Reflection Essay

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Reflection Essay

Primary Themes

Social Injustice

The practice of unfair behaviors in community is often referred to as social injustice. When the equals are treated unfairly and the unequal are treated fairly, social injustice arises. The three most prevalent types of social injustice are discriminations based on age, gender and race (Field et al., 2019). By resolving challenges pertaining to both personal and procedural fairness, counselors work to concurrently benefit mankind growth and the general welfare in the field of social justice.

This strategy encompasses the actual combat of injustice and inequality in community, both as they affect clients and in their structural surroundings, in addition to the strengthening of people and organizations (Sue et al., 2019). Counselors that are culturally competent possess understanding, expertise, and advocacy skills. Social justice and multiculturalism are interwoven concepts that cannot be separated or compared to one another. Counselors who are proficient see their customers as cultural individuals who operate within networks and situations. Counselors from all political backgrounds care about their patients and recognize how important equity, access, involvement, and harmony are to their well-being.

Counselors should be social justice endorses both inside and outside of the counseling office by actively committing to insight, continuous learning, and evaluating their counseling capabilities. This goes further than complying with the aforementioned ethical and greater consistency in relation to social justice and activism by illustrating fundamental understanding and integrating social justice fundamentals all through counseling services (Field et al., 2019). In order to understand and incorporate more liberatory and culturally appropriate systemic frameworks into study, instruction, and clinical practice, counselors are urged to develop tools that represent social justice and activism counseling skills. As much as it is difficult to understand client cultural differences, is it possible to treat them equally without making any of them feel discriminated?

Systemic Oppression

Poor treatment of members of a particular group that is encouraged and upheld by society and its institutions is referred to as systemic oppression. Oppression by institution, also known as systemic oppression, occurs when a party or parties with a particular social identity are subjected to unfair treatment under the local regulations (Grzanka et al., 2017). When a particular social group is denied access to education that could harm their future lives, that is also social oppression. Economic oppression is the division of society into 2 classifications. It can take many different forms, including racism and sexism, and it can be explicit or implicit (Sue et al., 2019). A dialectical process, not an equation, underlies system development. Legalistic advice has generally been avoided in favor of suggestions that are more akin to core elements, queries, and things to keep in mind while transitional agents work through the challenging procedure of system oppression. Effective contexts do not offer solutions, despite the fact that this can be irritating, but rather tension that, via continual practice, continues to construct and simply destroy one’s area of potential along the way (Grzanka et al., 2017).

The success of counseling depends on how a counselor reacts to a client’s ideals. To effectively fulfill the requirements of the customers, counselors must keep an eye on their own activities and retain self-awareness. Counselors deal with crucial facets of their clients’ personalities, like their views, beliefs, and ideas. Counselors will be more equipped to respond and intervene if they are conscious of the possible issues that clients may bring up during counseling (Grzanka et al., 2017). In any case, respecting clients’ beliefs is the counselors’ duty. Nonetheless, this does not imply that those beliefs could be handled in counseling in a positive manner. Will there ever be an understanding between the different religions and the LGBTQ community?

The Theme that made an Impression on me: Micro aggressions

Micro aggressions are those subliminal statements that diminish, belittle, and devalue an individual (Miles et al., 2021). They happen frequently between members of many different groups. Micro aggressions are becoming more commonplace for many customers due to the country’s varied demographics. Counselors can be conscious of micro aggressions and resolve affronts that may happen in the therapy session by using two tools: cultural awareness and contemplation (Sue et al., 2019). It is crucial to raise awareness of the negative consequences of bias towards disadvantaged groups, to validate clients’ experiences of micro aggressions, to avoid downplaying these accounts, and to avoid becoming defensive when clients point out instances in which we have engaged in micro aggressions.

The assisting practitioner’s trustworthiness and conversational efficiency diminish when they unintentionally and improperly convey micro aggressions, which increase the risk of a breakdown or stalemate in the therapeutic alliance (Miles et al., 2021). The crimes go unnoticed when wider cultural and knowledge are absent, when one is averse to elucidating the significance of tense encounters, and when one consciously refrains from pursuing an understanding of these relations. The very first step in confronting unthinking and unintended racism, sexism, heterosexism, and other forms of intolerance that simmer beneath the cover of micro aggressions is rendering the obscure apparent. In order to provide services that are socially acceptable, it is crucial to learn about and comprehend the viewpoints of other communities and customers. Assisting specialists must start the procedure of creating successful management tactics that are culturally acceptable while collaborating with clients that are diverse from themselves (Miles et al., 2021). Assisting practitioners must also learn how to intervene against institutional governance forms, norms, procedures, and laws. Is it possible for a practitioner to be micro aggressive without knowing? How is such a situation handled?

References

Derald Wing Sue, David Sue, Hellen A. Neville, and Laura Harris Smith CNC BSOM. Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice, 8th Edition. 2019. Retrieved from https://www.audible.com/pd?asin=1705290205&source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=library_overflowField, T. A., Ghoston, M. R., Grimes, T. O., Sturm, D. C., Kaur, M., Aninditya, A., & Toomey, M. (2019). Trainee counselor development of social justice counseling competencies. Journal for Social Action in Counseling & Psychology, 11(1), 33-50. file:///C:/Users/user/Downloads/mcgjeltema,+Field+et+al.+33-50.pdf

Grzanka, P. R., Santos, C. E., & Moradi, B. (2017). Intersectionality research in counseling psychology. Journal of counseling psychology, 64(5), 453. https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2017-46640-001.pdfMiles, J. R., Anders, C., Kivlighan III, D. M., & Belcher Platt, A. A. (2021). Cultural ruptures: Addressing microaggressions in group therapy. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 25(1), 74. https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fgdn0000149