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Alterity Models in Counseling: When We Talk About Diversity, What Are We Actually Talking About?

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Abstract

In this article, the author identifies six distinct models of alterity (the state of being different) that guide counselors’ practice with clients from traditionally under-represented groups. The models are: political correctness, difference blindness, multiculturalism, structural diversity, social justice advocacy, and decolonization. The article involves (a) illustrating each model with a contextualizing vignette, (b) reviewing the interdisciplinary literature related to each model, and (c) arguing how each model may be expressed by counselors in potentially positive or negative ways.

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Acknowledgments

The author is indebted to Kathleen Manning for generously sharing her valuable insights and wisdom.

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  1. University of Vermont, 111D Mann Hall, 208 Colchester Avenue, Burlington, VT, 05401, USA

    Lance C. Smith

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Correspondence to Lance C. Smith.

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Smith, L.C. Alterity Models in Counseling: When We Talk About Diversity, What Are We Actually Talking About?. Int J Adv Counselling 37, 248–261 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-015-9241-8

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