- transfer of past irrelevant experiences may cause unintentional racism
towards clients from other cultural environments; in order to avoid this
situation the counsellors must be aware of their personal cultural constructs
(biases, stereotypes, and prejudices), by answering two questions before the ,
counselling session: “what do I represent for the client?” and “what does the
client represent for me?”; - authenticity of the counselling relationship is a condition for success in
multicultural counselling, this is why “it must be cultivated and maintained
throughout the entire counselling process” (Puukari, 2005), while “empathy,
unconditional respect and congruence enhance efficacious counselling.”
(Carter, 1985, apud Launikari and Puukari, 2005); - work alliance to commit clients to the solutions identified and their
consequences, counsellors must allow sufficient time to create an emotional
bond, clarify their motivation by establishing the purposes of each
counselling session, solving problems and making plans for the future, with
the clients’ cooperation.
Sundberg and Sue add the following requirements for counsellors (1989, apud Launikari
and Puukari, 2005):
- understanding the purpose and expectations in relation to the counselling
session; - developing favourable attitudes for intercultural understanding, and
communication skills; - understanding and explaining external conditions to the clients;
- understanding and distinguishing by the counsellor of the universal and
specific cultural elements in the counselling process.
Batumubwira recommends that in the first contact with a client, a counsellor clarifies the
client’s attitude towards the counselling service that can vary from positive to refractory,
and adopt adequate measures. Clients may ask the following questions (Launikari and
Puukari, 2005):
- How much does the counsellor know about me?
- Does the counsellor really care about my situation?
- What does the counsellor expect from me?
In the case of ideal clients, a counsellor may directly proceed with concrete problem-
solving, considering that: nothing is known about the clients, but they are a valuable
person who has a lot to share; the counsellor is interested in their problems even if not
directly in their person, and willing to express a personal opinion on potential solutions.
In the case of difficult clients, a counsellor must first help clients overcome their mistrust
of counselling services. The difficult clients’ attitude is defined by the following