Individuals of African descent require an individual approach to their treatment as well. This population group accounts for almost 20% of the overall American population, which makes them the largest minority group in the country. To provide practical help to these individuals, a multiculturally sensitive addiction counselor should take into account several significant things.
First, in spite of the fact that a client and a therapist are likely to be of different ethnicities, cultures, races, and backgrounds, a counselor is required to be aware of cultural issues experienced by the potential client. For example, African Americans mainly suffer from white supremacy.
Hence, the person counseling these individuals should consider race-related trauma that has been affecting the lives of this minority group for the past several decades. To make individuals of African descent feel comfortable expressing personal thoughts, the specialist should demonstrate a high level of empathy.
In addition to postmodern, humanistic, and cognitive approaches, counselors incorporate a variety of other interventions into their practice. For example, in order to provide appropriate help to African Americans, numerous psychological specialists utilize an African-centered psychological approach.
At the present time, this approach is used as a sacred and spiritual connection between the counselor and the client. It is based on the principles of authenticity, trust, and respect, which is why it is tremendously effective. Moreover, numerous counselors incorporate other interventions into their practice, including identity congruence and invitation for repair.
In turn, identity congruence is the intervention that takes into consideration a person’s social and ethnic identity, whereas invitation for repair is known as the approach that considerably eliminates cultural biases and sociopolitical blind spots.
