Multicultural Counselling and Therapy (MCT): A Model of Integrating

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MCT is the fourth-force in counseling, after Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (1st), Behaviorism Therapy (2nd) and Humanistic Approach (3rd). Benny talked about the ‘FIT’ between Client and Therapist in the area of congruency, sensitivity and therapeutic alignment. MCT brings together two elements: The Person of the therapist and the Cultural context of therapy. Culture influences individuals and the therapeutic process.

I like this definition of culture (Castillo ’97 p 20) - A culture is the sum total of knowledge passed from generation to generation within any given society. This body of language includes language, forms of art and expression, religion, social and political structure, economic systems and legal systems, norms of behavior, ideas about illness and healing, and so on.

We were asked to name 5 personal descriptors each. I noticed that all of us except for a couple of negative ones gave complete positive descriptions of ourselves. I wonder if it was culturally expected of us Counselors to present ourselves positively.

My main clientele are similar to me in that they are parents and unemployed but dissimilar in more aspects, such as they are either separated/divorced or single parents. They are also from a low income family therefore not highly educated, and may have been convicted previously. They may also embrace a different religion. For a start, I will have to ensure the counseling venue has to be a neutral place (that is, not a church setting if they are Muslims). I will also have to figure out if they are able to pay for the use of counseling clinic.

The goal of MCT is to be intentionally cultural. 3 areas of competencies of culturally intentional counselors are:

The ability to create options to clients, implementing process of therapy that is congruent to the clients as well as the ability to formulate plans, act on many possibilities existing in a culture and reflect on these actions.

MCT is more of a meta-therapeutic approach. I have to identify frameworks and concrete helping skills and strategies that are culturally sensitive. MCT is best described as a method than a theory. It begins with an awareness of self and the pervasiveness of culture throughout the therapeutic process. It is practiced with a set of guidelines rather than applied with techniques.