An anthropological perspective on multicultural counselling

Abstract

We introduce a more culturally sensitive framework based on anthropology to conceptualize diverse groups. We contend anthropology has much to offer counselling when theorizing about multicultural models of behaviour and potential strategies for prevention, psychoeducation, intervention, social action, and research. Anthropological concepts like thick description, semiotic constructs of culture, and ethnographic depictions of culture are introduced. We also describe how anthropology conceptualizes culture, how it investigates culture, and how it trains students to understand culture. Finally, we highlight a few major theories of multicultural counselling, research strategies typically employed in multicultural counselling, and how counselling students are currently prepared to understand cultural issues and practice effective multicultural counselling. We believe that counselling would be well served to embrace anthropology and shift its lens from an individual microscope to a vibrant, multicultural, kaleidoscope of social patterns. More importantly, cultures throughout the world could potentially benefit from multiculturally competent counsellors who perform as social architects.

Keywords:

• anthropology
• multicultural counselling
• ethnography

Acknowledgments

The authors want to thank Melisa Zehr, Julia Pratt, Gina Evans, and Professor Eric Lassiter for contributing to this project. Portions of this paper were presented at the Great Lakes Regional Counselling Psychology Conference, Muncie, Indiana, April, 2000 and the 19th Annual Teachers College Winter Roundtable on Cross-Cultural Psychology and Education at Columbia University, New York, New York, February, 2002.