A Qualitative Examination of African American Counselors' Experiences of Addressing Issues of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture with Clients Of Color

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorArnold, Kristy Michelleen
dc.contributor.committeechairDay-Vines, Norma L.en
dc.contributor.committeememberHein, Serge F.en
dc.contributor.committeememberBodenhorn, Nancy E.en
dc.contributor.committeememberBrand, Brenda R.en
dc.contributor.departmentEducational Leadership and Policy Studiesen
dc.date.accessioned2014-03-14T20:09:01Zen
dc.date.adate2010-05-06en
dc.date.available2014-03-14T20:09:01Zen
dc.date.issued2010-03-25en
dc.date.rdate2010-05-06en
dc.date.sdate2010-04-06en
dc.description.abstractAlthough many counselors consider themselves to be culturally aware, research has shown that deliberately and respectfully addressing race, culture, and ethnicity—particularly with clients of color—does not occur as consistently as it should, despite empirical evidence which documents that discussions about how racial and cultural factors shape the client's presenting problem contribute to favorable counseling outcomes. This exploratory study used a qualitative method to examine professional African American counselors' experiences of discussing racial, ethnic, and cultural issues with their culturally diverse clients. Critical race theory functioned as the research paradigm that guided this study. As a result, this study produced seven categories and four subcategories that explored the influences, thoughts, and understandings that came to bear on their efforts to discuss race, ethnicity, and culture with clients of color. Participants found that candid discussions about racial and cultural matters, in combination with a willingness to explore counselor-client differences, greatly enhanced the therapeutic rapport with clients. Furthermore, participants provided suggestions for graduate counseling programs to improve their multicultural curriculum, and they discussed the importance of counselors exercising multicultural competency both within and outside of clinical sessions. Essentially, this study examined the strategies that African American counselors use to explore cultural dynamics with clients of color. Implications for the counseling field are also recommended based on the findings.en
dc.description.degreePh. D.en
dc.identifier.otheretd-04062010-181936en
dc.identifier.sourceurlhttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-04062010-181936/en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/26667en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.relation.haspartArnold_KMA_D_2010.pdfen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectclients of coloren
dc.subjectculturalen
dc.subjectracialen
dc.titleA Qualitative Examination of African American Counselors' Experiences of Addressing Issues of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture with Clients Of Coloren
dc.typeDissertationen
thesis.degree.disciplineEducational Leadership and Policy Studiesen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.leveldoctoralen
thesis.degree.namePh. D.en

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Arnold_KMA_D_2010.pdf
Size:
1.25 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

Collections

Doctoral Dissertations