Personal Identity: Ethnic Background/Ancestry and State of Identity Development:

Migration means to move from one place or region to another. Migration can be voluntary (emigrated), forced (slavery), or a means to seek protection or refuge (seeking asylum). Please research your ancestry as best you can. If your ancestors were immigrants, how did they experience themselves as ethnic beings when they first arrived to this country (if applicable)? If your ancestors were forced to migrate or migrated in response to needing refuge, how did they experience the migration process, and how were they impacted as ethnic beings? Please address your individual family's experience, as well as discuss (via research) the general immigration experience of the group in general. If you are an immigrant, describe your experiences arriving to the U.S.A. If you are an international student, describe your experiences within your culture of origin and your interactions with individuals and groups from other cultures. If your situation does not fit any of the above, please talk with your instructor about how to address this question.

What ethnic and cultural traditions and values do you still practice in your family and why? What traditions and values do you have that are separate or different from your family and why?

Cross-cultural Interactions: Privilege, Discrimination, and Worldview:

Describe one instance where you experienced privilege and one where you experienced a disadvantage. Explain how these experiences shaped your worldview and influenced cross-cultural interactions given your social identities (e.g., race, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, class). For this assignment, privilege is defined as: a special advantage, immunity, permission, right, or benefit granted to or enjoyed by majority group members that was not earned and is usually taken for granted by recipients. The advantage can be due to race, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, ability or ability level, citizenship, and much more.

In describing your privileged and disadvantaged experiences, discuss your thoughts and feelings surrounding both of these instances.

Describe at least one situation where you felt discriminated against. Describe your thoughts and feelings surrounding this situation(s).

Describe how you view cultures and worldviews that are different from your own. For instance, what cultural differences are easiest for you to accept? What cultural differences are hardest for you to accept? What specific factors and experiences have shaped your viewpoint? How has your viewpoint influenced your life on a personal level?

Describe how your viewpoint impacts your professional development. What are your growth edges for becoming a culturally competent and culturally humble practitioner, and how do you plan on addressing them?

Resolving Issues: Integrating an Ethical Decision-Making Model:

Provide a well-written and detailed summary about a situation where you felt discriminated against. The situation can relate to you as a student or professional. It can happen within a counseling session with a client, supervisory relationship with a supervisor or instructor, peer or colleague, or a boss at a job. This situation can be hypothetical or one that actually occurred. If the latter, please do not use any identifiable information of persons involved. In your summary, clearly identify what made you feel discriminated against and how you handled or resolved it.

Please also identify the ethical dilemma(s) or issues that the situation posed for you or the other person. Use the American Counseling Association (ACA) Ethics Code as your reference. Identify an ethical decision making model that you learned in the Ethics course to further identify the ethical issue(s) and resolve them in a step-wise manner. It is recommended that you clearly identify and thoroughly address each step of the ethical decision making model to think through and resolve all applicable considerations.