Cultural Considerations

Cultural Considerations Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Course Professor Date Cultural Considerations Question one Power has a significant influence in the human services field, including shaping the interactions between clients and professionals. Power imbalances might emerge due to several influences, such a socioeconomic status, cultural background, level of education, and institutional structures. Reports from Diller's (2018) work stress the implication of identifying and addressing power differences to support effective helping relationships. Human service professionals must be aware of their pleasure and the possible influences that impacts might have on clients. Looking at power, a therapist's therapeutic relationships, especially in mental health counseling relationships with clients, are fundamentally uneven. Such integral power variance between counselor and client is not unusual. A counselor's alliance comprises a patient's choice to engage in a connection intentionally set up to be asymmetrical (Williams & O’Connor, 2019). This implies that only the patients will be emotionally exposed to this communication. Therefore, the client ends up transferring some power to the counselor, who can help the client realize self-empowerment. However, if the counselor takes societal power dynamics, such as (socioeconomic status, race, and sexual orientation) into account, such power imbalance causes obstruction to the therapy session. Such power imbalances affect a therapeutic relationship. For instance, when a client's race has nothing to do with their mental condition unless it is linked to their genetics. However, when a dominant culture member disregards their beliefs and insights, power imbalances might become abusive. Therefore, counselors should recognize and explore the power dynamics in each relationship with their clients. For instance, they can learn about each client's culture before engaging in counseling sessions. Moreover, research shows that conditioning influences the therapeutic viewpoint (Williams & O’Connor, 2019). Privileges often invade client-therapist interactions, limiting therapeutic connections. If such things might be addressed at the beginning of the sessions, they might stop impacting their relationships. Adopting a client-centered strategy, which emphasizes teamwork, respect, and empowerment, is crucial to addressing power differences between counselors and their clients. This comprises actively listening to patient's insights, recognizing the specialist in their lives, and engaging them in making informed decisions throughout the processes (Williams & O’Connor, 2019). Moreover, counselors should create a supportive and nonjudgmental setting where clients feel comfortable expressing their needs and preferences. Question Two Culturally Sensitive Diagnosis Using the DSM-5 In efforts to enhance diagnosis and care for individuals from diverse populations, DSM-5 integrates a more significant cultural sensitivity in the manual. Instead of using a simple list of culture-bound syndromes, DSM-5 updates standards to consider cross-cultural differences in presentations, gives more comprehensive and st...