Preparing Culturally Efficacious Bilingual Counselors through Theory and Case Studies
Summary
Excerpt
Table Of Contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- About the author
- About the book
- This eBook can be cited
- CONTENTS
- Preface
- Foreword
- Author Biographies
- Acknowledgments
- Chapter 1. Preparing Culturally Efficacious Bilingual Counselors Through Theory and Case Studies
- Developing Linguistic-Communicative Competence in Bilingual Counseling Settings
- Cultural Choques and Acculturation: Sociocultural Considerations for Serving the Counseling Needs of the Latine Populations
- Bilingual Supervision for Developing and Guiding Culturally Efficacious Counselors
- Bilingual Casos: Becoming Culturally Efficacious
- Reflexión Final
- Index
PREFACE
Until I am free to write bilingually and to switch codes without having always to translate, while I still have to speak English or Spanish when I would rather speak Spanglish, and as long as I have to accommodate the English speakers rather than having them accommodate me, my tongue will be illegitimate. I will no longer be made to feel ashamed of existing. I will have my voice: Indian, Spanish, white.
― Gloria Anzaldúa
In her book, Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, Gloria Anzaldúa (1987) wrote about her experiences with her native language, Spanish, in the chapter titled “How to Tame a Wild Tongue.” Gloria Anzaldúa was an American scholar of Chicana cultural theory, feminist theory, and queer theory. Throughout her work, she used a mix of English and Spanish words without translation to challenge the influence of English as the dominant language in the text and legitimize the power of her Spanish language. We (Claudia, Belinda, Cristina, Jessenia, and Isanely) seek to bring Anzaldúa’s powerful message to the field of counseling. As five Spanish-speaking Latina scholars, with professional experience as bilingual counselors, we recognized the multitude of challenges encountered when providing services in Spanish without any formal training. Despite our passion and pride in serving our community, we all agreed that the adequate preparation of bicultural-bilingual counselors remains limited. As you read this text, know that this book was created by bilingual counselors, and for bilingual counselors, to raise our collective voice.
Throughout our first conversations we realized a significant problem in the field: the overall assumption that for bilingual counselors to be culturally and linguistically efficacious, they simply must be bilingual. We counter this false assumption by offering that the professional community would never agree that a counselor simply must speak English or another first language to be an effective counselor. This also becomes an ethical issue if bilingual counselors are prepared entirely using traditional Euro-American counseling theories and techniques. Several publications address the fact that “Euro-American” therapy models grounded in Western European philosophical assumptions (Sue & Sue, 2015, p. 36) do not match other cultural backgrounds (e.g., Alvarado et al., 2019; Arredondo et al., 2014; Fuertes, 2004; Guilman, 2015; Hernandez-Wolfe, 2013; Ibrahim & Heuer, 2016; McCaffery & Moody, 2015). Bilingual counselors must also know clinical terms and concepts in both English and Spanish. Throughout this book, we present appropriate translations for clinical terminology and intentionally did not italicize our words in Spanish. Bilingual counselors can benefit from books that like Anzaldúa use a mix of English and Spanish words.
Therefore, our book is unique because it provides adequate knowledge and resources to prepare culturally efficacious bilingual counselors (Fuertes, 2004; McCaffery & Moody, 2015). Our focus is upon the Latine population to ensure access to materials in Spanish and to attend to Latine mental health issues (Arredondo et al., 2014). We have engaged in this critical work to provide the profession a resource in which theory and practices intersect.
Overview of the Book
In Chapter 1, Preparing Culturally Efficacious Bilingual Counselors Through Theory and Case Studies, we provide the theoretical and research grounding for preparing culturally efficacious bilingual counselors. Specifically, we use a social justice lens and weave in self-efficacy research. We also provide a snapshot of the topics discussed in subsequent chapters of the book.
