Supporting Individuals From Other Cultures

You are the Human Services Professional at XYZ Human Works, a social services agency that provides counseling to individuals. There are two individuals in the waiting room and because you want an opportunity to practice what you have been learning about supporting individuals from other cultures, you decide to work with the individual below whose background seems most different from your own.

Nadine

Nadine is a recent immigrant to the United States and has come into your agency seeking help. Nadine speaks very little English but managed to communicate that she received a phone call 3-hours ago and was told that her mother and sister were killed in a Central American country.

Bernard

Bernard is a gay male who recently “came out” to his close friends and told them that he’s been secretly dating a man for 4 years. Bernard’s boyfriend, who is openly gay, is adamant about meeting Bernard’s parents and has told Bernard to tell his parents about their relationship or else he’ll end it. Bernard feels ready, but also feels conflicted about disclosing the relationship to his parents.

Bernard is seeking the assistance of a Human Services Professional about how best to communicate his sexuality to his parents. Below is Bernard’s statement:

“I’m so tired of feeling stressed about being the real me. I love my boyfriend and don’t want him to leave me. I need major guidance about how I should open up to my parents about being gay. Please help me to make the right decision because I haven’t slept well in over a week.”

As a Human Services Professional who is unfamiliar with your client’s culture, write a 2-page paper, using APA format and proper spelling/grammar, that addresses the following:

1. Perform some library research to identify the best practices that Human Services Professionals can use when supporting individuals from different cultural backgrounds. Describe the techniques that you feel will be most valuable in your career as a Human Services Professional. Be sure to cite your sources.

2. Indicate which client you chose and explain why you selected them.

Explain how you would assist your client and in what ways their cultural background affected the way you responded. Rasmussen’s Library and Learning Services team has developed a variety of Guides to help support students’ academic endeavors. For this assignment, the Writing Guide and APA Guide may both be helpful. Also consider submitting each assignment to the online Writing Lab for feedback on your draft prior to submitting it for grading. You will find links to these Guides as well as other writing resources and services on the Resources tab.