Incorporation of Counseling Programs within American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (AADC) Programs

1.0 Description of the Organization

1.1 About AADC

AADC is an organization serving the interests of Arabs in the U.S. to ensure that unique issues affecting the minority group are addressed and that Arab-Americans are protecting from issues affecting minority groups such as discrimination and racial profiling (American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, 2017). The organization was started in the 1980s to address the common challenges facing Arab-Americans regardless of their heritage, religion or ethnicity. AADC has branches distributed all over the U.S. with its headquarters based in Washington, DC. The current chairman of the organization is Mary Rose Oakar, a former Congresswoman. The organization has had a bumpy relationship with the U.S. government in the recent past owing to the increase in terror threat and the need for the government to identify organizations that fund terrorist activities (IBP, Inc, 2015). In essence, the organization acts both as a lobby group and a group aimed at improving the experience in Arab-Americans.

            1.2 The Community in which the Organization Operates

The American community is one of the most diverse in the world. The diversity is concerning culture, ethnicity, religion, and racial. However, minority groups still face problems such as discrimination, ethnic, profiling, and sometimes even outright violence (Healey, 2015). Lobby groups such as AADC were formed in response to the continuing challenges facing minority groups in the U.S. These challenges cut across all sectors and can be described regarding economic, social, cultural, and political.

            1.3 Performance of AADC

Over the years, AADC has mobilized resources to fight against discrimination of Arabs and ensuring that Arabs in America enjoy equal rights as any other citizen. For instance, the issue of racial profiling targeting Arabs in the U.S. in the wake of increased terror threats has been a major challenge. Furthermore, there has either been a complete ban or quota placed on immigrants from specific countries in the Middle East. Furthermore, AADC has been a strong advocate of the adoption of comprehensive Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) initiatives to ensure that they do not target innocent individuals and are structured effectively to deal with the specific issues. Arab women in the U.S. face far greater challenges their male counterparts due to cultural norms often practiced by Arabs, especially Muslim Arabs. For instance, the issue of Hijab has been a topic of heated debate because culturally Muslims require women to cover much of their body with some going to the extreme by insisting on veils. Arab Muslim women in America often find themselves at cultural cross-roads with the increased pressure of adopting the liberal American culture while still retaining important aspects of the conservative Arab-Muslim culture (Hamdan, 2009). According to Rapp and Poertner (1992), effective administration of social services is the structuring of the services about the needs of the community members. The adoption of the concept in evaluating the work being done by AADC indicates that the organization has done a lot to respond to the unique needs and challenges of Arab-Americans.

2. 0 Problem Statement

From the activities organized by the organized and the various programs undertaken, there is the conspicuous absence of counseling services which play important roles as far as discrimination issues are concerned. Although often ignored, Woolfe, Strawbridge, Douglas, and Dryden (2009) explain that approaches in individual psychology look at the need to use counseling services to complement other methods of intervention when dealing with minority groups. An action such as racial profiling or unnecessary surveillance might have far-reaching effects on the psychological health of victims. For instance, Considine (2017) explain that some of the common psychological effects of racism include post-traumatic stress and reduced access to social services. In essence, the psychological health of victims of racial profiling and discrimination makes it necessary for an organization such as AADC to consider incorporating counseling services within its programs to ensure mental health for victims.

3.0 Program Statement

            3.1 Goals and Objectives

Implementation of counseling programs within the mandate of AADC will be prompted by the need to promote person-centered approach in the organization. As established in the previous section of the paper, concepts in individual psychology propose the incorporation of therapy services in dealing with victims of discrimination and profiling. The objective of the counseling services will be to assist victims of discrimination and other vices associated with racism in dealing effectively with these experiences and strengthening individuals to cope well. The goal of the proposed counseling services will be to ensure that all intervention programs targeting victims incorporate counseling services to ensure the mental health of the victims. Furthermore, the services will also organize training initiatives that will equip members with better coping skills against racism and related issues.

