ABSTRACT
The American Counseling Association (ACA) defined counseling as “a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals” (Kaplan, Tarvydas, & Gladding, 2014, p. 366). The definition, though broad, has its roots in a Eurocentric worldview, a worldview that tends to value and promote individualism over collectivism, and independence and autonomy over interdependence (DeLucia-Waack, 2011). In fact, most counseling services in non-Western countries are still Eurocentric in their approach, even though such an approach may not be applicable to the culture or population being served. Referring to ACA’s best practices, developing multicultural competency among practitioners is essential, especially for those who provide individual or group work with people from different cultural backgrounds (Fawcett, Briggs, Maycock, & Stine, 2010).
