Social Awareness in Counselling: A Critique of Mainstream Counselling From A Feminist Counselling, Cross-Cultural Counselling, And Liberation Psychology Perspective

Social Awareness in Counselling is a critique of mainstream Counselling from three alternative therapeutic orientations: feminist Counselling, cross-cultural Counselling, and liberation psychology. It explores the many areas in which mainstream Counselling focuses exclusively on the individual while failing to explore wider social issues that often greatly influence our values, behaviors and experiences. Issues such as gender, class, sexual orientation, culture and ethnicity are rarely considered. The social and personal oppression that cultural stereotypes engender remain largely unacknowledged in mainstream Counselling. ''Social Awareness in Counselling unearths Counselling research in both mainstream and alternative Counselling orientations. The feminist Counselling model addresses such issues as gender, race and class, and also emphasises the need for awareness of power issues within the Counselling relationship. Cross-cultural Counselling models state that Counselling is largely based on western beliefs and values that are alien to culturally-different clients. The theories of liberation psychology stress the importance of facing the political, social and economic roots of oppression that limit personal freedom and choice. Social Awareness in Counselling is an invaluable guide for counsellors, course directors, and prospective clients. It clearly states the pitfalls of Counselling while pointing the way forward towards a more egalitarian and socially aware therapeutic relationship.