Multicultural Counselling Interview Paper

Harris’s childhood was a challenging part of his life. He formed when he learned how to be strong, understood what he can handle or tolerate. His childhood formed the identity of who Harris is. He studied Islamic to seek guidance. Even though, he lived an American lifestyle like a young boy playing games. He was always discriminated against for where he came from and his religion. This made him feel weak, scared and alone. But he found a passageway for respect against his peers through Hip Hop. Rapping hip-hop and the rhythm of his lyrics drew people to him. It allowed him to socialize freely, form new relationships and connect with people outside his culture. Hip-Hop opening his atmosphere to speaking spoken word at colleges, conventions
and Poetry shops. People gravitate to Harris and he was admire for his lyrics through Hip-hop. He gained the respect of different cultures, ethnicity groups and race. This made him related more to the American lifestyle but never straining away from his values as an Islamic Pakistan man. He knew how to break the focus of his religion and learned how to express himself through Hip-Hop. People saw him for who he was, learned his characteristic as a person and liked being around him. He enjoyed telling jokes; his socialization increase from a childhood into his adulthood. Identity as an adult As an adult, Harris became comfortable with identification in society. He stood by his principles and guidelines of life. He appreciated that he found a way to communicate with others; which let them look past his Pakistan heritage. He exchanged wisdom and values, but at the same time allowed people to open up and laugh. He knew how hard it was as a Muslim in America. Socialization broke the judgement of criticism of bomb threats and labialization as a danger to society. He was respected by people in his workplace, school and in the community. Hip-hop destroyed his guilt and shame, it built his self-esteem and self-awareness. It made his understand the world, motivated him to learn, pushed him to do research and gain self-respect in the process. He knows he will always be labeled as a “murderer” to this nation; but it doesn’t get under his skin. He stronger than he was before and his religion has guided him in how he should respond to ignorance. He stands by his Islamic principles to comprehend: “Calm water never made a great sailor” (Harris quoted). He uses his challenges to face to rise above adversity. He appreciates the opportunity he gets in life every day to use his challenges as growth. He quoted, “Honor is standing by your values and self-worth”. He believes that you are your own example, only you have the authority to change your future and learn from your past. Similarities & Differences from other Individuals who share the same identity Harris believes that his culture has several similarities and differences. The most salient identity for him his culture. But he feels like the more a person is exposed to, the more well- balanced they are. He feels privileged to have experience an American lifestyle. This experience has made him a versatile in how he adapts to the American culture against other cultures. Harris stated that in America Pakistan’s differ in personality, integrity, attitude, values and ethnicities. He is a strong believer of “two people belonging to the same element & uniqueness but are different. Every human being has something special to offer the world.” This culture is the prime example of their languages Balochi, Hindko, Brahui, Burushaski, Punjabi, Siraiki, Sindhi, PashtuBalti, Khawar, Gujrati and etc. There are Muslim, Hindu and Christian Pakistan people. Similarities consist of struggles (externally, internally & self), religions, social hierarchical and the way you were raised as a Pakistan. Pakistan’s in his nation and in America follow the Islamic way of life. Harris understood how the image of a men was view and the responsibilities as the forbearer. Your social structure and identity surrounded your loyalty to your family. “Pakistan is a hierarchical society.” Respect comes first in the Pakistan culture with your position in society or age. Being an American, he sees that other cultures abide by these principles. Especially with the older generation being the wisdom and foundation of a hierarchy. Titles are very important and denote respect. Other cultures address people in authority by last name or with a subtitle, as Pakistan. As well as other culture, Pakistan’s are brought up in strict households with morals and discipline. World Views Harris life philosophy comes from the Quran. He believes that life is a test. You will encounter problematic situations and your actions/response form from the role you play in society. His views the world as corruption due to the events that has took place in the nation of Pakistan and in the United States. Harris quoted, “the world is full of puppet leaders who take from people and don’t have an intimate relationship with the people they oversee as a nation.” This American country is rich of resources, but poor overall. He stated that there isn’t equality amongst the government and the people. This country is built on gentrification and slavery. Some people live in the illusion and others speak up against the morals of this country; then get shut down consistently. Harris mentioned that people are so quick to bash you and say go back to your country where you came from. Overlooking that they are an American citizen like themselves with a different racial profile. Interviewer Culture similar/different from my culture The Interviewer’s culture is similar/different from my culture because I’m a Baptist and Jamaican. We eat difference food from one another, Pakistan merely eat Halal food. Our Religion consist of: Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, Seventh Day Adventists, Christian Scientists and other groups also have significant memberships. While Pakistan religions are: Islamic, Buddhists, Christians, Parsis, and Hindus. I study the bible and he studies the Quran. I enjoy listening to reggae and soca, while Harris enjoys hip-hop and Pakistan music. Jamaican woman can hold strong positions in society and be the financial provider for the household. Harris and I are similar because we both live by our cultural values as an American. Religion is fundamental to both of our lifestyle. We have similar of the inequality in the United States government. He both value the opportunity of receiving an education and career in America. We get along and have respect for each other beliefs. I’m open to understanding his beliefs and he listens to me talk about dancing liturgical dance as a form of ministry. We both address the older generation with respect at all times. He listens to Raggaeton, while I know the lyrics of the songs. We hold conversations and give advice on different situations. As I learn about his culture, he is very interested to learn how to speak Patio and the spices we use in our foods. He feels we use the same spices, the other difference is that his meat has to be Halal. In my eyes people aren’t separated by culture, race, ethnicities or religion; but by ignorance, perception and doubt. Preconceived notions after interview Before meeting and interviewing Harris Siddiqui, I preconceived notions that all Pakistan where strict and assertive. But Harris is the complete opposite of