What Is My Cultural Heritage

Cultural heritage is culture, values and traditions tat are inherited and are passed down from one generation to another. Heritage is a big part of who we are and where we come from that makes us the person we are today. Being aware of our cultural will help us identify who are are as a person. When you look at your cultural autobiography, you are not just talking about life events, it goes much more deeper then that. It is looking at your family history, it is a narrative of your history based on your values and culture that shape your identity. In the article by Cokley & Helm (2007), that racial and ethnic identity are the most important things when it comes to individual differences among African Americans. Family's Cultural Heritage I
Religion is an important part of my family because no matter what we are going through, having a strong religious background keeps us going even through the tough issues. My family was brought up in a Methodist church and we attending church every Sunday, and we prayed daily. As a young child, being a Christian was instilled in me also as I got into adulthood. My grandmother and aunt could read the Bible front to back, and back to front. I asked my aunt about reading the Bible and she stated this will be the fifth time that she has read the Bible in entirety. I have not mastered reading the entire Bible, I started at one point but did not finished. In Sue & Sue (2016), they talk about the African American community, and how religion is very important. It provides opportunities for support, comfort, and involvement within the community. Religion played a role in the college I went to for my undergraduate. In the article by Taylor & Chatters (2010), they discussed how religious institutions play an important role in the founding of HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) and majority of the colleges and universities have direct affiliation with religious
When it comes to mental health, African Americans are exposed to many traumas for example, violence, and racial discrimination but they are resilience in the face of such adversity. Most African Americans feel that the option to go to therapy to solve problems is unthinkable and they fear they could be discriminated against or feel that their issue should be kept within the family. The purpose of counseling is to gain understanding in a client lives and set goals to resolve questionable feelings and beliefs about an issue. The role of the counselor is to be competent in multicultural counseling. Multicultural counseling is counselors who understand that the client with different cultural background from themselves will have different views and that it could affect their treatment (Sue & Sue, 2016). Counselors can use use positive characteristics rather than focus on the negative characteristics. Some approaches I would use while I am working with clients from a diverse background would first, build trust with the client. If the client cannot trust you, the treatment will not be effective and the client may not return for additional services. Second, I would do more research about my client values and beliefs and be aware of my own stereotypes about that the client so I do not affect the therapy session in a negative way. Lastly, I would understand that everyone that is in the same group