Conceive culture and action in counselling

ABSTRACT

This article aims to address issues of culture in counselling, with a particular emphasis on the links between culture, action, and counselling. It also addresses how action can be incorporated into counselling, with contextual action theory as an integrative framework. To this end, the article reviews the notion of culture and a general perspective of multicultural counselling that places culture into a helping context. It also discusses the issue of cultural values and norms, using individualism and collectivism as a major exemplar to illustrate how culture can affect action and interaction in a counselling context. It then provides ideas and helping methods of incorporating culture and action into counselling intervention.

KEYWORDS:

• Culture
• action
• counselling
• context
• helping methods

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This article was supported in part by a Research Grant awarded to Prof. Charles P. Chen from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Standard Grant Program. Award No. 410-2009-2394.

Notes on contributors

Charles P. Chen

Charles P. Chen, PhD, is Professor of Counselling and Clinical Psychology and a Canada Research Chair in Life Career Development at the University of Toronto.