicultural counseling: awareness of one’s learned cultural biases, knowledge of various cultures as well as the formation and impact of one’s cultural identity, and skills
Book Reviews
I22
needed to work with clients from different cultures who possess varying value systems. Pedersen has a thorough and broad command of the multicultural literature. This is reflected in the text’s 228 supporting citations. The views and positions taken by the author are clearly supported by the extant empirical literature. The book is well-organized, concisely written, and clearly presented. The book is most appropriate for master’s degree counseling courses with an applied focus. To train advanced graduate students and scholars in multicultural counseling research issues and methods, additional sources would be needed. A number of the exercises delineated in the text (particularly the 12 exercises outlined in chap. 2) are not adequately described. Unless the counselor trainer had previous knowledge and experience with the exercises, she or he could not reliably implement them into a course. All in all, Pedersen’s A Handbook for Developing Multicultural Awareness is a valuable and timely addition to the counseling literature. The book would be appropriate for beginning level cross-cultural training in related mental health fields such as social work, psychiatry, clinical psychology, and psychology. Joseph G. Ponterotto Fordham University - Lincoln Center New York, New York REFERENCES CASAS, J. M., PONTEROTTO, J. G., & GUTIERREZ, J. M. (1986). An ethical indictment of counseling research and training: The cross-cultural perspective.
Journal of Counseling and Development,
64, 347-349.
R. A. (1986). Counselor preparation- 1986-89: Programs, Personnel, Trends (6th ed.). Muncie, IN: Accelerated, Inc. PEDERSEN, P. B. (1977). The Triad Model of cross-cultural counselor training. HOLLIS,
J. W., & WANTZ,
Personnel and Guidance Journal, 56, 94-100. SUE, D. W., BERNIER, J. E., DURRAN, A., FEINBERG, L., PEDERSEN, P., SMITH, E. J., & VASQUEZ-NUTTALL, E. (1982). Position paper: Crosscultural counseling competencies. The Counseling Psychologist, 10(2), 45-52. WRENN, C. G. (1985). Afterward: The culturally encapsulated counselor revisited. In P. Pedersen (Ed.), Handbook of cross-cultural counseling and therapy (pp. 323-329). Westport, CT Greenwood Press.
Book Reviews
lack an empirically derived understanding of what cultural content corresponds to a particular corpus of language to be taught. A research-based cultural knowledge, pedagogically organized for various TESLITEFL applications, would help to identify, for example, how academic culture and its subspecialties are distinct from general culture. Such knowledge would further indicate what aspects of culture learning can be optimally integrated with listening comprehension or with speaking courses. This is less a problem of the anthologies reviewed than that of the current state of the field. Many important issues in culture teaching emerge in these three anthologies. Taken together, they reveal how far the field has come, and how far it has yet to go.
Christine Winskowski-Jackson Hawaii Loa College Kaneohe, Hawaii
A HANDBOOK FOR DEVELOPING MULTICULTURAL AWARENESS
Paul Pedersen Alexandria, VA: American Association for Counseling and Development (AACD), 1988, 216 pp., $20.95 (paper), AACD Members: $24.95 (paper), Non-Members
The counseling profession in the United States has been harshly criticized as being culturally encapsulated (Wrenn, 1985) and ethnocentrically biased (Casas, Ponterotto, & Gutierrez, 1986). Critics argue that traditionally trained counselors are not adequately responding to the diverse needs of an increasingly varied and multicultural population. As a response to these mounting criticisms, the Education and Training Committee (Sue et al., 1982) of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Division of Counseling Psychology developed a position paper outlining eleven basic counseling competencies for working with culturally different clients. These competencies were divided into three basic areas: awareness of one’s own culturally-learned values and assumptions, knowledge of other cultures, and specific skills used in multicultural (or cross-cultural) counseling. Although numerous writers since Sue et al. (1982) have continued to argue for multicultural counseling, few have specified how to achieve these training goals. Intended to be a practical guide on teaching multi-
Book
Reviews
I21
