MULTICULTURAL COUNSELLING IN COUNSELLOR TRAINING IN FINLAND

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MULTICULTURAL COUNSELLING IN COUNSELLOR TRAINING
IN FINLAND

• Helena Kasurinen
• University of Eastern Finland

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COUSELLOR TRAINING PROGRAMME
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Training of guidance practitioners

• Master in Education, major in guidance and
  counselling teacher qualification
• Teacher qualification 60 credits of guidance
  and counselling
• Vocational teacher qualification 60 credits of
  guidance and counselling
• Multiform training available
• In-service training provided within the field

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Example Teacher training courses for people with
immigrant background (60 credits)

• University of Turku Universities of Applied
  Sciences, Vocational Teacher  Training Units
• distant and contact periods
• possible to participate in training and work at
  the same time

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Culture-sensitive and multicultural counselling
in counsellor training

• Gender equality segregation in labour market
• Equity in society
• International and multicultural counselling
• Cultural competences

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COMPETENCES
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Competences of guidance practitioners(Counsellor
training at the university of Eastern Finland
2011)

• Interpersonal and social skills how to meet
  other people
• Ethical competences to recognise ones values,
  assumptions and attitudes to recognise ethical
  dilemmas - to respect and value individuals
  subjectivity, to create confidential and equal
  atmosphere and enhance empowerment of the client
• Competence of using narratives as a counselling
  method skills to take into account and listen
  to the stories of individuals and groups
• Sociological and culture-sensitive competences
  the skill to see the clients in their life
  situation and to take into account social,
  cultural and societal contexts
• Competence to recognise the importance of
  language and speech in describing cultural
  realities and life situations. The readiness to
  develop communication skills and usage of ICT and
  other technology in providing guidance services.
• Competence to plan and work in different networks
  and workgroups.
• Counsellors have the competence to reflect and
  self-evaluate and develop their skills and
  competences and guidance provision

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THE FRAMEWORK OF MULTICULTURAL COUNSELLING
COMPETENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
(adapted by Puukari from Sue et al. 1992)
1. Counsellors awareness of his/her own assumptions, values and biases 2. Understanding the world view of the culturally different client 3. Developing appropriate intervention strategies and techniques
A. Beliefs and Attitudes B. Knowledge C. Skills
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Counsellors awareness of his/her own
assumptions, values and biases

• 1. The counsellors are aware and sensitive to
  their own cultural heritage and value and respect
  differences.
•  
• 2. The counsellors are aware of how their own
  cultural background influences psychological
  processes.
•  
• 3. The counsellors are able to recognize the
  limits of their competence and expertise.
•  
• 4. The counsellors are comfortable with
  differences that exist between themselves and
  clients in terms of race, ethnicity, culture and
  beliefs.

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Understanding the world view of the culturally
different client

• 1. The counsellors are aware of their negative
  emotional reactions toward other racial and
  ethnic groups that may prove detrimental to their
  client in counselling. They are willing to
  contrast their own beliefs and attitudes with
  those of their culturally different clients in a
  non-judgemental fashion.
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• 2. The counsellors are aware of their stereotypes
  and preconceived notions that they may hold
  toward other racial and ethnic minority groups

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Developing appropriate intervention strategies
and techniques

• 1. The counsellors respect a clients religious
  beliefs and values about physical and mental
  functioning.
•  
• 2. The counsellors respect indigenous helping
  practices and respects minority communitys
  intrinsic help-giving networks.
•  
• 3. The counsellors value bilingualism and do not
  view another language as an impediment to
  counselling.

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Counsellors skills The counsellors seek out
educational, consultative and training
experiences to enrich their understanding and
effectiveness in working with culturally
different populations. The counsellors seek to
understand themselves as racial and cultural
beings and seek actively a nonracist
identity. The counsellors should familiarize
themselves with relevant research. They should
actively seek out educational experiences that
enrich their knowledge, understanding and
cross-cultural skills.   The counsellors become
actively involved with minority individuals
outside the counselling setting. The counsellors
are able to engage in a variety of verbal and
nonverbal helping practices and pay attention to
their culture bound nature while choosing
measures. The counsellors use interventions for
the support of a client, helping him/her to see
when problems are due to bias and racism in
others and not in a client. The counsellors are
not averse seeking consultation with traditional
healers or religious leaders and practitioners
of culturally different clients when
appropriate. The counsellors use the language
requested by a client, and seek a translator if
needed or refer a client to a qualified
bilingual counsellor. The counsellors are
experts in the use of traditional assessment and
testing instruments and they are also aware
of the cultural limitations. The counsellors
should attend to as well as work to eliminate
biases, prejudices discriminatory practices.  The
counsellors take responsibility in educating
their clients to the processes of psychological
intervention such as goals, expectations, legal
rights, and the counsellors orientation.  
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• Thank you for your attention
• Contact information
• Helena Kasurinen
• Email helena.kasurinen_at_uef.fi