Culture is the lifestyle of a group that is transmitted from one generation to the next. It is what people do, think, value and do to ensure their existence. Determines what is appropriate to eat, drink, wear and more. However, it is not static. Each generation acts on it, causing changes, although basic components such as language, religious practices, and government systems usually resist significant change. Like a river, culture has many sources (Mosterín, 1992). There are at least five tributaries that come together to make us who we are. The first is our biology and its instincts, needs, impulses and destiny. For example, gender and sexual attraction generate a variety of human behaviors that cross national boundaries. A primary universal phenomenon is the family and the multiple behaviors that it requires. Parents nurture, protect and socialize their children to take on adult roles already defined by previous generations. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Multicultural counseling characterizes counseling practice that offers effective interventions to culturally diverse clients. Race, ethnicity, and culture influence a client's identity and life circumstances. Other factors, such as gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, religion, and ability, may also play into the context of a given client's mental health and relationship or personal issues . some individuals may offend some clients and therefore damage the therapeutic relationship, it is generally believed that openly showing respect for someone's culture and beliefs can lead to more effective treatment and a more positive outcome for both client and therapist", according to Psychology Today.Counselors strive to create both a trusting relationship and a comfortable environment with all of their clients so that the difficult task of healing therapy can begin. Today, clients who seek counseling come from diverse backgrounds, and require counselors to know and understand the various ways culture impacts the counseling relationship. A lack of sensitivity to a client's unique background and experiences can result in miscommunication, client refusal to participate, and ultimately, failure. an ineffective consulting relationship. These consequences can open the door to allegations of negligence, leading to disciplinary action by the state licensing board or a professional organization, or even a lawsuit. Cultural competence is one of the few skills required of consultants. The American Counseling Association (ACA) has established specific guidelines for providing counseling services to ethnically and culturally diverse populations in its ACA Code of Ethics. Sue and Sue (1990) highlighted three important characteristics of counselors who deal with clients from different backgrounds. First, a culturally savvy counselor is one who is actively in the process of becoming aware of his or her own assumptions about human behavior, values, and biases. , preconceived notions, personal limitations, and so on. · Second, a culturally savvy counselor is one who actively attempts to understand his or her culturally diverse client's worldview without negative judgments. · Third, a culturally savvy counselor is one who is in the process of developing and actively practicing appropriate, relevant, and sensitive intervention strategies and skills in working with culturally diverse clients. Language barriers are often the biggest challengelarge among clients and ethnic consultants. A communication problem left unexplored could lead to accusations of mistreatment or abuse. Counselors can help avoid this by always documenting the counseling session and noting the steps taken to understand and adapt to the client's individual culture. Furthermore, remembering that the goal of therapy is to understand the individual as a whole (not just his ethnic origin). We don't make assumptions about customers. For example, some cultures avoid eye contact as a sign of respect, but we need to understand if the individual undergoing counseling is not looking at us with respect, or if he or she is ashamed or uncomfortable, or is being dishonest. If we assume that clients' behavior stems from culture without asking questions about how they feel, we may be missing an opportunity for healing and holding ourselves accountable. A good way to avoid incorrect assumptions is to be educated about our customers' culture. The same goes for consultants everywhere. If you can't find literature on specific cultural expectations, seek advice from other colleagues in your area who may have experience consulting within your client's culture. During a counseling session, it is also important to determine the client's level of acculturation. Clients with low cultural assimilation may not understand that some of the behaviors you are recommending to them are not acceptable in this country. Culturally competent counselors invite open and honest dialogue about race and ethnicity into their therapy sessions and use professional resources and activities to develop their counseling skills with racially and ethnically diverse clients. As consultants, we understand that all of our clients have unique needs. Creating a therapeutic approach that respects the client's cultural identity and individual characteristics will meet these needs. As an intern working at Banyan I have the opportunity to work with different clients. They belong to different parts of the country and speak different languages. Every day I get to know their culture and I try to learn their language to communicate with them. Customers feel a sense of belonging when they find people who speak the same language as them, common eating habits, festival celebrations and other practices. Culture as part of consultancy has been an unexplored field in consultancy in India. A lot of research has been done in other countries, but resources are limited for India. In countries like America counselors are taught multicultural competence, organizations like ACA have a special division called AMCD, or Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development, which outlines important characteristics for culturally competent counselors and also offers some courses to educate counselors consultants. Western psychology came to India in the early 20th century. Calcutta University opened the first department of Indian psychology in 1916, and the Indian Psychological Association appeared in 1925. In line with India's role as a British colony until 1947, Indian psychology was strongly influenced by British traditions. Convinced of the universal applicability of Western psychology, many Indian psychologists sought to keep the discipline free from any Indian tradition. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay “This kind of “culturally blind” psychology leads to misunderstanding,” says Girishwar Misra, PhD, former president of the National Academy of Psychology and editor of Psychological Studies. Western psychology's emphasis on independence , for example, is at odds with Indian notions of family.