4 Narrative Assessment University Name Narrative Assessment A narrative assessment is a story based upon a client's history. The narrative assessment provides detailed information regarding the client's behaviors, relationships, and other factors. Both the client and the human service professional can use the narrative assessment to reflect upon factors and patterns that impact one’s social behavior. The purpose of a narrative assessment is to encourage a client to engage in self-reflection and the process of self-discovery, as these two components influence the overall helping process. Family The non-family member client, John Doe, described his family as a broken, loving, and dedicated. He described his family in this manner because his father was typically absent from the family’s life. Mr. Doe explained that his parents were married and never divorced, but have always been separated as far back as he can remember. The client also explained that his mother was not very involved with his childhood upbringing, this was due to her having to work several jobs in order to support the family of three. Mr. Doe also reminisced about how he and his older sister were raised by their loving grandmother. As an adult, Mr. Doe realizes that his mother’s and grandmother’s commitments to the family were forms of dedication to keep the family united. Therefore, Mr. Doe reflected upon the culturally defined characteristics that indirectly influenced his social awareness that led him to become protective and strong. As a human service professional, it is imperative that I reflect upon and understand National Organization for Human Services (NOHS) Ethical Standards for Human Service Professionals “Standard 7 - Human service professionals ensure that their values or biases are not imposed upon their clients.” (NOHS, 2017). This ethical standard will be reflected upon and utilized as often as necessary, as it will serve as a guideline for a developing culturally competent human service professional. The ethical standard also reminds me of how significant my role is in the helping process, which is to work for the client’s best interest at all times. More specifically, it is vital that I take on the role of the “client advocate” when working with an individual through the helping process (Corey, Corey, Corey, and Callanan, 2015, p. 134). As a result, I will be better prepared to balance the different human service professional roles that may come to be. Country or Origin/Residence Mr. Doe was born in the United States (U.S.), more specifically in Odessa, Texas. During the his childhood years, his family of three moved to San Antonio, Texas. He shared that his mother decided to move the family to the inner city of San Antonio, Texas because she had extended family members who could help take care of the children. Therefore, the client and his older sister spent a great deal of time with their paternal grandmother, his mother’s mother, during their .

1. 4
Narrative Assessment
University Name
Narrative Assessment
A narrative assessment is a story based upon a client's history.
The narrative assessment provides detailed information
regarding the client's behaviors, relationships, and other factors.
Both the client and the human service professional can use the
narrative assessment to reflect upon factors and patterns that
impact one’s social behavior. The purpose of a narrative
assessment is to encourage a client to engage in self-reflection
and the process of self-discovery, as these two components
influence the overall helping process.
Family
The non-family member client, John Doe, described his family
as a broken, loving, and dedicated. He described his family in
this manner because his father was typically absent from the
family’s life. Mr. Doe explained that his parents were married
and never divorced, but have always been separated as far back
as he can remember. The client also explained that his mother
was not very involved with his childhood upbringing, this was
due to her having to work several jobs in order to support the
family of three. Mr. Doe also reminisced about how he and his
older sister were raised by their loving grandmother. As an
adult, Mr. Doe realizes that his mother’s and grandmother’s
commitments to the family were forms of dedication to keep the
family united. Therefore, Mr. Doe reflected upon the culturally

2. defined characteristics that indirectly influenced his social
awareness that led him to become protective and strong.
As a human service professional, it is imperative that I reflect
upon and understand National Organization for Human Services
(NOHS) Ethical Standards for Human Service Professionals
“Standard 7 - Human service professionals ensure that their
values or biases are not imposed upon their clients.” (NOHS,
2017). This ethical standard will be reflected upon and utilized
as often as necessary, as it will serve as a guideline for a
developing culturally competent human service professional.
The ethical standard also reminds me of how significant my role
is in the helping process, which is to work for the client’s best
interest at all times. More specifically, it is vital that I take on
the role of the “client advocate” when working with an
individual through the helping process (Corey, Corey, Corey,
and Callanan, 2015, p. 134). As a result, I will be better
prepared to balance the different human service professional
roles that may come to be.
Country or Origin/Residence
Mr. Doe was born in the United States (U.S.), more
specifically in Odessa, Texas. During the his childhood years,
his family of three moved to San Antonio, Texas. He shared that
his mother decided to move the family to the inner city of San
Antonio, Texas because she had extended family members who
could help take care of the children. Therefore, the client and
his older sister spent a great deal of time with their paternal
grandmother, his mother’s mother, during their late childhood
years and early adolescent years. As a result of Mr. Doe’s origin
of residence, he feels as though the culturally defined
characteristics indirectly influenced him to fight for every inch
he could possibly get.
As a human service professional, it is imperative that I reflect
upon and understand NOHS Ethical Standards for Human
Service Professionals “Standard 26 - Human service
professionals seek the training, experience, education and
supervision necessary to ensure their effectiveness in working

