CAREER_COUNSELLING_EN

Four attitude types can be identified (Thalhammer, 2001, apud Launikari and Puukari,
2005): actively tolerant, intolerant, passively tolerant, and ambivalent.

Category

Attitude actively

tolerant

passively
tolerant ambivalent intolerant
Acceptance / anxiety
towards minority group

strong

acceptance poor acceptance^

no
acceptance strong anxiety
Minority group enriches
society

total

agreement agreement neutral

total
disagreement
Assimilation /
integration; give up or
keep their own culture

strong on

integration

weak on

integration

weak on

assimilation

strong on

assimilation

Anti-racism policies active support no support neutral total disagreement

Lately in Europe is taking place a change in the way cultural minorities are viewed by
promoting cultural pluralism: “minorities must be integrated and not discriminated
against for ethnic reasons and should ... even be encouraged to keep their original
culture” (Pitkanen, 2005, ibid). The majority population must be taught to value other
cultures for the enrichment potential of their own cultures. Pluralism admits the idea that
there are universally applicable moral standards irrespective of national, cultural, social,
or religious origins, people being similar and different at the same time (Matilal, 1991,
apud Launikari et al., 2005).

The principles of multicultural counselling (Kerka, 1992, apud Launikari et al., 2005):

Creating a climate of acceptance – clients must be encouraged to be themselves inside
the group, put to use and understand their own culture and culture of others.

Promoting a positive self-image – seeing each client as a unique and valuable individual
who can contribute to counselling and social integration; counsellors must raise in their
clients a sense of progress and success.

The group is a source of learning for each – individuals from very different cultural
environments enrich learning resources for the members; counsellors must teach their
clients to share their experience.

Building interpersonal relationships – the development through multicultural counselling
of contacts and friendships helps minorities fight stress and establish links with the real
life, these relationships made within group counselling sessions will subsequently be
renewed and activated outside the counselling setting.

Flexibility of the counselling programme – by adapting to the needs of the client from the
minority group and cultivating recognition, understanding and acceptance of cultural
diversity and individual uniqueness with a view to ensuring superior motivation.