Multicultural Competency and Skills Fatima Soto

A significant part of an undergraduate students life is the activities he partakes in during

his time as a college student. All over college campuses one will find posters and bulletins

regarding club meetings, events, protests, baking sales, and many more. It seems as though there

is an organization for just about every interest and hobby. Long ago are the times when

fraternities, sororities and athletics were the only options college students had to choose from.

Today we see multiple social groups designed to acknowledge various subcultures on college

campuses. One group, in particular, is increasingly becoming more present. Just about every

community college, junior college and university has one organization that targets the Lesbian,

Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community, along with its allies. These organizations are great

outlets for those college students who identify themselves within the LGBT community.

Students find assistance and support when dealing with their stress and anxiety that comes from

being part of a sexual minority group. Sometimes these support groups are not enough for

students, and therefore they seek the help of Student Affair professionals. Those are the times

when theories and practices are put to the test, and professionals are required to apply what they

have been taught. Student Affairs practitioners should be aware which helping skills are the

most appropriate for their target group and for each individual. Focusing specifically on gay

male college students, the Psychoanalytic and Systems/Family approaches would best in

assisting these troubled students. A combination of these helping skills theories will result in

becoming more familiar with the reason why the student is troubled and what are their best

options for taking action, while they hold on to their personal values as well as those of their

larger social groups.

The philosophy behind the psychoanalytic approach states that human personality is

affected and formed by our past experiences, family relationships, biological impulses and our
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unconscious minds. These forces are in conflict with one another and as a result cause anxiety,

stress and depression among individuals. The goal is to bring to light the suppressed memories

individuals might have that are causing the distress because the past can explain the present

behavior (Reynolds, 2009). According to Reynolds (2009), there are three phases of helping:

establishing rapport with the student and exploring the issue, gaining insight into the problem

and lastly, taking action. These three phases can be utilized when counseling troubled gay male

college students.

Building rapport is essential when assisting any college student with their questions and

issues. A basic, yet important thing a student affairs professional can do is establish an inviting

office location. Some examples of this would be, a welcoming sign on the office door, relaxing

soft music in the background, offering students water while they discuss their problems, and

displaying artifacts that promote cultural diversity. Along with these suggestions, a safe zone

sign can make a big difference with gay male college students. This will indicate that they are

welcomed and encouraged to not hide their sexual identity. As a result a more open and

trustworthy environment will be created (Stevens, 2004).

During the second phase, gaining insight, is when a professional can truly apply the

psychoanalytic theory. During this phase it is the responsibility of the professional to listen to

the issues the college student is presenting. The student might be complaining about their

roommate, but in reality the issue can be much deeper. With appropriate open-ended questions,

one can realize that the real issue is the struggle the student is having with oneself and their

sexual identity. The psychoanalytic approach believes that this will be rooted from past

experiences, family relationships or the unconscious mind. It could be possible that in the past

the student might have had a negative experience with declaring their sexual orientation to a
Multicultural Competency and Skills Fatima Soto

friend and is scared the same thing will happen with their new roommate. In order for the

student to express their feelings entirely, phase one: building rapport, needs to be successfully

established. Another limitation the psychoanalytic approach presents is that it is a long process

and takes time to dig in deep enough to discover the root of the problem (Reynolds, 2009). A

student affairs professional needs to have patience and realize the student might not open up

entirely in the beginning. The psychoanalytic theory takes time and much observation.

The last phase of helping requires the professional to assist the student to come up with

an action plan. It is important to allow the student to think of their own options, yet be able to

guide them through positive possible resolutions. Action plans should be realistic and

customized to the comfort of the student. It is important to gain enough insight, not only on the

issue but also on the student, to create an effective solution. If a male student is still exploring

their sexual identity, then it would be unrealistic to suggest for him to fully disclose himself as a

gay male. A simple and effective action plan is to inform the student of support groups that exist

on campus and in the community. It would be helpful that the professional be acquainted with

such groups to not only provide option for the student, but it will also continue to build rapport

with the student (Palma & Stanley, 2002). When it comes to assisting student who are part of the

LGBT community, there are actions that can be done by both the student as well as the student

affairs professionals.

