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Article 8

Preparing Counselor Education Students for Linguistic Sensitivity in Counseling

Evidence of Need and Methodology

Marie Faubert & Emiliano Gonzalez

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Manuscript based on a program presented at the 2015 Texas Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (TACES) Conference, January 30, 2015, Austin, TX.

Facts to Support Assertion of Need

Introduction

Professional counseling is very often a talking experience involving a dialogical conversation between two people, namely, a professional counselor and a client. Consequently, the language used in professional counseling is salient. That counselors and clients understand one another is essential to the effectiveness of the counseling process and outcome (Faubert & Locke, 2005).

To understand involves more than comprehending the literal meaning of words and phrases; understanding includes interpreting tones of voice, rapidity of speech, facial expressions, body movements, and a plethora of other nonverbal cues all in the context of the lived experiences of clients (Yopp & Stapleton, 2008). Understanding becomes even more complex when native languages (L1) are tonal (e.g., Vietnamese or Chinese). Furthermore, professional counseling involves emotional exchanges between a professional counselor and a client, and the client’s native language (L1) is the emotional language in a counseling session (Faubert & Gonzalez, 2008).

In the history of the United States, immigrants have traditionally brought their cultures and native languages (L1) to their new neighborhoods, places of worship, and educational institutions (Zeigler & Camarota, 2015). Banks (2013) referred to this as “portable culture.” Recently, there has been an increase of immigration with people bringing their many and varied cultures and native languages to their new homes in the United States (U. S. Census Bureau, 2013, 2014b).

Salient Questions

In their counseling professions, counselor education students will meet clients who may speak the same native language (L1). On the other hand, clients, who have a different native language from the counselor, may prefer to be counseled in their own language. The clients may or may not be proficient in the native language of the counselor (E. Gonzalez & Faubert, 2009). For example, the L1 of a licensed professional counselor is Portuguese; her other languages are Spanish and English. She is able to use all three in her professional practice. She reported that clients often ask to be counseled in the Spanish or Portuguese language even though their English language skills are proficient (M.S., personal communication, February 1, 2014).

Another example is that of a school counselor who often interfaces with parents. When they walk into her office in a large high school of over 3,000 students, after smiling, she asks, “English or Spanish”? The consultation is done in the language requested by the parents. Often, these parents can speak English but prefer to speak with the professional school counselor in Spanish (A.C., supervision observation, March 27, 2007).

Since clients tell emotional stories to their counselors, their choice of their native language (L1) is not surprising. The L1 is often called the mother tongue (E. Gonzalez & Faubert, 2009); the first language (L1) an infant hears even before birth is the language of the mother. The native language (L1) is sometimes called the language of the heart (M.A., personal communication, April 2, 2015); it is the home language. Therefore, clients go to the native language (L1) for comfort, encouragement, and a plethora of other emotions (E. Gonzalez & Faubert, 2009).

The reality of language diversity among clients makes it imperative for counselor educators and supervisors to become proficient in preparing counselor education students to be effective with clients whose native language (L1) is not the same as theirs (Yakushko, 2010; Zemelman, Daniels, & Hyde, 2012). Consequently, we will focus on providing an opportunity for counselor educators and supervisors to reflect on becoming conscious of and sensitive to issues of language diversity among the future clients of their students. We will address these issues by considering the following questions:

1. How do we teach counselor education students to work with people whose native language is not English?

2. How important is the need for professional counselors to understand the changing demographics in order to work effectively and judiciously with immigrant and first generation United States populations?

3. How do professional counselors meet the needs of native speakers of languages different from their own?

4. How can counselor education programs become better able to prepare future professional counselors for the multilingual settings in which they will exercise their profession?

Current Data

There are many Web sites that provide a sense of the numbers of various native languages spoken in the United States. Lopez, Gonzalez-Barrera, & Cuddington (2013) reported California as number one with 42.6% of its people reporting bilingualism or multilingualism. The common native languages used in California are listed as Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Arabic, Armenian, and Tagalog (Ryan, 2011). Ruiz-Soto, Hooker, and Batalova (2015) reported on the top ten most linguistically diverse states. New Mexico was reported to be the state with the second greatest number of people reporting bilingualism or multilingualism (35.7%). Spanish is most commonly listed; Navajo and the languages of other indigenous peoples are also significant and growing. Texas comes in third with a reported percentage of 33.9% of its people bilingual or multilingual. Spanish, Chinese, German, and Vietnamese are listed as common. New York (28.9%), Arizona (28.5%), New Jersey (27.8%), Nevada (27.4%), Florida (26.1%), Hawaii 25.5%), and Illinois (21.8%) completed the top ten.

The rank and percentages are, at best, approximations. For example, the Migration Policy Institute (2013) reported the following percentages for the top 5 states: California (43.8%), New Mexico (36.5%), Texas (34.7%), New Jersey (30.4%), and New York (30.1%). The fact they were reported during different years provides evidence that populations are shifting from day to day, especially in states, which attract immigrants from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Mexico, Central America, and South America.

In decreasing order, the most popular languages, excluding English, in the United States are Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, French, Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Italian, and Portuguese (Ruiz-Soto et al., 2015). The data reported in this section provide evidence for the importance of integrating native language issues into a comprehensive counselor education program in order to prepare students to better serve different populations. The focus of this manuscript is on the use of language and how it relates to counselor education programs.

African Languages. The number of African immigrants speaking various languages has doubled every 10 years since 1980 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014b). They come from countries like Nigeria or Ghana, which were once British colonies; hence, these immigrants are most likely monolingual English, bilingual English with their native language, multilingual, or at least able to carry on a conversation in English. French is the common language of immigrants from Burkina Faso and parts of Cameroon; Portuguese is the common language of immigrants from Angola (American Immigration Council, 2010a).

Asian Languages. Asian immigrants are a diverse group of people from many different nations speaking many different native languages; they represent South East Asia (e.g., India); East Asia (e.g., China, Vietnam, or Korea); and the Pacific Islands (e.g., the Philippines). The largest group of Asian immigrants in the United States is Chinese; the fastest growing group is Indian (American Immigration Council, 2010b). According to the 2010 U.S. Census, 53% of Asian immigrants reported speaking only English or speaking it very well; 41.8% reported speaking English very well; and 11.2% reported speaking only English (American Immigration Council, 2010b).

Arabic-Speaking People. Significant numbers of Arabic-speaking people have been in the United States for many generations; their ancestors began to immigrate to the United States in the 1800s. Many of these Arabic-speaking people in the United States are from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Morocco, Bahrain, Djibouti, Algeria, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Assyrians/Chaldeans, Somalis, and Sudanese also speak Arabic (Arab American Institute, 2008b). The cities with the largest numbers of Arab Americans in residence are Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington, DC (Arab American Institute, 2008a, 2008b). As is often the case with new arrivals or those who have been in the United States for a period of time, many still struggle to learn and speak English well.

Mexican, Central, South American, and Caribbean People. The Latin American population in what is now the United States goes back as far as the time of the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th and 17th centuries. This history is beyond the scope of this manuscript, but it is very important for understanding the Latin American population in what is now the United States (J. Gonzalez, 2011).

Although immigrants from these countries do not make up a large part of United States immigration, knowing about them can be helpful (Garcia, 2012). