Farah A. Ibrahim

Effective Cross-Cultural Counseling and Psychotherapy A Framework

This article presents strategies to enhance effectiveness in cross-cultural counseling and psychotherapy encounters. A major assumption is that a coherent orientation is needed that includes cultural differences yet transcends these differences and organizes the human experience in the context of individual world views within the framework of existential philosophy. An understanding of ones own world view and the clients world view are key elements in enhancing cross-cultural effectiveness. Other strategies that can enhance cross-cultural counseling and psychotherapy include a discussion on the knowledge of semantic structures of reasoning and an understanding of culture-its premises and its relationship to effectiveness in cross-cultural counseling and psychotherapy.

ASSESSMENT OF WORLD VIEWS

This paper reports the development of a scale to assess world views both within and across cultures. It is a 45-item Likert-type scale, developed to assess beliefs, values, and assumptions on five variables (views of human nature, interpersonal relationships, nature, time, and activity). The scale was administered to 501 university students. Reliability and validity data are described. A multidimensional scaling procedure was used to assess intra-group variation and to determine the profile of world views of the sample studied.

Career Assessment in a Culturally Diverse Society

This paper discusses how a culture-sensitive assessment can be conducted to prepare clients for career counseling. The approach presented is developmental in nature. It considers cognitive and affective variables to arrive at a clear understanding of the clients cultural and gender identity. It is recommended that this assessment be completed first, before the clients interests, abilities, and aptitudes are evaluated to outline possible career directions.

Social Justice and Cultural Responsiveness: Innovative Teaching Strategies for Group Work

This article presents a teaching strategy for group work that enhances the social justice consciousness of course participants by increasing their knowledge of their own cultural identity, worldview, acculturation, privilege, and oppression to improve their cultural responsiveness and understanding of social justice issues. The focus is on group teaching strategies designed to help counselors-in-training learn about culture (their own and others) so they can better understand cultural differences and social issues, and learn group process and practice, keeping culture and social justice issues in the forefront.

A Multicultural Perspective on Principle and Virtue Ethics

The author proposes an alternative perspective on deriving ethical guidelines for psychologists. This proposal presents the position that in a pluralistic society, we cannot continue to derive moral imperatives from a Western civilization perspective. We need to develop strategies to arrive at a set of virtues or principles to guide our profession that address the diversity in the United States. Further; we need to take a similar approach in proposing ethical guidelines for an international, cross-cultural context. The article presents a paradigm shift in thinking among psychologists on how to function effectively in a pluralistic society and in a global economy.

Violence and schools in the USA: implications for counseling

This article focuses on school violence in the UnitedStates, kindergarten (k) through 12th grade, andit addresses the following topics: (a) a briefbackground of school violence in the USA, (b) etiologyand consequences of school violence, (c) preventionprograms and efforts, (d) preventive counseling andconsultation, (e) counseling the violence prone andviolence victim, (f) international and cross-culturalimplications, and (g) discussion.

Factor analytic structure of theScale to Asses World View

This article reports on the factor structure of theScale to Assess World View(c) (SAWV). Alpha reliabilities for the factors are presented. Gender differences in world views are also explored to understand how men and women in this sample viewed the world. Recommendations for client assessment, therapy, education and training, and scale revision are discussed.

Culture-specific counselling strategies for Japanese nationals in the United States of America

The article provides an understanding of unique characteristics of Japanese nationals in the United States of America (USA), their possible acculturation and assimilation levels, Japanese world view (assumptions, values and beliefs), and Japanese developmental psychological functions (Amae, On, Giri, Ninjo, and Ajase Complex). All these factors affect the determination of culturally sensitive techniques and approaches that would be best suited for each Japanese client. Information about assessment tools, and counselling and therapeutic strategies and techniques that may be effective is presented.

A Factor Analytic Study of Parents' Perceptions of the Role and Function of the Secondary School Counselor.

This factor analytic study was designed to determine the underlying empirical structure of a judgmentally developed counselor role and function survey questionnaire based on parent responses.

International Consultation and Training on Group Work in South Asia

This article presents a consultation and training for faculty and graduate students in South Asia under the auspices of the United Nations’ Transfer of Knowledge Through Expatriate Nationals (TOKTEN) Program. It describes the development of a consultation relationship and training on group work. Needs assessments focusing on both cultural assumptions, and group theory and practice were conducted to identify cultural variables, and goals for the group work training. An outline of the process used and outcomes are presented.