Connection. Healing. Resilience.
“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” — Audre Lorde
Cultural Diversity
My military life as a Veteran, spouse, and mother living internationally shaped my commitment to cultural humility long before entering the counseling profession. Exposure to diverse communities taught me to approach differences with curiosity rather than assumption. I strive to understand each client’s worldview within their cultural, relational, and systemic context and remain committed to ongoing multicultural education and supervision to strengthen this competence.
Growth Through Clincial Practice
My development as a counselor has deepened my understanding that cultural humility requires more than awareness of differences. It requires ongoing self-reflection and a willingness to recognize how my own experiences, values, and perspectives may influence the way I understand others. Working with clients from varied backgrounds has reinforced the importance of listening to how each client understands their own identity and experiences rather than assuming I already know what those experiences mean. I continue to use supervision, education, and reflection to identify potential biases and strengthen my ability to provide culturally responsive care.
CACREP Standard 2.F.2.d
The impact of heritage, attitudes, beliefs, understandings, and acculturative experiences on an individual’s views of others.
CACREP Standard 2.F.2.e
The effects of power and privilege for counselors and clients.
CACREP Standard 2.F.2.h
Strategies for identifying and eliminating barriers, prejudices, and processes of intentional and unintentional oppression and discrimination.
ACA COE Standard A.4.b — Personal Values
Counselors must be aware of their own values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors and avoid imposing them on clients. They should respect client diversity and seek training when they may be at risk of imposing their values, particularly when those values conflict with client goals or could be discriminatory.
ACA COE Standard A.11.b — Values Within Termination and Referral
Counselors should not refer current or prospective clients solely because of the counselor’s own values, attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors. They are expected to respect client diversity and obtain training when necessary to prevent imposing their own values on clients.
ACA COE Standard E.8 — Multicultural Issues/Diversity in Assessment
Counselors select and use assessments with consideration for clients’ personal and cultural contexts and recognize how factors such as age, race, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, language preference, religion/spirituality, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status may affect assessment administration and interpretation.