Philosophy of Counseling
This section outlines topcs of my professional philosophy. They include professional dispositions (ACA, 2014).
Counselor dispositions: Professional Identity, Self-Awareness, Cultural Diversity, Patience, Flexibility, Genuineness, Empathy, Acceptance, Amiability.
CACREP Standards: 5.C.1.b.
References
American Counseling Association [ACA]. (2014). 2014 ACA code of ethics. https://www.counseling.org/Resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf
Professional Identity
Self-Awareness
Cultural background
Powerpoint presentation on self-awareness of the cultural impact on biases, perceptions, and worldview.
CNL-509 – Topic 5 -PPT-Assignment- Cultural Counseling Phillip Bride v3
Self-awareness analysis
from a detailed genogram.
CNL-509 – Topic 4 Self-Awareness and Counselor Identity Development Phillip Bride v6
Cultural Diversity
CNL-509 – Topic 7 Assignment – Cultural Considerations Issues and Trends Phillip Bride v5
Cultural Considerations, Issues, and Trends
Counselors who embed cultural considerations and interventions working with immigrants, undocumented immigrants, and refugees can improve outcomes for these traumatized and distressed groups (Sue et al., 2022). Trauma and distress afflict immigrants who choose new countries and refugees who seek asylum in new countries to escape violence often on short notice. Embedding cultural considerations and interventions create a welcoming and healing environment for these traumatized and distressed clients.
CNL-509 – Topic 7 Assignment – Cultural Considerations Issues and Trends Phillip Bride v5
CNL-509 – Topic 5 DQ 1 Ethnically Different Cultures (Obj. 5.1, 5.2, and 5.3)
Phillip Bride
Jan 18, 2025, 2:45 PM
An Indian restaurant opened near my home recently. Living near extensive Intel facilities means that people worldwide converge in the area. Many Indians come to work at Intel and live nearby. Engaging with the waiter, I learned he and his family recently hailed from Chennai, India. Friendliness and helpfulness pervaded the atmosphere in the restaurant, with a big screen TV showing Indian music entertainment and an entire wall covered with photos of regional dishes. Chennai sits in the Tamil Nadu region known for its friendliness, hospitality, family orientation, Hindu religion, easy-going attitudes, and teasing in friendly ways (Hayes, n.d.).
Chitti 3.0, a robotic server, delivered food and drink along with the waiter. Chitti 3.0 comes from the Chennai and Tamil Nadu-originated action characters (Chitti (character), 2024). The city name, Chennai, changed from Madras in 1996 to remove vestiges of British colonialism and honor the Tamil people of the region, although neither is Tamil (Rajamony & Tripathy, 2023). Rajomony & Tripathy point out that the culture actively and ambivalently mixes colonial, multinational, and technological aspects. A counselor in training must remain open, curious, and flexible since complex and cultural topics may implicitly drive clients’ behaviors and actions (Sue et al., 2022). Recognizing the pun of the high-tech Chitti robotic waiter, the varied traditional cultural Tamil music, and the friendly hospitality of the waiter in an Oregon restaurant offered insights into the complex Tamil Indian culture. Awareness of and relevant empathetic curiosity about cultural topics can open explorations with Indian clients.
References
Chitti (character). (2024, September 10). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitti_(character)
Hays, Jeffrey. (n.d.). Tamil Culture and Life. Facts and details. https://factsanddetails.com/india/Minorities_Castes_and_Regions_in_India/sub7_4c/entry-4200.html
Rajamony, K., & Tripathy, J. (2023). Between Madras and Chennai: Narratives of belonging in a postcolonial city. Journal of Commonwealth Literature, 58(3), 516–530. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/0021989421992450
Sue, D. W., Sue, D., Neville, H. A., & Smith, L. (2022). Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice (9th ed.). Wiley & Sons. ISBN-13: 9781119861904.
Patience
Flexibility
Genuineness
Empathy
Discussion question on Empathy
CNL-515 – Topic 2 DQ 1 Empathy (Obj. 2.1, 2.2, and 2.4)
Empathy has gone through many definitions since Carl Rogers (Ho, 2024). Ho defines empathy as “a foundational construct in person-centered psychotherapies” (p. 39). The paper goes on to develop an empathy framework based on the definition of empathy as specific competencies needed for counselor development. In line with both definitions Egan & Reese (2019) define empathy in terms of a value, a “psychological nutrient” (78), a communication skill, and a mode of therapy. Each of these helps the client describe their own problem situation and move them to consider actions or even unused opportunities. Through empathy the client feels understood so they can move on.
A technique used to demonstrate empathy includes the formula “You feel <emotion> because of <experience, thoughts, behaviors>” (Egan & Reese, 2019). This beginner approach would be good to understand thoroughly as a basic skill. A second technique includes using short responses rather than dissertations (which I am guilty of doing). A short response might be a single word or a phrase capturing the essence of the core issue. A third technique, would include pausing and reflecting on what the client says before responding.
