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A framework for cultural competence, advocacy, and social justice: Applications for global multiculturalism and diversity

  • Sylvia C. Nassar-McMillan
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Abstract

Immigration and globalization, coupled with heightened economic challenges, prescribe that career counselors and practitioners need to be culturally sensitive and mindful about both general factors affecting nations throughout the world and cross-cultural beliefs and behaviors that career counseling clients may present. Concurrently, the renewed commitment to advocacy and social justice require new perspectives in order to facilitate effective interventions with and on behalf of clients. This paper reviews the impacts of multiculturalism in counseling; presents a comprehensive framework incorporating cultural competence; advocacy, and social justice perspectives; and provides a case study illustrating effective advocacy and social justice based counseling interventions.

Keywords

Advocacy Career guidance Cultural competence 

Résumé

Un cadre de référence pour la compétence culturelle, la défense (des intérêts des clients), et la justice sociale: Applications pour une mondialisation du multiculturalisme et de la diversité. L’immigration et la mondialisation, couplées avec des enjeux économiques accrus, requièrent que les conseillers et praticiens en orientation soient sensibles à la culture et conscients des facteurs généraux qui affectent les nations à travers le monde ainsi que des croyances et des comportements interculturels que leurs clients pourraient présenter. Parallèlement, leur engagement renouvelé pour la justice sociale et la défense (des intérêts des clients) nécessite de nouvelles perspectives pour faciliter des interventions efficaces avec et sur demande des clients. Cet article examine les impacts du multiculturalisme dans le conseil d’orientation, présente un cadre global qui intègre la compétence culturelle, la défense (des intérêts des clients) et les perspectives de justice sociale et propose une étude de cas illustrant des interventions de conseil en orientation efficaces, basées sur la justice sociale.

Zusammenfassung

Ein Bezugsrahmen für kulturelle Kompetenz, Advocacy und soziale Gerechtigkeit: Herausforderungen für globale Multikulturalität und Diversität. Immigration und Globalisierung in Verbindung mit wachsenden ökonomischen Herausforderungen erfordern, dass Beratende kultursensibel und bedacht handeln müssen—sowohl hinsichtlich jener Faktoren, die alle Nationen in der ganzen Welt betreffen als auch hinsichtlich der kulturübergreifenden Überzeugungen und Verhaltensweisen, die Ratsuchende im Gespräch zum ‚Ausdruck bringen. Das gegenwärtig neu aufkommende Commitment für Advocacy und soziale Gerechtigkeit erfordert einen Perspektivwechsel, um Beratungsinterventionen für die Beratenen effektiv werden zu lassen. Der Beitrag untersucht die Auswirkungen von Multikulturalität in der Beratung und präsentiert dafür einen umfassenden Bezugsrahmen, der kulturelle Kompetenz einbezieht ebenso wie Advocacy und Perspektiven sozialer Gerechtigkeit. Anhand einer Fallstudie werden wirksame Advocay und auf sozialer Gerechtigkeit basierende beraterische Interventionen erläutert.

Resumen

Un marco para la competencia cultural, la defensa y la justicia social: Aplicaciones para el multiculturalismo global y la diversidad. La inmigración y la globalización, conjuntamente con los mayores retos económicos, recomiendan que los orientadores profesionales y los médicos deben ser culturalmente sensibles y conscientes de ambos factores generales que afectan a las naciones en todo el mundo y a las creencias transculturales y los comportamientos que los clientes de la orientación profesional puedan presentar. Al mismo tiempo, el renovado compromiso con la defensa y la justicia social requieren nuevos enfoques con el fin de facilitar intervenciones eficaces en beneficio de los clientes. Este artículo revisa los impactos del multiculturalismo en el asesoramiento; presenta un marco integral, incorporando la competencia cultural; perspectivas de la defensa y la justicia social; y proporciona un estudio de caso que ilustra de modo eficaz las intervenciones de asesoramiento basadas en la defensa y la justicia social.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Counselor EducationNorth Carolina State UniversityRaleighUSA

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