The Relationships among Counselors, ESL Teachers, and Students.

Abstract

multicultural counseling movement gained momentum in the 1970s when some mental health professionals noticed the poor quality of services that members of minority groups received (Sue, 1977). terms cross-cultural or multicultural have been used to refer to counseling American minorities who were seen as different. term different has led many researchers to study how certain cultures differ from the mainstream U.S. culture and how traditional counseling theories and techniques have to be adapted and improved in order to be applicable (Das, 1995). One of the first articles written about multiculturalism was The Culturally Encapsulated Counselor by Wrenn (1962). This article pointed out some of the client needs and flaws in counseling services. Since then, many articles have been published addressing the need to be culturally appropriate, relevant, and culturally in regard to minority groups. Many techniques have been developed to counsel certain groups (Pedersen, 1999; Sue, 1989, 1990, 1991). Due to the fact that the Hispanic/Latino population has risen sharply in recent years and is expected to keep increasing, the counseling field has placed special attention on this group (Lee, 1997). Since 1980, the Latino population has increased an estimated 69% nationwide. According to the National Council of La Raza (1990), the Mexican-American population alone increased from 2.1 million to 13.3 million in the past 30 years. To create context and perspective in regard to these statistics, the United States has the fifth largest Latino population in the world. Latino population is considered the fastest-growing ethnic group in the nation, and it is expected to grow at a proportion three to five times faster than any other group (Casas & Vasquez, 1996; Hayes-Batista, Shink, & Chapa, 1988; U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1992). This growth can be attributed to recent immigration patterns and to the proportion of young people of childbearing age (Amaro & Russo, 1987). Educational, political, and social issues that impact the general population have accompanied this demographic phenomenon. Particular cultural characteristics, magnified by linguistic differences, have posed a challenge to educators and school counselors. Multiple studies have pointed out the need to accommodate this particular school population if success is expected (Aguilar, 1972; Cuellar, Harris, & Jasso, 1980; Marie & Marie, 1991; Moyerman & Foreman, 1992; Orozco, Thompson, Kapos, & Montgomery, 1993; Padilla & Salgado de Snyder, 1985). Proponents of multicultural counseling emphasize the need to modify therapeutic practices to reflect the Hispanic/Latino client's cultural characteristics as well as to promote bilingualism rather than monolingualism (Sue, Arredondo, & McDavis,1992, p.479). It has been shown that members of minority groups have shown higher levels of responsiveness when sensitive strategies have been utilized in counseling sessions (O'Sullivan, Peterson, Cox, & Kirkeby, 1989). It is somewhat ambitious to define and describe the impact and complexities of the Hispanic/ Latino culture in the United States of America in this study. Due to the diversity of the Hispanic/Latino community (especially in terms of racial composition), historically, the U.S. Census has used the term Hispanic to encapsulate members of Spanish-speaking groups regardless of racial or ethnic origin. In an effort to develop a unique identity detached from the Spanish colonialism, the term Latino (Latina for female) has been used to stress roots in a language (Latin roots) as opposed to roots in a country (Spain) (Aguilar, 1972; Dana, 1993). A general Latino population does not exist from an ethnocultural point of view; instead, there are multiple groups that are distinguished by the modification of the Spanish language, distinctive culture, or unique location where they live (Garcia & Zea, 1997). …