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Adaptation of Western counselling approaches to an Asian multicultural context
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Type
Thesis
Author
Soong, Cecilia Foong Har
Supervisor
Tan, Esther
Abstract
This study is focused on worldwide views of counselors counsellees and their use of and preference for counseling approaches.
In the light of the underlying value differences between Western and Eastern cultures, there is a need for counsellors in an Eastern culture to adapt Western approaches to the local multicultural context.
Chapter One discusses the concept of worldview, a significant antecedent factor in counseling and its correlates. The main premise is that worldviews encompassing one's 'stock of knowledge', influence one's perception of counseling and one's preference for counseling approaches.
Chapter Two is a review of the literature covering three main areas; firstly, the concept of worldviews, detailing worldview models, Asian worldviews and the Singaporean worldview. The second section elucidates mainstream counseling approaches, focusing on Client-Centered Counseling, behavioural counseling and cognitive counseling, according to their view of the person, goals of counseling, role of counsellor and techniques of counseling. The relationship between worldviews and counseling approaches is examined in the last part of the chapter, highlighting worldviews and counseling Asians - Chinese, Malays, Indians and Singaporeans.
Chapter Three describes the methodology in which a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods were employed involving two pilot studies and the main study.
Chapter Four is an analysis of the worldviews of students, with the independent variables being gender, age, ethnicity, religion, course of study, academic stream, home language and socio-economic status. The worldviews of counsellors were also analysed with the independent variables: gender, age, ethnicity, religion, education, where education was obtained, working experience, teaching subjects/majors and counseling techniques. The primary worldview for both students and counsellors was the Optimistic worldview; the Pessimistic worldview was the secondary worldview for both groups.
Chapter Five gives a description of the students' preference for counselling approaches. Students were found to prefer the cognitive and client-centered approaches to counselling, according to the quantitative data. From the qualitative interviews with the counsellors, the client-centered approach, with its emphasis on trust and relationship-building, was vouched by the counsellors to be the students' preferred counselling approach.
Chapter Six is an analysis of the counsellors' use of counselling approaches. Both quantitative and qualitative data indicated that teachers consistently used the client-centered approach primarily when working with their adolescent students, although they did employ an eclectic approach when dealing with different problems presented by their students. The social workers used both the client-centered and cognitive approaches according to the data culled from the questionnaires and the interviews. A growing trend though is their use of a family systems approach as discussed during the interviews.
Chapter Seven delineates the relationship between worldviews and counselling approaches. The primary worldview of students and counsellors was the Optimistic worldview which bespeaks the primacy of relationships, and their preferred counselling approach was the client-centered approach. However, a structured approach like cognitive counselling was also a preference among students and social workers. This augurs well with their secondary worldview, the Pessimistic worldview, where task orientation is a main characteristic.
Chapter Eight concludes with a discussion on worldviews and counseling, and their implications for counseling. In counseling students, understanding their worldviews, their preference for counseling approaches, their perceptions of teachers as counsellors, would put the counselors' work with them in good stead. Implications for counsellors embrace understanding the counsellors' own worldviews and their use of counseling approaches. These culminate in the implications for counseling training, the imperative to understand multicultural counseling and to develop multicultural competencies when counseling the culturally diverse.
In the light of the underlying value differences between Western and Eastern cultures, there is a need for counsellors in an Eastern culture to adapt Western approaches to the local multicultural context.
Chapter One discusses the concept of worldview, a significant antecedent factor in counseling and its correlates. The main premise is that worldviews encompassing one's 'stock of knowledge', influence one's perception of counseling and one's preference for counseling approaches.
Chapter Two is a review of the literature covering three main areas; firstly, the concept of worldviews, detailing worldview models, Asian worldviews and the Singaporean worldview. The second section elucidates mainstream counseling approaches, focusing on Client-Centered Counseling, behavioural counseling and cognitive counseling, according to their view of the person, goals of counseling, role of counsellor and techniques of counseling. The relationship between worldviews and counseling approaches is examined in the last part of the chapter, highlighting worldviews and counseling Asians - Chinese, Malays, Indians and Singaporeans.
Chapter Three describes the methodology in which a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods were employed involving two pilot studies and the main study.
Chapter Four is an analysis of the worldviews of students, with the independent variables being gender, age, ethnicity, religion, course of study, academic stream, home language and socio-economic status. The worldviews of counsellors were also analysed with the independent variables: gender, age, ethnicity, religion, education, where education was obtained, working experience, teaching subjects/majors and counseling techniques. The primary worldview for both students and counsellors was the Optimistic worldview; the Pessimistic worldview was the secondary worldview for both groups.
Chapter Five gives a description of the students' preference for counselling approaches. Students were found to prefer the cognitive and client-centered approaches to counselling, according to the quantitative data. From the qualitative interviews with the counsellors, the client-centered approach, with its emphasis on trust and relationship-building, was vouched by the counsellors to be the students' preferred counselling approach.
Chapter Six is an analysis of the counsellors' use of counselling approaches. Both quantitative and qualitative data indicated that teachers consistently used the client-centered approach primarily when working with their adolescent students, although they did employ an eclectic approach when dealing with different problems presented by their students. The social workers used both the client-centered and cognitive approaches according to the data culled from the questionnaires and the interviews. A growing trend though is their use of a family systems approach as discussed during the interviews.
Chapter Seven delineates the relationship between worldviews and counselling approaches. The primary worldview of students and counsellors was the Optimistic worldview which bespeaks the primacy of relationships, and their preferred counselling approach was the client-centered approach. However, a structured approach like cognitive counselling was also a preference among students and social workers. This augurs well with their secondary worldview, the Pessimistic worldview, where task orientation is a main characteristic.
Chapter Eight concludes with a discussion on worldviews and counseling, and their implications for counseling. In counseling students, understanding their worldviews, their preference for counseling approaches, their perceptions of teachers as counsellors, would put the counselors' work with them in good stead. Implications for counsellors embrace understanding the counsellors' own worldviews and their use of counseling approaches. These culminate in the implications for counseling training, the imperative to understand multicultural counseling and to develop multicultural competencies when counseling the culturally diverse.
Date Issued
1997
Call Number
BF637.C6 Soo
Date Submitted
1997