Another helping skill theory that can be used with gay male college students is the

Systems/Family approach. What makes this approach unique is that it moves the focus from

intrapersonal to the interpersonal. It acknowledges that individuals are part of larger, several

communities therefore their mental health cannot be understood independently (Reynolds, 2009).

In order to counsel a student, other social units should be recognized and involved as well;
Multicultural Competency and Skills Fatima Soto

systems such as neighborhood, schools, family and friends. There are three concepts of this

approach that is stated by Reynolds (2009) the individual is a system of interacting

components, such as affective, cognitive, and physiological; the individual is also a member of a

family, as well as a broader social context, such as a school, the workplace, faith communities,

and political institutions; and an individuals psychological distress may be a function of

difficulties within the social system as much as it might be from internal problems (p. 91).

Reynolds (2009) explains how the goal of this approach is to bring forth change in the social

systems. This theory could be very helpful when dealing with gay male students who are

questioning whether they should disclose their sexual orientation to loved ones or not, and if so

when to do it. Many believe that disclosing ones sexual identity is a landmark, but in reality it

is more accurately seen as a journey with no beginning or end. Some gay males see it as an

ongoing event. They find themselves having to declare their sexual orientation many times to

different groups (Palma & Stanley, 2002). It is easy to see why the systems/family approach

would work appropriately with situations such as this one. Change does not only need to happen

within the individual, but as well as within their social units. Gay male students often fear the

rejections from loved ones and are forced to keep their sexual identity a secret and pretend

something they are not. As a result of the lies, many students might feel a sense of guilt for

having to lie to their family members and friends (Stevens, 2004).

The three phases of helping: establishing rapport with students, gaining insight on the

dilemma and taking action can take place while utilizing the systems/family approach. Since this

theory requires getting insight not only on the student, but also on their social units it is essential

that a student affairs professional builds rapports with the entire social system in order to be

successful. Rapport can be established by face to face interaction. In order to do that the
Multicultural Competency and Skills Fatima Soto

professional needs to be accommodating to the needs of its students. One way of doing this is

having flexible office hours by being available during the evening and weekends. This will

make it easier to the student to come seek help as well as its family, friends, and/or coworkers.

Technology has allowed us to communicate in several different ways, therefore a practitioner

should also be available to assist via email, phone and if possible a messaging system such as

Gchat or texts. These are simple things that as a professional one can do to start creating a

positive relationship with its students. A student affair professional should be pro-diversity, and

although it is impossible to know every detail about every culture, the professional should have

basic knowledge of the cultures its students pertain to. By becoming aware of the customs,

jargon, and even pop culture of a sexual minority the professional is creating an inviting

environment.

The second phase of helping for the systems/family approach might seem a little more

difficult. The professional has to deal with different personalities, and possibly at the same time.

Different perspectives and accounts of a story will be shared and it is the responsibility of the

student affairs practitioner to be as biased as possible. This is important in order to develop a

strong action plan in phase three. As stated earlier, the goal of this approach is to cause change

in a social system. The professional should not only suggest that a student be involved in LGBT

support groups, but to be proactive and attend their meeting and events as well. There will be a

tremendous amount of insight that can be gained by attending these events. Awareness and

knowledge will increase and it will be an opportunity to start making changes in the social unit.

A recent example of this would be the usage of the terms gay and queer. In todays popular

culture these terms are used negatively. Any individual part of the LGBT community will be

offended by this and can cause a lower self-esteem and anxiety. As an educated and diverse
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professional has the ability to create a change amongst its students and college campuses. As

Misawa (20090 states, it is important to deconstruct and relearn the terms as positive. In

other words, it is important for gay people to normalize their sexuality in order for them to

survive in this homophobic heterosexist society (p.16).

Creating and taking action is the final stage of helping. Since the systems/family

approach incorporates various social units it is imperative to include them in the action plan.

