The document outlines an assignment for analyzing multicultural counseling case studies, requiring students to evaluate two cases and answer related questions while incorporating relevant theories and ethical considerations. The cases involve a counselor named Paula working with a widow, Carmen, an LGBTQ couple, and a Colombian immigrant, José Carlos, facing cultural and personal conflicts. The assignment emphasizes understanding cultural identities, ethical conflicts, and the importance of multicultural competencies in counseling practices.

1. Individual Programmatic Assessment: Multicultural Counseling
Case Studies
·
· Due Nov 04,
View more »
Expand view
Read the case studies in the University of Phoenix Material:
Multicultural Counseling Case Studies.
Select two cases to analyze.
Answer the questions at the end of the case in 200 to 300 words
per question.
Incorporate theories and concepts in relation to the case and
question.
Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment.
Faculty Materials
Materials
Reading Material
University of Phoenix Material
Multicultural Counseling Case Studies
Case 1
Paula, the counselor, is a 37-year-old woman. She has lived
away from home since she began college. During college, she
lived with roommates in an apartment. After graduation, she
bought a condo.
While completing her graduate studies, she was in what she
thought of as a solid romantic relationship with a man. She got
pregnant while in graduate school and gave birth to a son who is

2. now 5 years old. After thoughtful evaluation of her
relationship, she decided not to marry and to take care of her
son alone. Her parents are very proud of her accomplishments.
While at the office, Paula received a call from Carmen, a 35-
year-old widow with two daughters who are 8 and 10 years old.
Carmen lives in a small town. Only school counselors are
available in her town. One of her sisters insisted that Carmen
seek mental health counseling.
Carmen’s husband, George, died in a car accident while driving
to her parents’ house to repair their refrigerator. Carmen called
George the afternoon before he died and asked him to please
pass by her parents’ house after work. Although he was a teller
at a bank, he was very handy. The repair took more time than he
expected and it was raining heavily when he left the house.
Another driver lost control of his car and crashed into Jorge due
to the wet pavement and curvy road.
Carmen is seeking help because she does not know what to do.
She is afraid of assuming the entire responsibility of her home.
Her parents and in-laws believe that her daughters need to be in
the presence of a male figure of authority to develop strong
values and respect. Carmen’s in-laws also feel that it will look
bad if a young widow has men visiting her house, even if they
are friends who are trying to help. Carmen’s in-laws consider a
woman’s reputation to be her most valuable treasure. In
addition, Carmen’s parents feel guilty for the accident and want
to help, while her in-laws have lost their only son and are too
grief stricken to help her at this time.
Carmen has been taught that as a mother, her children’s welfare
must be her first priority. As a result of George’s death, the
girls are more demanding. Carmen’s daughters also want their
family to live with their paternal grandparents so that Carmen
can continue being a stay-at-home mom. The girls believe that

3. if Carmen moves with George’s parents, their mother will not
remarry.
Questions
· How do the cultural identities of the counselor and the client
differ?
· Use the American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of
Ethics and the Association for Multicultural Counseling and
Development’s (AMCD) Multicultural Counseling
Competencies. What ethical conflicts might arise from this
case? What AMCD competencies should the counselor consider
to avoid possible conflicts?
· Because Paula and Carmen have different values, should Paula
refer Carmen to another professional? Explain your rationale
and state why the recommended action would make Carmen an
effective cultural counselor.
Case 2
Myrna and Rosa are lesbians in a relationship. They are looking
for family counseling because of excessive arguing and
communication problems. They have identified several issues
that they want to address, but believe that their sexual
orientation is not an issue.
They chose a male counselor because they believe he will be
more objective and less biased. They expressed feeling
comfortable with their sexual orientation and wanting to focus
on improving their communication. The counselor recognized
their communication problem and expressed his willingness to
help them, but expressed his belief that their sexual identity is

4. the source of their problems. He believes that in compatible
relationships, there must be indisputable gender roles with a
male and a female.
Questions
· Do you think that sexual orientation is the couple’s primary
counseling issue? Explain your rationale.
· What evidence of counselor bias exists in the case study?
What AMCD competencies might be useful to consider when
deciding if the counselor can still be effective in dealing with
the clients?
· What ethical guidelines might the counselor’s supervisor refer
to when providing feedback on the counselor’s assumptions
about his clients presenting problems?
Case 3
José Carlos is a 41-year-old Colombian immigrant. He has lived
in the United States for 11 years. Members of his extended
family live in the United States, but his parents and three sisters
still live in Colombia. He is seeking therapy because he is
having difficulty dealing with his impending divorce from his
wife, Ana. Ana is 35 years old and is from the United States.
They have a 13-year-old son and a 9-year-old daughter.
José Carlos met Ana at a community service project sponsored
by Ana’s social work class. They have been married for 14
years. José Carlos has United States citizenship because of his
marriage to Ana. He is unsure of how his divorce will affect his
U.S. citizenship and his parental rights.
Before deciding on divorce, they participated in couple’s
counseling. In individual counseling, José Carlos expressed that

5. getting a divorce was her decision. Even though José Carlos
does not believe in counseling therapy, he believes he needs
help.
José Carlos stated that Ana is too liberal. He believes her
professional degree and her friends have influenced her to
disregard his traditional cultural values regarding the rules of
marriage. She demands personal attention; he believes that the
family’s focus should be on their children.
Their parenting styles are different, too. He says that Ana is too
lenient and that she lets their children express opinions that
oppose theirs. He believes that children must be respectful and
that they must follow all of their parents’ orders. Ana wants the
children to be independent and have an open mind. She says that
they need to be kids.
José Carlos fears that his daughter will fail in marriage like her
mother and fears that his son will not learn how to control a
woman. He feels ashamed that his marriage failed because he
could not control his independent wife. He feels that his
inability to control his wife and his household is an insult to his
traditional cultural values.
Questions (need to answer them) 200 word each
· Consider other immigrant populations in the United States.
What are at least three difficulties that could arise during the
counseling process that relate to these populations?
· List the potential gender and cultural issues in this case. How
might an effective cultural counselor address each of them?
Identify a multicultural competency that best supports your
strategy to address the issue.
· Review the ACA Code of Ethics. What ethical conflicts might

6. arise from this case?