Cross-Cultural Issues Counselling

Having multiple cultures in your relationships may add the beauty of diversity but also stress and conflicts. Every family, workplace, city, country, or ethnic group may have different cultures. Adapting to a new culture can be challenging. Common cultural differences include collectivism-individualism orientation, the importance of original family, how many emotions/feelings people share, how permeable boundaries are, the use of language, rules of finances between friends and families, gender roles, expectations on children, and religious activities.

When moving to a new country, one also needs to learn many new things: languages, social norms, customs, laws, political system, financial system, education system, and so on. It can be overwhelming in the first few months, and people take even years to adapt to the new culture. If you experience a depressed mood, anxiety, isolation, bullying, or discrimination, you may want to seek help from a professional who understands your culture and your situation.

It might even be hard for you to seek help depending on the stigma of counselling in your original culture. People may prefer to talk to friends, family members, religious leaders before talking to a counsellor. However, sometimes seeking help from people who lack training in mental health can make people feel invalidated and thus make symptoms worse. Certain cultures see mental health professionals as authority figures and seek direct advice, while the expectation in the west is that counsellors act as collaborators and supporters. It’s important to discuss differences in cultural expectations between the therapist and client beforehand.