Purpose:
The purpose of this assignment is to assist students exploring cultural identities and intersectionalities in relation to the development of cultural humility and cultural competencies in counselling practices.
Assignment Overview, Preparing for the Conversation, and Instructions
In this assignment of Cultural Identity Reflection Awareness, you considered your own cultural identities, social locations, and intersectionalities. Drawing on those reflections, you will have a conversation with one or two peers in your section. Please go into these conversations openly, with a stance of cultural humility and curiosity while remembering that your conversation partner is the expert on themselves and their cultural identities.
You will be cultural sources for each other as well as cultural co-learners. Make space for all cultural considerations including class, ability, ethnicities, genders, gender identities, sexual orientations, Inidigeneity, age, religion/spirituality/non-affiliation, and any other identities that you would consider as cultural descriptions.
Although these conversations are not counselling conversations, please keep them private and confidential
Laying the foundation for the conversation
1. Each of you will take turns and share at least three of your current cultural identities and at least one intersectionality. Describe some of the cultural or other influences in your lives that contributed to those identities. Share at least two things that you learned about yourself from the self-directed learning activity in Units 1 and 2 or two things that you had not considered about yourself prior to the self-directed learning activity.
2. When you are listening, note any possible similar identities that you may have with each other as well as any identities that are different from each other. Make notes about what it was like for you as you heard your conversation partner’s identities and intersectionality(ies).
3. Prepare at least five (5) possible questions that will help your conversational partner expand the identities and sectionality that they share with you. Note any questions that may arise as you listening. You may ask questions by taking back-and-forth turns or one of you may ask all your questions and then the other person will ask their questions.
4. Discuss what it was like to learn more about each others’ identities and intersectionalities and note what felt comfortable and what may have been challenging.
5. Discuss at least one thing that you learned from the conversation with your peer that will inform how you will approach counselling conversation with cultural identities in mind.
Instructions
In this peer-to-peer cultural identity co-exploration essay, complete these three sections.
1. Conversation preparation and experience (25%)
(a) Discuss how you prepared for this conversation.
(b) What was it like for you to share your cultural identities and intersectionalities?
(c) What was it like for you to hear your conversation partner’s cultural identities and intersectionalities?
(d) How did you manage your responses to what your peer shared, both expected and unexpected?
You may utilize course sources and include at least two recent (last seven (7) years), peer-reviewed sources.
2. Discuss what you identified during and after the conversation that matched your understandings of cultural humility and cultural competency? Identify what you and your peer did to co-develop and collaborate on safety, respect, and trust in your conversation. (20%)
You may utilize course sources and include at least one recent (last seven (7) years), peer-reviewed source.
3. Discuss at least three (3) specific areas that you would like to improve and that you have learned from this activity that will help inform your work with clients when considering their cultural identities and intersectionalities and to improve your cultural humility and cultural competency. Discuss how you will make these improvements. (40%)
Structure
- Required components: Title page and reference page(s)
- Length of Assignment: The text body of paper (i.e., not including references and title page
- Do not include an abstract, introduction, or conclusion.
- References: last seven (7) years), peer-reviewed sources.
Considerations
These questions, adapted from https://counseling.online.wfu.edu/blog/10-diversity-questions-counselors-ask/, may be helpful .
1. If you have moved to Canada, what was your previous location or locations? What influenced your decision to come to Canada?
2. Describe some traditions, celebrations, or rituals you and your family have.
3. Have you ever been treated poorly because of your ethnicity, values, or beliefs? If so, in what ways?
4. Although you may not have experienced this, what incorrect assumptions about you or your family have you experienced that has been hurtful to you or caused problems?
5. What spiritual, religious, or non-affiliation beliefs are important to you and your family, and how do they impact day-to-day life?
6. How does your culture influence your perspective on receiving counselling or mental health therapy?
7. What do you do and who do you turn to for help when you or your family has needs or troubles?
8. How does your culture help with coping from anxiety, sadness, or other challenges?
9. What, if any, biases are you currently aware of and that might impact you as a counsellor? How are you planning on working on them?
10. What questions might you have about this conversation?
Resources
Any sources used to support your Written Narrative should, of course, be cited using correct APA format. And although it can be a useful starting place to gather very general information, in order to later verify it with more substantial sources, no Wikipedia references will be accepted as scholarly citations. Here’s just one reason why:
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/30699302/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/t/student-hoaxes-worlds-media-wikipedia/
| Criteria | % of Assignment Grade |
| 1. Conversation preparation and experience | /25 |
| 2. Identification of cultural competencies and cultural humility before and during the conversation | /20 |
| 3. Specific areas for improving cultural competencies and humility and actions for making these improvements | /40 |
| 4. Compliance with APA-style formatting and writing quality (including use of Canadian English spelling) | /15 |