3. with culturally diverse individuals based on age, ethnicity,
culture, race, ability, gender, language preference, religion,
sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, nationality, or other
historically oppressive groups. In addition, they will strive to
increase their competence in methods which are known to be the
best fit for the population(s) with whom they work.” (NOHS,
2017). This ethical standard serves as a guideline for me, as it
emphasizes the significance of professional development when
working with individuals of a different cultural background. As
I continue to utilize professional development to further my
understanding of cultural awareness, I am also demonstrating a
willingness to provide more culturally competent services
(Diller, 2015).
Race/Ethnicity
The client, Mr. Doe, defines himself as African-American who
very much enjoys soul food and rhythm and blues music. Mr.
Doe shared that his mother and father are both African-
American as well. During his childhood and early adolescence,
the client explained that he was constantly surrounded with soul
food at his grandmother’s home. He recalled memories of sitting
around his grandmother’s kitchen table and often being tended
to with all kinds of soul food. Mr. Doe also recalled growing up
with rhythm and blues music at his grandmother's home, as well
as other relatives’ homes. All in all, Mr. Doe feels that the
culturally defined characteristics during his upbringing directly
influenced his sense of rhythm and a strong love for music.
As a human service professional, it is imperative that I reflect
upon and understand NOHS Ethical Standards for Human
Service Professionals “Standard 10 - Human service
professionals provide services without discrimination or
preference in regards to age, ethnicity, culture, race, ability,
gender, language preference, religion, sexual orientation,
socioeconomic status, nationality, or other historically
oppressed groups” (NOHS, 2017). This particular ethical
standard serves as a guideline to follow when working with a
client with a different cultural background than my own. The

4. ethical standard serves as a guideline for me because it
reinforces the significance of working with others of a different
cultural background, especially a cultural background that I am
not at all familiar with. It is also crucial for me to utilize
legitimate types of resources to become better acquainted with
identify factors which may stem from culturally defined
characteristics, such as with a client like Mr. Doe. As I continue
to further my understanding of other cultures besides my own, I
am also preventing the opportunity for “institutional racism” to
occur (Diller, 2015, p. 75). As a result, the client will be more
apt to trust me when engaging in the self-discovery process.
Gender
Mr. Doe described his gender roles as a disciplinarian,
provider, and leader of the household. The client shared that
culturally defining characteristics regarding his gender
indirectly influenced his role as a male in his family. For
instance, Mr. Doe described one of his responsibilities of his
gender role is to act as a disciplinarian for his family. The
client also shared an additional gender role which is based upon
taking the lead role as a provider for his immediate
family. Lastly, Mr. Doe explained his gender role as the leader
of his family. He described this role as being more than just
being a leader of the family, but also emphasized the
importance of role modeling gender role leadership to his two
young sons. The client explained the culturally defined
characteristics of gender roles indirectly influenced his
motivation to strive to lead his children to become great men, as
well as leaders in their community.
As a human service professional, it is imperative that I reflect
upon and understand NOHS Ethical Standards for Human
Service Professionals “Standard 11 - Human service
professionals are knowledgeable about their cultures and
communities within which they practice. They are aware of
multiculturalism in society and its impact on the community as
well as individuals within the community. They respect the
cultures and beliefs of individuals and groups” (NOHS, 2017).

5. This particular ethical standard is vital to reflect upon and
understand when working with a client such as Mr. Doe, as his
culturally defined characteristics indirectly influenced his
gender roles within his family. In order for me to provide
service to a client such as Mr. Doe, I need to further my
understanding of cultural awareness which impacts the gender
roles of an African American male. As a culturally competent
provider, not only am I furthering my understanding of subject
matter but I am also making myself aware of the subject
matter’s possible meaning (Diller, 2015).
References
Corey, G., Corey, M.S., Corey, C., & Callanan, P. (2015).
Issues and ethics in the helping
professions, updated with 2014 ACA codes (9th ed.).
Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning.
Diller, J.V. (2015). Cultural diversity: A primer for the human
services (5th ed.). Stamford, CT:
Cengage Learning.
National Organization for Human Services (NOHS). (n.d.).
Ethical standards for human service
professionals: National Organization for Human Services
adopted 2015. Retrieved March
12, 2017, from
http://www.nationalhumanservices.org/ethical-standards-for-hs-
professionals

6. Identity Factor: Family
Identity Factor: Country or Origin/Residence
Identity Factor: Race/Ethnicity
Identity Factor: Gender
How would you describe your family?
Where did you grow up?
What symbols/values represent your culture?
What roles, responsibilities, and/or expectations are associated
with gender in your experience?
Culturally Defined Characteristics
(
Culturally Defined Characteristics
(
Culturally Defined Characteristics
(
Culturally Defined Characteristics
(
Middle class
Moyock, North Carolina
Holidays - Family
Female- domestic

7. University Educated
Middle class Neighborhood
Sunday Dinners
Male – breadwinners
Loving
Family ties to Virginia, New Jersey, New York
Celebrations- Parties , Wedding Anniversaries, Graduations,
Female – Household Workers
Direct or Indirect influence on orientation to Social
Responsibility
(
Supportive to those in need
Willing to help those who are less fortunate
Family closeness
Caring and compassionate with helping others
Cultural Genogram
Dimensions of Culture
For each of the Identity Factors below, enter three
characteristics that symbolize or define that identity factor from
your (or your non-family member’s) perspective based on
cultural norms. Then, consider how these values influence your
thoughts on social responsibility.
Non-Family Member
Identity Factor: Family
Identity Factor: Country or Origin/Residence
Identity Factor: Race/Ethnicity
Identity Factor: Gender

8. How would you describe your family?
Where did you grow up?
What symbols/values represent your culture?
What roles, responsibilities, and/or expectations are associated
with gender in your experience?
Culturally Defined Characteristics
(
Culturally Defined Characteristics
(
Culturally Defined Characteristics
(
Culturally Defined Characteristics
(
Religious
Chesapeake, Virginia
Religion- Pentecostal
Male - Workers
Supportive
Middle class neighborhoods
Sunday Dinners
Females - Caregivers
Loving
Middle Class
Bible Study
Males & Female – makes decisions
Direct or Indirect influence on orientation to Social
Responsibility
(
Helping those in need
Express empathy to the less fortunate
Help those that need to find their way
Making informed decisions for others