Cultural Misunderstandings Essay

atomic number 18 you swallowing plenty of fluids?Patient thoughts I wonder why he is asking me that, what it is with these mint and wet I dont give c ar the water here. Its too ratty. I dont be intimate whats wrong with people here that they drink that. Really And what happens when you drink the cold water?Patients thoughts What does he mean, what happens? Every wizard knows that drinking cold water is not good for you. Maybe I should see a opposite doctor. I hate cold water I put it in the cook to heat it up before I domiciliate drink it.In this case, the ethnical mis lowstanding occurred when the doctor failed to understand that some cultures learn and recollect from an early age that drinking cold water undersurface be detrimental to the body and they be discouraged from drinking it (Fauzi, 2008). This resulted in the forbearing becoming dehydrated because he was hesitant to drink the tap water as it was much cooler that they were used to. The patient found it incon venient or impossible to heat water up at establish or at school where there was no access to a microwave, so he just didnt drink at all. heretofore without this knowledge, the doctor could go on to make suggestions of other liquids besides cold water that he could substitute to keep him puff up hydrated. However, knowing this randomness could give prevented him from make the patient feel awkward or uncomfortable.These misunderstandings surmount over into the psychotherapeutic process as well. Misunderstandings happen from some reasons including moreover not limited to a lack of ethnic knowledge, and inability or desire to see and understand differences in others as well as in ourselves. Specific clinicians, kn throw as Universalist clinicians tackle these issues under the pretense that these cultural differences should remain out of the spotlight when it comes to psychotherapy. They believe in highlighting similarities rather than differences and feel that if general fact ors are present, therapy will constitute a positive outcome regardless of ethnicity, context or race. They fundamentally choose to overlook the cultural differences.One the other side of the contest we shake Particularist clinicians , which in sharp contrast to the universalists believe that cultural differences have a signifi laughingstockt impact on individual experiences. They feel that these factors strongly determine how people define themselves as well as how they affect to others (Marcos, 1979). They view these differences as insurmountable obstacles and recommend that customers seek out healers of their own cultural background in order to be successful in intervention.The type of clinician, known as the trancendist clinician, recognizes the importance of bringing cultural differences to the pass and developing specific plans of action to do so. From their thought it is felt that these differences can be transcended, or simply put, that clinicians can develop cultur al competencies allowing them to effectively provide treatment strategies to clients from many dissimilar backgrounds other than their own (Angelou, 2012).Its pretty clear that psychotherapy today adheres to a more trancendist perspective when developing and working through treatment plans for clients with divers(prenominal) cultural backgrounds. there are several recommendations on how to effectively address culturally diverse clients. First , clinicians and professionals should view cultural differences as dynamic, complex, and subjective in that respect are some very obvious characteristics such as accents , color of skin, or socioeconomic status that can be immediately categorized as culturally different, but the how they are interpreted or what thesedifferences mean are subjective.Beyond this , cultural differences are very complex , including a armament of variables ( age , gender, language, religion, education level ) and it is crucial to meditate all these factors whe n find how they come together to define someones identity. Finally, perceptions of the therapist as well as the client are what constitute cultural differences as dynamic as opposed to static. As therapist and client growth through treatment what was once considered a cultural difference whitethorn fade into the background as other issues and factors come to the surface (Angelou, 2012). In this respect , therapist are encouraged to constantly explore how meanings can change , rather than operate on the pretense that once the cultural difference is defined and understood , that it is no longer necessary to explore. some other way to keep down cultural misunderstandings is to address similarities before discussing cultural differences. Clients and therapist may not only differ on many cultural attributes, but may also share some of those cultural characteristics. A helpful approach would be to identify commonalities before delving into the differences. This could be passing benefi cial to the client, and the therapists knowledge of similarities may help reduce a client anxiety or ambivalence. It also serves to build rapport, making the client feel more secure and accepting about manduction information and getting to the root of underlying issues.Cultural differences should be intercommunicate as assets. Unfortunately many people from culturally diverse backgrounds have experienced how the majority misconstrues their differences as deficits. In the U.S. alone , members of a non dominant allele groups , such as anything but Caucasian, homosexual, disabled, non Christian, and female to cite a few, are often viewed as deficient, whereas male heterosexual white Christians are viewed in a more favorable light. Whenever possible, clinicians should make attempts to study how these differences relate to the clients strengths, rather than perceiving them as weaknesses. Many of us value differences and consider them assets however this is sometimes a harder message to convey during therapy considering the way that people view differences from dominant groups as a problem.Although there are many different ways to address the issue of reducing cultural misunderstandings, the abide one I will identify may be the more or less important. It is imperative to have a well versed, culturally competent therapist. There are three common dimensions to this. First and most obvious, the therapist location and beliefs about cultural different individuals set the stage for the success of the psychotherapy. Clinicians should profoundly explore their feelings about prejudices and cultural biases before attempting to move forward with the treatment of a culturally diverse client. There are many different avenues a therapist can take to become more culturally competent such as reading and education, seeking out advice or supervision from more culturally competent colleagues, attending cultural events and exposing ones self to people of different cultures. A wil lingness as well as a genuine desire to learn about different cultures is important as well as the understanding that this learning can be a lifelong process.ReferencesAngelou, M. (2012). Addressing cultural differences in the psychotheraputic process . Retrieved from http//www.sagepub.com/upm-data/50449_ch_4.pdfFauzi, S. (2008). rectify meets patient The effect of cultural memory on the medical interview. Retrieved from http//www.uta.edu/modl/cultural-constructions/200705/ hypertext mark-up language/fauzi.htmlMarcos, L. R. (1979). Effects of interpreters on the evaluation of psychotherapy in non-English-speaking patients. American diary of Psychiatry, 136, 171-174.