I have practiced empathetic listening in several situations and notice I fall into habitual patterns. The old pattern goes like this; the person voices frustration, I respond with a way out of the situation, a way to fix it. They react usually with reasons why my “fix” will not work. I then argue my case. Now, after reading the material, I tried responding with the formula (Egan & Reese, 2019). A person voices angrily at me about how everything is wrong after a water leak in the bathroom, and it is a mess. I take a pause, then say, “You feel frustrated because the water leaked all over the bathroom making a mess.” A short outburst, then agreement and a calmer approach emerged to my surprise. A conversation ensued.
References
Egan, G. & Reese, R. (2019). The skilled helper: A problem-management & opportunity-development approach to helping (11th ed.). Cengage.
Ho, C.-M. (2024). Process of interpersonal empathy: A proposed framework of empathy competence in psychotherapies. Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies, 23(1), 39–53. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/14779757.2023.2174446
White Paper
Elements of a Successful Therapeutic Relationship
I hope to embody key elements successfully in therapeutic relationships, addressing the needs of a diverse parish faith community. As a licensed and certified clinical mental health counselor, elements include roles as a licensed therapist for all who seek help, supporting the parish pastor and school counselors, and collaborating with health professionals (NBCC, 2024). I fuse strategies to develop my counselor identity (Burkholder, 2012). Strategies include merging personal characteristics with professional training and licensure, getting supervision, contextualizing my identity to clients and the faith community, and expressing my identity through observable actions. These actions foster leadership for clients, advocacy for the diverse community, and provide services for the community’s mental health needs. I strive to incorporate all counselor dispositions into my counseling relationships (GCU, 2022). My professional identity rests on empathy, genuineness, acceptance, patience, self-awareness, and amiability to flexibly build relationships with a culturally diverse faith community. Reflecting on and reviewing the mock sessions, the skills naturally used included SOLER (squarely facing client, open posture, lean in, eye contact, relaxed demeanor), presence, empathetic responses, open probing questions, reframing, and identifying strengths. Each skill offered opportunities for improvement to be more explicit and occur more often. Theory assists in developing a model of counseling to frame the client’s situation, set goals, and guide the treatment process under supervision. Thesis: I hope to add value to our diverse faith community as a skilled mental health counselor by embodying faith and values expressed through professional dispositions, bound by licensing and certification, grounded in evidence-based theory, and improved through reflection and supervision.
CNL-515 – Topic 8 Assignment Elements of a Successful Therapeutic Relationship Phillip Bride v6b
Acceptance
DQ2 Topic 5 DQ 2 LGBTQIA (Obj. 5.1 and 5.2)
Jan 20, 2025, 7:37 PM
For LGBTQIA+ clients, the counselor must create a safe space where the client truly feels safe and secure (Sue et al., 2022). It becomes imperative the counselor acknowledge and recognize sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) issues perceived by the client. Avoiding assumptions, misunderstandings, microaggressions, and overidentifying helps the counselor create a safe place for open discussions. Crucial counselor dispositions to guide the counselor through the process include diversity, acceptance, and empathy (GCU, 2022). Diversity ensures the counselor avoids microaggressions of any type by bracketing values and beliefs. Acceptance encourages the counselor to be sensitive and receptive and avoid imposing values on the client. Empathetically engaging LGBTQIA+ clients shows respect for them as human beings in God’s image and helps promote human flourishing (GCU, 2024). Using counselor dispositions, flexible multicultural skills, and adopting a multicultural orientation (Gundel et al., 2020) can help uncover distal societal and proximal internalized stressors an LGBTQIA+ client might experience (Grzanka et al., 2020). In addition, helping SOGI clients uncover their strengths through culturally adapted, strength-based Motivational Interviewing and empathetic, nonjudgmental probing and reflection skills can help the client work toward their goals. Sue et al. (2022) point to the LGBTQIA+ strengths as (a) resilience, (b) actively seeking support from communities and groups, (c) maintaining hope through their experiences, (d) able to establish familial relationships and families, (e) freeing themselves from gender roles, and (f) social activism. Highlighting these strengths can build clients’ self-awareness and confidence to cope better with issues they may face.
References
GCU. (2022). GCU Dispositions. Found in https://ssc.gcu.edu/#/page/chss/1576
GCU. (2024). Statement on the Integration of Faith and Work. https://www.gcu.edu/sites/default/files/media/Documents/Statement-IFLW.pdf
Grzanka, P. R., DeVore, E. N., Frantell, K. A., Miles, J. R., & Spengler, E. S. (2020). Conscience clauses and sexual and gender minority mental health care: A case study. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 67(5), 551-567. 10.1037/cou0000396
Gundel, B. E., Bartholomew, T. T., & Scheel, M. J. (2020). Culture and care: An illustration of multicultural processes in a counseling dyad. Practice Innovations, 5(1), 19–31. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1037/pri0000104
Sue, D. W., Sue, D., Neville, H. A., & Smith, L. (2022). Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice (9th ed.). Wiley & Sons. ISBN-13: 9781119861904.
Amiability