This paper asks you to examine your cultural identity and its impact on your life, professional counseling career, and interactions with others. Use the questions in each section as a guide. Your paper should flow as a narrative rather than in a question-and-answer format. The purpose of this assignment is to explore and integrate information related to your culture with issues related to becoming a culturally sensitive counselor.It will also challenge you to reflect on events and life experiences that have shaped your cultural being. It is a reflective and expected to foster cultural self-awareness and identity development. The assignment should be 3 4 pages in length and written in seventh-edition APA format; first person is allowed. Note: I will stop reading at the end of the fourth body page.
b.Race, Ethnicity, Geography, and National Origin
What do you identify as your national background, racial group, and ethnic identity? In what geographic region were you reared? Are you the product of a rural or urban environment? What are some strong values that are typical of that region? What aspects of your culture do you retain as an adult?
c.Religion and Spirituality
What was your religious affiliation, if any, during your childhood? How did this come to be in your family? How are conflicts due to religious values resolved? What do you think this religious preference reflects about your heritage or culture? What is your religious or spiritual affiliation now, if any? If it has changed, how did that transformation happen?
d.Gender and Sexuality
What are your gender and sexual orientations? How are gender and orientation differences handled in your family of origin? How is sexism in your culture addressed? What behaviors, characteristics, beliefs, and values are defined by gender in your culture? How are gender roles divided? How is conflict between gender roles handled? What are some specific rules for marriage and childrearing in your culture?
e.Age and Accessibility
What is your age? Consider your interactions with your peers. Consider your interactions with various age groups. Provide examples of how you treat those in your age group, the same age as your children or younger, your parents, and your grandparents or older. How does your age affect your experience in your family of origin? How has your degree of ability and accessibility shaped you as a person?
f.Class and Geography
What is the socioeconomic history of your family? What role or meaning does socioeconomics have for people with backgrounds like yours? If your socioeconomic history is different now, how did that transformation happen? What were music, art, and clothing preferences like in your family of origin? What were the political preferences of your family of origin? How did this come to be in your family? What do you think this political preference reflects about your heritage or culture? What is your political preference now? If it has changed, how did that transformation happen?
g.Personal Relationships
Think of the significant people in your life when you were a child or adolescent, including your parents, guardians, close relatives, teachers, clergy, siblings, or close friends. What do you remember about their attitudes and feelings toward multicultural and diverse populations? How were racism, heterosexism, genderism, ageism, classism, and other isms addressed? What did you overhear them saying about multicultural and diverse groups? Who determined the social norms and rules of your family? How were they enforced? How were they passed to younger members of the family or group? What events can you remember that involved personal contact with diverse groups? What were or are your thoughts, feelings, and reactions? How many of your close, long-time friends were members of multicultural and diverse groups? In what ways, if any, were these friendships different from other friendships you have with friends who reflect your own cultural groups? What significant events have affected your family and those closest to you?
h.Group Membership
When did you first become aware that you were a member of each of the groups that have shaped your identity? Did you embrace or reject the specific aspects of these groups? Feel free to add any other information you think is pertinent to your cultural identity.