Please read the "Stop and Reflect" exercise on page 302 (6th edition) or 68 (7th edition) of your textbook and discuss your responses to the four questions posed with your classmates. Remember that the most critical characteristic of a practical helper is self-awareness. Your honesty in this exercise is far more valuable (both to you and your classmates) than your ability to be politically correct.

STOP AND REFLECT

We are not always aware that our assumptions about good mental health are culturally bound. In this case, a therapist named Don is tempted to encourage a client to accept a Western concept of maturity even though the client comes from an Eastern culture. As you read the case, think about how you might help such a client solve the problem in the best way for her. Don is a therapist practicing in a small town near Denver, Coloradoan area in which he was born and raised. A recent client is a 25-year-old woman named Mira who was born in the United States, but her parents were from Northern India. Mira described the difficulties she has encountered with friends and her personal conflict and embarrassment from the fact that she still lives at home. However, in her Indian culture and family, any other living situation is unacceptable before marriage. A previous helper had encouraged her to move out of the house and told her, "If your parents don't like it, too bad." If the client were from an American background, age 25, and still living at home, what assumptions might you make about her? Do you think you might make these same assumptions about Mira? In talking about her previous therapist, what is Mira communicating to Don? What cultural values do you imagine Don might possess that would conflict with this upbringing? If you were Don, how might you begin helping this client? What more would you like to know about the client and her culture? Jot down your answers to the questions raised here and discuss them with your classmates.