Social & Cultural Issues in Counseling

Social & Cultural Issues in Counseling

Final Immersion Project Guidelines

Overview

Over the course of the term, each student will participate in an in-depth investigation of a cultural group different from their own.  Topical groups may be selected from those discussed in class or any other group of interest for the student.  This experience is designed in a series of steps to immerse students into the worldview and experiences of their assigned group. It is also designed to expose students to community resources and cultural context beyond campus. The group will be examined from multiple perspectives and the investigation will involve increasing levels of engagement and personal involvement. Personal contact is a robust way for counselors in training to increase their level of comfort with and to decrease their level of anxiety about culturally diverse individuals. One of the purposes of this multi-tiered approach is to help you learn, grow, or change regarding your relationship with culturally diverse people. The steps of the project include:

Step 1.  Learning through Reading and Reflection: Read at least 5 scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles describing the group, its history, past/current issues and prepare an APA style literature review and bibliography.

Step 2.  Learning through Interpersonal Interaction: Interview and dialogue with two different members of the group who live and work in your community (not on campus). Interviewees must be people you did not know before this course and suggested interview questions will be provided.

Step 3.  Learning through Immersion: Identify a cultural event related to the selected group which embodies cultural roles, customs and practices.  Attend this event as a participant observer and take part in event related activities as appropriate.  Examples of such events might include religious services, social or professional groups meetings, support groups, family activities, etc.  Students are not limited to these examples and should seek out immersion experiences which are appropriate to their group and the requirements of this project.

Step 4   Learning through Professional Consultation: Spend time observing at an agency in the community (off campus) that serves this group and interview at least one professional or employee involved in the delivery of services. Suggested interview questions will be provided.

Step 5.  Learning through synthesis of experiences: After completing Steps 1-4, students are required to synthesize their experiences into a research report.  A format for this paper will be distributed in class and will include the literature review, summaries of all interviews, and a summary of the immersion experience.  The final section of the report should provide an integrated reflection on activities and experiences across the project. [unique_solution]

Step 6   Sharing Information:  Students will share the results of their Social and Cultural Issues Research Project to the class as a professional presentation.  The presentation should be designed to highlight the most salient aspects of the research process including significant learning outcomes.  As this presentation will be carried out as a professional presentation, students should include a variety of audiovisual materials (Flyers, videos, testimonies, photos, etc.). Students are allowed to invite a guest speaker as a support to their presentation but at least 50% of the presentation must be done by the student. Students must be prepared to discuss their research project with fellow students, as well as to respond to any questions that may arise.  Presentations will be given during the dates scheduled. A final Video presentation is also allowed.  The length of the presentation can be between 15 and 20 minutes. This assignment is worth 10 points toward the final course grade.

Research Report Guidelines (Step 5)

The following guidelines provide a protocol and a rubric for meeting the requirements for Step 5 as listed in the above overview.  This section not only provides a report and synthesis of all the data obtained, but also serves to document the process of data collection and the reflections of the researcher throughout this process.  Sections 2-5 below provide guiding questions as part of the description.  Students should not limit themselves to these questions, but use them as a starting point to initiate discussion and personal reflection.  Point assignments are designated by each section and represent the points accumulated for carrying out and reporting the corresponding step as outlined in the project overview.  The immersion project report needs to be between 5 and 15 pages including tittle page and references. The total number of points possible for the Research Report is 20, and is designated as follows:

1. Introduction & Literature Review:

Develop an introduction to your topic and an APA style literature review of at least 5 scholarly sources.  Articles and book chapters assigned as part of the class may be incorporated into the introduction and review, but to meet the requirement of this assignment the 5 required sources must be in addition to any class materials cited.

1. Discussion of Individual Interviews:

Summarize each interview.  Provide a list of the questions asked.  Compare and contrast the information obtained from the interview data.  What similarities and differences were conveyed?  In what ways did the two interviews enhance your knowledge of the live experiences of this cultural group?

1. Reflection on Immersion Experience:

Provide a detailed account of the cultural immersion experience.  Reflect on your personal experiences and reactions as a part of this cultural experience.  What was challenging?  Comfortable?  Surprising?  Expected?  This section should be highly reflective of your experiences and reactions.

1. Discussion of Agency Observation & Consultation Interview:

Summarize the interview and observation.  Provide a list of questions asked.  Discuss the general perspective the agency/organization takes on serving the needs of the population being considered.  What is the organizational mission?  Is there congruency between the interview and observational data?  How is the role and mission of the agency/organization reflected in the multicultural competencies discussed in class?

1. Synthesis of Data & Final Reflections:

Completion of this final section of the report requires a thorough review of the previous four.  Students should first take all of their research data into account and engage in a process of comparison, contrast, and integration resulting in a synthesis of information across all aspects of the project.  The following questions should guide this process:

• Was the information obtained through personal encounters (interviews) and observations reflected in the professional literature? In what ways and in what aspects of the research process (interviews, immersions, observations)?
• What knowledge of the unique needs of this cultural group could be identified and through the various steps in the project? How are these needs being addressed or how might they be addressed in culturally competent ways?
• What themes seem to emerge in the information collected? In what ways are these themes culturally based?  In what ways are they not?

Again, these questions are designed to initiate the development of this section and in no way should limit the discussion that is posited in the final product.

The conclusion of this section and the report should provide final and overarching reflections on behalf of the student.  What were the challenges in completing the project?  In what ways were your personal values and cultural beliefs confronted?  What are your personal learning outcomes?

Note:   APA format should be used throughout the paper with regard to font style and size, page margins, page numbers, headers, title page, reference citations in text, and bibliography.

Sample interview questions for agency or institution

1. What are the demographics of your clients?

1. What services do you provide to (specify cultural/ethnic group) clients?

1. What are the barriers/mental health issues faced by (specify cultural/ethnic group)?

1. What other community resources are available for (specify cultural/ethnic group)?

1. How do you adapt your services to meet the needs of (specify cultural/ethnic group)? Is the agency structured differently than it might be if it served members of the dominant culture?

1. What are some of the strategies/interventions that you use to counsel (specify cultural/ethnic group)?

Sample interview questions for the individual interview

1. Please describe the most important values and beliefs of your culture.

1. Please describe important cultural events, celebrations, and practices in your culture.

1. What reading materials, films, or videos can help us learn about your culture?

1. Have you ever experienced prejudice or discrimination? Please describe.

1. How do you think others outside your culture view your culture?

1. How do you believe people from your culture view counseling or counselors?

1. What issues or concerns do you believe would stop members of your culture from participating in counseling?