Multiculturalism does not solely refer to differences in skin color or to different religious symbols worn around one's neck. Rather, multiculturalism encompasses many facets of one's identity- including age, sexual orientation, presence or absence of disability, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, and any characteristic (potentially unique to the majority) that is shared by a group of people.
To me, multiculturalism is what makes our country distinct. America has always prided itself on being the land of opportunity, where various people can migrate to “the land of the free” to seek a better lifestyle than afforded in their native country. To me, multiculturalism is my (Muslim) Iranian relatives migrating to The United States after the Islamic revolution to seek political and religious freedom in a predominantly Judeo-Christian country. Multiculturalism is my Muslim Iranian parents converting to Christianity and raising children in an environment where no one speaks Persian, except live-in extended family members. Multiculturalism is my gay younger brother seeking support in a predominantly homophobic and White community growing up.
As clinicians, I believe sometimes we tend to forget that multicultural differences between our clients and us extend further than just the country that our ancestors are from. In my experience, multicultural differences can look very different in the therapeutic relationship. It can look like: me, the Iranian therapist sitting across from a non-Iranian client; or me, the non-religious therapist sitting with an Orthodox client; or me, the straight-identified female sitting in session with a LGBT-identified or gender non-conforming individual; or me, the 26 year-old psychologist-in-training sitting with a 63 year-old professional or physician. Or me, the able-bodied therapist sitting in session with a handicapped (or otherwise disabled) client. The working therapist and the unemployed homeless client. The single therapist working with married couples. These are all cultural differences between my clients and I; however, these differences never have, and hopefully never will, compromise the therapeutic work or alliance that we have created in treatment.
In my several years of clinical experience, I have encountered many situations in which the cultural differences between my clients and I have resulted in awkward and uncomfortable moments in session. Clients have certainly tested my patience over the years with regards to multicultural issues; I have been told by an older client that ‘my young age’ prevents me from knowing anything about ‘real life’. Also, being told by a non-Iranian client that Middle Eastern people ‘deserve to be victims of warfare’ is difficult to sit with. However, I continue to be intrigued by the clients’ aggression and remain dedicated to my work with them. I have noticed how my own feelings can be easily be triggered by an aggressive and/or prejudice client (a phenomenon known in the psychodynamically-oriented community as 'countertransference'). Nonetheless, deconstructing the clients’ anger and helping them make sense of their hostile impulses remains key to our treatment plan. It is crucial to be a culturally aware clinician in order to be sensitive to the cultural components of a client’s identity. Multiculturalism is ever-evolving and present everywhere; it is upon us as clinicians to educate ourselves and gain the awareness we need to better serve our clients.
Sahar Dorani is a third-year doctoral student at The Wright Institute in Berkeley, California. She continues to work clinically with multicultural clients (mostly in a forensic setting), as well as conduct research on the acculturation process of Iranian-Americans. She can be reached at SaharDorani@gmail.com.
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