my perceptions, he makes people laugh and never force his religion affiliations on others. He may quote strong statements from the Quran, but he means well. You have to understand that you are an American in America. Everyway have they own way of life and their own style to contribute to society. Harris will speak on religion, but he is very respect of your God. He is strong on politics and how the government operates in America. Pakistan are pre-judged in America due to war and deaths. I don’t believe that crimes comes from culture, race or ethnicity. It’s how you were raised and taught to serve. You have to have the type of mindset and ill mentality to commit a criminal. There are some many different people who commit massive crimes, but the government and social media focus on the Muslim Community. It’s unfear to them and pressure of life weighs of them in society. Muslims are labeled as massive destruction. Harris is not the first Muslim I’ve encounter. I use to take care of a 9 year old Autism girl, who I grew to love. Her family values me as a person and how I cared from their child. I built a strong relationship with them and their daughter was able to break isolation and socialized in society. On the other hand, Harris surprised me with rapping and his love for Hip-hop. I learned that Pakistan desire the same kind of music and he introduced to a few Pakistan hip-hop artist. He showed me that they are wealthy artists in his country, who American don’t know about and I liked the beats/rhythm of their music. Inconsistencies between your experience & what you learned I didn’t find inconsistencies in my experience as a Jamaican American and what I learned. Although, my life story differs from Harris I faced trials and tribulations from childhood to adulthood. I’ve surrounded several cultures and ethnicities, pre-judgment made me strong. I was teased about my accent but then everyone wanted to be Jamaican. So, people cling onto my ethnicities from middle school. My life changed in college because I attended Alabama State University. Some loves my personality & accents, while others took it as a joke. I remember my freshman year in Public Speaking, a young lady laughed as I was doing presentation. It made me upset and frustrated. It almost took me out of my element. I self-reflected on who I was as a proud Jamaican. I loved everything about my culture and appreciated that being an American never isolated me from my culture. As a New York citizen, I indulge in the food, events and culture festivities. It felt like home away from home with the beach beaches and fruit trees. This course has caught me that the counselors guide clients in accordance with their professional ethical responsibilities (Pack-Brown, Thomas, & Seymore, 2008). It’s your ethical duty as a counselor to aware of your own values, biases, and culture in relation to the values and experiences of the client. You have to strive to empower rather than impose personal biases upon the client. “The Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) requires counselor education programs to maintain this distinction in part through infusing specific standards of multicultural training throughout the curriculum” (Arredondo & Arciniega, 2001; Pieterse, Evans, Risner-Butner, Collins, & Mason, 2009). I gained the opportunity to interact with other students and understand their viewpoints. I comprehends the topics discussed ( ) in collation with life. I understand cultural differences among people is based on their potentially emotional experience or transformative. According to a study conducted by Sammons and Speight (2008), the transformational changes that occur in the multicultural counseling class comparably impact white students and minority students. Sammons and Speight (2008) utilized the Critical Incidents Technique (CIT) in order to evaluate how students rate specific aspects of the multicultural counseling course. Participants acknowledged their increase in knowledge, greater self-awareness, a change in attitude, as well as a change in their behavior since enrolling in the multicultural course. Students also reflected that the size of the multicultural class was a significant factor in the impact of this experience. Interview illustrates the complexity of identity This interview illustrates the complexity of identity by what he believes in principles he was taught by his parent’s and the Quran. I agree that Harris Islamic values of social justice, respect for woman, protection of minorities & underprivileged, rights and tolerance under the Pakistani National Identity similar to mines. I know everyone’s views are different. Every Jamaican or Pakistan will have a different mindset depending on where you were cultural influenced.

Did the interview have future counseling interactions similar to this interviewee? The implications that this interview on my future counseling interactions with a person who may represents a culture/identity to this interviewee is understanding. You should never implicate prejudgment of biases context in a counseling session. This interview expanded my understanding of “Never judging a book by its cover.” You never who a person is until you get to know them for this qualities and characteristics as a person. Multicultural counseling is to identify and acknowledgement between the counselor and client. You should be able to recognized cultural differences for the establishment of trust necessary to conduct effective counseling sessions. As a counselor, I would understand the belief and worldviews of my client. I want to remain culturally-sensitive in my interventions of problem solving. This interview countenance my self-reflection in who I am and in becoming a culturally-competent counselor. I want to be open-minded in educating myself about culturally different groups to promote an effective counseling environment for my clients. Having adequate self-awareness will enhance my career and introduce me to resources to shaping my professional identity and responses (DVU, 2014). What have you learned that you can apply to future work with clients?
Through the Multicultural Counseling course and interview, I’ve learned to remain “positive self-regard in one’s own culture and positive attitudes toward the culture of others.”
Arredondo, Toporek, Brown & Jones, 1996). This manifests acceptance and respect for all cultures in our pluralistic society. When disclose the differences and similarities amongst cultures, we can develop an understanding and appreciation of the person we counsel. I’ve gained insight on how important the continual state of learning is. Every day the field of counseling is growth and counselors who remain updated on challenges their clients may encounter. As I work with multiple diverse clients, my knowledge base expands, but the learning doesn’t stop there. “Working in this area of professional counseling will continually provide you with opportunities to gain new insights and skills with each new client. Multicultural competent counselor is an active process, and that inaction perpetuates injustice rather than social justice” Arredondo, Toporek, Brown & Jones, 1996). So, self-awareness is the key to counseling because when working with people “Open-mindedness and validation provokes the need for social justice and speaking out against injustice is about affirming and confirming action, not about being right or wrong” (Cannon,
2008).