Reference no: EM132491125

Please respond to the statement below.

Point : In your comments, you stated that "Some people do not believe that mental health disorders, like anxiety and depression, exist. For instance, female suffering from such disorders wants to be attended by a female therapist." Yes, this can absolutely be the case. However, cultural background and differences can also be demonstrated in the opposite way in that some women will only receive treatment from a male because they have been raised to believe and understand that women are not fully qualified to provide any form of medical or mental health treatment. Cultural differences in the therapy setting can be very surprising and as clinicians, we must not take the position that we understand the potential beliefs and values of the client just because they appear to fit a category that we feel we are familiar with - This happens often and is one of the greatest risks for professional counselors.

Question 1: How do you think that professional counselors avoid the risk assuming they understand the client's culture because it looks like they fit a specific category?