            3.2 Planning

Implementation of counseling programs will require concepts developed in the field of human services. AADC offers services that require it to nurture a mutually beneficial relationship with clients. Discrimination and racial profiling are not issues that people will readily talk about openly. Most people would rather keep secret their experiences rather speak out due to the fear of stigmatization or due to the notion that it is embarrassing. According to Monette, Sullivan, and DeJong (2013), research plays an important role in the structuring of programs that respond to the unique need of people in the interest group. For instance, when dealing with Arab-Americans factors such as language, culture, and religion should be put in perspective when seeking to offer person-centered counseling services. The likelihood of the counselor encountering an individual with poor English understanding skills is high. Furthermore, religious and cultural diversity in the Middle East is reflected in the U.S. Assuming that all Arabs are Muslims can affect the outcome of the counseling process. Therefore, research initiatives will be important to ensure that aspects such as population demographics are given consideration.

            3.2 Policy Issues

Policy issues might function to promote or deter the effective provisions of counseling services. Therefore, it is relevant to the proposed program to be aware of the existing policies, and either use the opportunities created by the real policies or look for ways to mitigate the effects of opposing policies. For instance, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S, the government has increased surveillance of specific groups and organizations suspected to either support or fund terrorist groups. In the process, several non-government organizations and lobby groups were either banned, had their assets frozen, or placed under close watch by the authorities (Wilson, 2015). The policy significantly affected the perception of Arab-Americans towards their own culture. For instance, Wilson (2015) writes some members of the community felt embarrassed due to the fact that they shared the same heritage with people who had inflicted pain on the American nation. Therefore, when offering counseling services, the providers should be sensitive to such issues and establish how policy issues might affect service provision.

4.0 Organization of the Counseling Programs

AADC is an organization that has been in operation since 1980. Therefore, there are already existing facilities and programs within the organization that can be used in the implementation of the counseling programs considering that it is the largest Arab lobby group in the U.S.

            4.1 Organizational Structure

The organizational structure of AADC is important in the implementation of the program in order to ensure that the new introduction fits perfectly will minimum challenges. The organizational structure of AADC is vertical with horizontal tendencies perhaps to ensure effective service delivery. At the helm of the organization is the chairman, assisted by the vice-chairman. The secretary and the treasurer are answerable to the chairman and the vice chairman. Finally, there are directors for various committees. The committees change from time to time in response to the unique needs of the organization and its members. Figure 1 shows the organizations chart of AADC

Figure 1

4.2 Timeline

The timeline of the implementation of the program is projected at one year because of the presence of the organization all over American. The first step will be to mobilize the necessary resources including the hiring of counselors. At least each of AADC offices across the nation will need on the counselor to handle victims and train members of effective coping strategies. After the acquisition of the necessary resources, a pilot program will be rolled out in several offices followed by evaluation of the performance of the programs in the respective offices. Results from the pilot program will determine whether to proceed or abandon the project.

4.3 Budget

Individual offices will have to organize office spaces for the counselor at the local level together with the necessary office equipment. In essence, the only cost that will be catered for nationally is the cost of paying the therapists. Currently, the average cost of a therapist is around $40,000 per year. Therefore, for the 12 offices nationwide the cost of hiring therapists per year will be estimated at $480,000 per year.

5.0 Conclusion

The incorporation of counseling services within AADC programs will not only function to ensure a member-centered service delivery but also improve the relationship between the lobby group and its members. Victims of racial discrimination and profiling often experience post-traumatic stress, mental instability, and the inability to access social services affectively. Therefore, there is every reason to believe that the proposed project will improve service delivery to the Arab-American communities in the U.S.

References

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. (2017). About. Retrieved October 29, 2017, from American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee: http://www.adc.org/

Considine, C. (2017). Islam, Race, and Pluralism in the Pakistani Diaspora. New York, NY: Taylor& Francis.

Hamdan, A. (2009). Muslim Women Speak: A Tapestry of Lives and Dreams. Toronto: Women’s Press.

Healey, J. F. (2015). Diversity and Society: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender, 2011/2012 Update. Los Angeles, CA: Pine Forge Press.

IBP, Inc. (2015). United States: Arab Lobby in the United States Handbook: Organization, Operations, Performance. New York, NY: IBP, Inc.

Monette, D. R., Sullivan, T. J., & DeJong, C. R. (2013). Applied Social Research: A Tool for the Human Services. London, UK: Cengage Learning.

Rapp, C. A., & Poertner, J. (1992). Social Administration: A Client-centered Approach. London, UK: Longman.

Wilson, E. J. (2015). Diversity and U.S. Foreign Policy: A Reader. New York, NY: Routledge.

Woolfe, R., Strawbridge, S., Douglas, B., & Dryden, W. (2009). Handbook of Counselling Psychology. London, UK: Sage.