The View From Here

In the ACA Code of Ethics and the CACREP standards , there is an expectation that counselors are to be trained for cultural competence at some level. Surprisingly and thankfully, they include addressing identity and privilege of the counselor and the effect on clients. Unfortunately, from what I'm hearing from White classmates who have taken the cross-cultural counseling class in my program, these expectations are certainly not being fulfilled. For one student, she talked about how her White privilege was being pushed into her face and how she was very uncomfortable. I'm sorry but I have little sympathy for the fact that she was uncomfortable for a semester three hours a week whereas people of color since childhood have had to live not only with discomfort but danger for being who they based on what they look like. Another student stated that he actually wished his class had more dialogue about race and privilege especially since this was so new to him. However when I delv