Similarities
The immigrant population that I selected is the Mexicans, representing a significant percentage of the immigrants in the country. On the other hand, the implications for multicultural health treatment is that individuals have different views on health and illness, and treatment-seeking patterns considering some cultures stigmatize mental health issues (Gopalkrishnan, 2018). For instance, Latinos consider mental illness to be a sign of weakness. Moreover, counselors also have to contend with issues of racism and discrimination besides the therapeutic relationship. Notably, immigrants may encounter a language barrier in counseling, which makes communication difficult between the client and the counselor (Gopalkrishnan, 2018). Hence, this scenario may demand a counselor that speaks the language or an interpreter. As such, some immigrants sometimes come with their close family members who understand English to enable communication. Immigrants are also likely to encounter negative stereotypes in counseling (Soto et al., 2019). For instance, a counselor may perceive an immigrant as lazy due to the public’s common perception of immigrants from a particular country. On addressing immigration issues and cultural identity, the focus should be placed on strategies that emphasize variations in communication styles, considering that some cultures prefer close contact. At the same time, others encourage seclusion (Soto et al., 2019). Also, counselors have to understand multicultural issues and be capable of detecting whether the issue is due to adjustment or depression.
References
Gopalkrishnan, N. (2018). Cultural diversity and mental health: Considerations for policy and practice. Frontiers in public health, 6, 179.
Soto, A., Smith, T. B., Griner, D., Rodríguez, M. D., & Bernal, G. (2019). Cultural adaptations and multicultural competence. Psychotherapy Relationships that Work: Volume 2: Evidence-Based Therapist Responsiveness, 86.