Chapter 2, Developing Linguistic-Communicative Competence in Bilingual Counseling Settings, discusses the importance of considering the client’s language preference and modality during the counseling session. Given the role of language in expressing emotion, it further explores bilingual counselors’ communicative competence, which includes bilingual proficiency, understanding clinical terms in Spanish, and code-switching to establish rapport and trust with the client. We further stipulate that attending to the client’s communication style and language preferences can advance the therapeutic outcomes. We also offer several Spanish resources and forms that can be used in the bilingual clinical setting. The case study presented highlights the importance of considering language as a socio-cultural factor within the counseling setting.
In Chapter 3, Cultural Choques and Acculturation: Sociocultural Considerations for Serving the Counseling Needs of the Latine Populations, we extend our discussion on hegemonic discourse that results in cultural choques (clash/tensions) for Latine bicultural clients. Within the United States, the rhetoric in which the Latine population is given monolithic expectations to fully embrace the majority groups’ monolingual ideals and cultural practices positions the Latine population as a minoritized group. As a result, these cultural choques impact individuals’ psychological well-being and identity. To understand these choques, we explore several cultural considerations and provide a case study illustrating the cultural choques that clients may experience. We also extend the conversation regarding traditional counseling theories and how these can be employed using a sociocultural lens to meet the needs of bilingual populations. We further consider other theories, such as Acculturation, Borderland Theory, and LatCrit, that can serve to underpin counselors’ approaches when working with bilingual clients.
Bilingual Supervision for Developing and Guiding Culturally Efficacious Counselors is discussed in Chapter 4 considering the specialized skills needed by bilingual counselors. In this chapter, we present various topics/concerns applicable to bilingual supervision. The goal of this chapter is to support bilingual counselors training to develop communicative competence, cultural competence, and an understanding of the sociopolitical issues that may be impacting the psychological well-being of the Latine client. Additionally, we present resources that can help supervisors and educators provide guidance and feedback that augment bilingual counselors’ development. The case study presented here incorporates the nuances present within the bilingual client-counselor-supervisor relationship.
Chapter 5, Bilingual Casos: Becoming Culturally Efficacious by Applying Theory to Practice, provides six different case studies situated in our social justice framework. For each case, we offer abbreviated research to ground the clinical skills employed. Each of the cases is followed by resources and reflective questions. These sample cases can be used to prepare bilingual counselors.
Our book provides a final reflection on bilingual counselor training and supervision that will assist the field in moving towards bilingual/bicultural responsive practices.
Closing Thoughts
Our vision for this text was to provide theoretical grounding and practical approaches that are responsive to serving the distinct Latine/bilingual population. We hope that our book assists others in moving away from a monocultural/linguistic perspective situated in Western thought. We conclude by reiterating that one cannot assume that if a counselor is bilingual, they possess the requisite knowledge and skills to provide care to bilingual clients. In preparing culturally efficacious bilingual counselors, there is ethically necessary foundational training, and it should not just be an afterthought. We trust that this introductory text will provide the substantive foundation from which bilingual counselors can continue their growth, recognize the power of their language, and prepare efficiently to provide a space that allows clients to express themselves in their native tongue.
FOREWORD
Language is the “how” of the counseling process. A shared language allows a client to encode their feelings and experiences and the counselor to decode these messages. What is more, it is a tool for the counselor to express empathy and facilitate client healing.
Details
- Pages
- XX, 182
- Year
- 2024
- ISBN (PDF)
- 9781636676302
- ISBN (ePUB)
- 9781636676319
- ISBN (Softcover)
- 9781433196997
- DOI
- 10.3726/b21157
- Language
- English
- Publication date
- 2024 (February)
- Keywords
- Bilingual counselors supervisors Latine mental health linguistic cultural competency Preparing Culturally Efficacious Bilingual Counselors Through Theory and Case Studies Claudia G. Interiano-Shiverdecker Belinda Bustos Flores Cristina Thornell Jessenia García Isanely Guerrero Kurz
- Published
- New York, Berlin, Bruxelles, Chennai, Lausanne, Oxford, 2024. XX, 182 pp., 10 b/w ill., 5 b/w tables.