cultural counseling, Pedersen’s A Handbook for Developing Multicultural Awareness outlines a training program specifically designed for building multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills. Pedersen’s new book (his fifteenth) is timely. There are numerous crosscultural counseling books currently available in the market, but most of them are “issues’‘-related and provide little specifics on training counselors to be cross-culturally competent. As the demographic composition of the United States continues to change (with the white majority decreasing in numbers, and the diverse racial/ethnic minority groups rapidly increasing in size), this text will grow increasingly important and relevant. Curriculum surveys show (e.g., Hollis & Wantz, 1986) that among the fastest growing and most popular courses are those dealing with multicultural or cross-cultural counseling topics. The Handbook is divided into three major parts. Part I, “Awareness of Multicultural Assumptions,” consists of three chapters which introduce the text, delineate culturally biased assumptions of traditional Western counseling, and outline structured experiential exercises for getting in touch with one’s values and assumptions and for gaining an appreciation for alternative value systems. Part II, “Knowledge of Multicultural Information,” consists of three chapters focusing on cultural identity models, recent research in multicultural counseling, and the need for multicultural counseling. Part III, “Skill for Multicultural Action,” consists of four chapters focusing on the role of method and context in multicultural counseling, on the Triad Model of counselor training (an often cited series of exercises used to train counselors in cross-cultural awareness), and on specific skills for multicultural counseling. This section concludes with a discussion on developing multicultural counselors. The book includes four appendices: (a) a 60-item self-assessment evaluation which would be helpful in monitoring the reader’s progress in comprehending the contents of the Handbook; (b) recommended changes for culturally-sensitizing the “Ethical Principles” of the American Psychological Association; (c) specific exercises using Pedersen’s (1977) well-known Triad Model of cross-cultural training; and (d) exercises aimed at multicultural counseling skill development. Of the many multicultural counseling books appearing on the market, the Handbook is probably the most practical in explicating how to teach and train counselors for work with culturally varied clientele. The many exercises described in the book, particularly the extensive discussion devoted to the “Triad Model” of training, provide the counselor educator with specific guidelines for training counselors. The conceptual basis for the book explains and describes the three major components necessary for skilled multicultural counseling: awareness of one’s learned cultural biases, knowledge of various cultures as well as the formation and impact of one’s cultural identity, and skills
Book Reviews
I22
needed to work with clients from different cultures who possess varying value systems. Pedersen has a thorough and broad command of the multicultural literature. This is reflected in the text’s 228 supporting citations. The views and positions taken by the author are clearly supported by the extant empirical literature. The book is well-organized, concisely written, and clearly presented. The book is most appropriate for master’s degree counseling courses with an applied focus. To train advanced graduate students and scholars in multicultural counseling research issues and methods, additional sources would be needed. A number of the exercises delineated in the text (particularly the 12 exercises outlined in chap. 2) are not adequately described. Unless the counselor trainer had previous knowledge and experience with the exercises, she or he could not reliably implement them into a course. All in all, Pedersen’s A Handbook for Developing Multicultural Awareness is a valuable and timely addition to the counseling literature. The book would be appropriate for beginning level cross-cultural training in related mental health fields such as social work, psychiatry, clinical psychology, and psychology. Joseph G. Ponterotto Fordham University - Lincoln Center New York, New York REFERENCES CASAS, J. M., PONTEROTTO, J. G., & GUTIERREZ, J. M. (1986). An ethical indictment of counseling research and training: The cross-cultural perspective.
Journal of Counseling and Development,
64, 347-349.
R. A. (1986). Counselor preparation- 1986-89: Programs, Personnel, Trends (6th ed.). Muncie, IN: Accelerated, Inc. PEDERSEN, P. B. (1977). The Triad Model of cross-cultural counselor training. HOLLIS,
J. W., & WANTZ,
Personnel and Guidance Journal, 56, 94-100. SUE, D. W., BERNIER, J. E., DURRAN, A., FEINBERG, L., PEDERSEN, P., SMITH, E. J., & VASQUEZ-NUTTALL, E. (1982). Position paper: Crosscultural counseling competencies. The Counseling Psychologist, 10(2), 45-52. WRENN, C. G. (1985). Afterward: The culturally encapsulated counselor revisited. In P. Pedersen (Ed.), Handbook of cross-cultural counseling and therapy (pp. 323-329). Westport, CT Greenwood Press.