ASSIGNMENT ON COUNSELLING/PSYCHOLOGY.

Running head: COUNSELLING/PSYCHOLOGY 1
Counselling/Psychology
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

COUNSELLING/PSYCHOLOGY 2
Cultural Competency
A competent counsellor is one who can work with clients in order to help them gain an
understanding of themselves as well as their relationship in a deeper context and use the
information to make better decisions. The basic competency in the field of counselling needs a
baseline for the understanding of the psychology along with therapeutic theory (Jones, Kawena
Begay, Nakagawa, Cevasco, & Sit, 2016). However, the counselling relationship can be as
variable as all or some of your clients. In the case, a client and the counsellor come from
different backgrounds, then cultural competence becomes a crucial factor in making sure the
outcome for the patients is successful. As the Australian population becomes diverse, proficiency
in this multicultural counselling has become a critical component in the training of counsellors.
A culturally competent counsellor should be able to reduce stereotypes, be aware of his or her
own cultural biases, accept other people’s point of view even if they are against his or her own
values and be able to benefit from the diversity of the clients.
As a counsellor, it is imperative to note that indigenous people do have inherent rights.
Therefore, recognising this right will help towards forging a successful counselling career. For
instance, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders each have their specifically established values as
well as protocols along with unique methods of expressing their values (Australian Institute of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, 2012). Each community hence has the right to
express their core values, and any unique values should be expressed and respected in the course
of the counselling session. While working within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
communities as a counsellor, I will have to consider values such as spirit and integrity,
responsibility, cultural continuity, reciprocity, equity, and respect (National Health and Medical
Research Council (Australia), 2018a).