Begin by describing yourself as a cultural being- how do you identify culturally?Mexican American. You can be relatively general here, as this will serve as as context to the latter sections . Then, using the two course textbooks, especially Diller, as well as the supplmental readings, consider the twelve dimensions of personal and cultural identity - 1. ability, 2. attractiveness, 3. age, 4. ethnicity, 5. race, 6. gender, 7. generational status and history, 8. language, 9. nationality, 10. religion and/or spirituality, 11. sexual orientation, and 12. socioeconomic status. Selecting 4 or 5 of these dimensions that you feel comfortable describing about yourself, discuss them thoroughly, including how these developed, what maintains them, and whether you think these were chosen for you (as opposed to being chosen by you). Of these, are any of them more important in your description of your cultural identity? Which ones are easier or more difficult to describe and discuss? Consider if you had any significant experiences that impacted any of those components.

Next, discuss how the unique intersection of the identities/components you have chosen to write about influences your worldview and how this intersectionality may show up in clinical work with clients. For example, one question (of many) to think about is whether you are driven to work with certain populations due to your own intersectional identity? How might your identity play a role in establishing rapport with clients? How does your identity help you (or make it more challenging for you) to empathize and understand certain clients? Etc.

include the following technical elements: (a) an Introduction paragraph, where the student outlines what he or she hopes to accomplish in the paper, (b) Form (c) a conclusion section where the student reflects on any insights or awareness gained from describing these aspects of self.