ABSTRACT
This chapter is a personal perspective describing only a tiny part of Wandsworth Prison’s history. It covers some of my work spanning about ten years.
Culture
Working inter-culturally in a counselling setting means a conscious decision, based on awareness and knowledge, to acknowledge how and when culture is influencing the interaction. The culture of the setting and the culture of the counsellor may be as important as the culture of the client. We have a number of cultural identities based on our belonging to different ‘shared contexts’: work, gender, sexual orientation, class, caste, tribe, race, ethnicity, religious beliefs. We follow the values, beliefs and behaviours that are held by the group. Much of this is unconscious, so it can be difficult to put into words. Culture goes beyond the surface attitudes that seem obvious to the outsider. It is largely invisible to those within it. The deep structures are ‘felt’ through interactions with others in the family or group. Culture change is recognised as something that can happen over time through the assimilation of different ideas from other cultures and from experiencing different events.