Humans are social, therefore including their social networks have proven to help treat their

individual mental health issues (Reynolds, 2009). Conducting counseling sessions with the

student and its social network is one option. Family members and/or friends who are not part of

the LGBT community can become allies by attending the support groups. Becoming advocates

for the LGBT community would cause other students to feel confident in whom they are and

have a more positive college experience (Misawa, 2009). These examples would lead to the

change that is required in order for gay male college students to not have fear and seek the

education they are entitled. It is not necessary to identify as a member of the LGBT community

in order to promote acceptance. Stracuzzi, Mohr, and Fuertes (2011) found that it is more

beneficial for gay male students to work with a counselor who does not identify with the same

sexual orientation. At times when there are similarities between a professional and student it can

trigger assumptions and can slow down any therapeutic progress. A counselor or any student

affair professional does not have to have the same sexual orientation, but they do need to have a

high level of universal-diverse orientation. Professionals at universities and colleges should have

awareness, acceptance, and be able to value similarities and differences among students in order

to have universal-diverse orientation, UOD (Stracuzzi et at., 2011).

Multicultural Competency and Skills Fatima Soto

A higher education setting is composed of many faculty, staff and administrative

members. To think that only one individual per department must be competent in diversity is

unrealistic. In order for a college campus to be welcoming to multiple cultures it should have

staff and leaders that have multicultural competencies. It all begins with strong administration

and management. One must be a good leader and promoter in order to create a strong foundation

in higher education. An effective leader will retain skilled staff members, be committed to

diversity, enhance their managing skills, understand policies and procedures of the college, know

how to address a crisis, develop positive relationships with the community and be up to date on

student affair literature (Pope, Reynolds & Mueller, 2004).

It seems that as time moves forward and our society advances in many ways, more

troubling issues are attacking todays college students. College is a time when young adults get

to explore who they are and try to decide who they will continue to be. We would like to think

that every day of a college students life is positive, but the reality is that it is not.

Overwhelming courses, demanding athletics, complicated personal relationships and overbearing

parents are some of the reasons why college students are experiences more stress, depression,

and anxiety. Exciting times can also cause distress. As employees of a higher education setting,

it is our duty to familiarize ourselves with these current issues to better help our students.

Student success should be the main goal for every higher education institution. In order to

achieve this goal college personnel should be aware of the three phases when helping a student:

build rapport, gain insight and take action (Reynolds, 2009). Student affair professionals should

be knowledgeable in the various theories and approaches that can be utilized when assisting a

troubled student. The psychoanalytical and systems/family approach to counseling troubled

students, specifically gay male students, can be successful because it explores the past in order to
Multicultural Competency and Skills Fatima Soto

explain the present and it incorporates multiple social units that are associated with the student.

These theories require patience, knowledge and openness to be effective with college students,

and student affairs professionals are obligated to possess these skills to achieve the institutions

goal: student success.

Multicultural Competency and Skills Fatima Soto

References

Misaw, M. (2009). Racist and homophobic bullying in adulthood: Narratives from gay men of

color in higher education. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resources

Development, 24(1), 7-23. http://education.fiu.edu/newhorizons

Palma, T.V., & Stanley, J.L. (2002). Effective counseling with lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients.

Journal of College Counseling, 5, 74-89.

Pope, R.L., Reynolds, A.L., & Mueller, J.A. (2004). Multicultural competence in student affairs.

San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Reynolds, A.L. (2009). Helping college students; Developing essential support skills for student

affairs practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Stevens, R.A. (2004). Understanding gay identity development within the college environment.

Journal of College Student Development, 45(2), 185-206. doi: 10.1353/csd.2004.0028

Stracuzzi, T.I., Mohr, J.J., & Fuertes, J.N. (2011). Gay and bisexual male clients perceptions of

counseling: The role of perceived sexual orientation similarity and counselor universal-

diverse orientation. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 58(3), 299-309. doi:

10.1037/a0023603