Q I like your explorative approach to last week's topic. It is a great responsibility to serve as a counselor/therapist/social worker/health professional/educator/legal advisor for individuals. We are working with people with real life experiences that form their worldview, perspectives and outlook. Although having a similar cultural background could have positive effects, it is still important to consider within group variability and intracultural factors that truly make us all unique. Having a different cultural background could also have positive effects, yet it is important to engage in continual life learning experiences to challenge biases and promote healthy cultural understanding and interactions with others. You all made great points, but I would like to reiterate that once you combine experience with education/training in your respective fields, as well as cultural openness to others, you can be effective to make positive, healthy outcomes with more individuals of various backgrounds. I encourage you all to continue to explore with others who have a similar desire for cultural openness, recognizing that many times, individuals may not have the same level of insight (we will discuss that more next week). Consider now...what happens when an individual's cultural perspectives clash with systemic policies that are established in Western society? How can professionals manage respecting culturally different perspectives while working within Western-based institutions?

Q This week is all about indigenous practices. Read the Nguyen Family case study on pg 217-218 of your book. Post what you would do if you were the counselor or case manager for this family. What cultural factors would you consider? What considerations would you consider within Western ethical standards? If you have disagreements among you as group members, consider their perspectives and further your thinking about your approach. Practice active listening as well as all cultural factors that must be taken in consideration for this case.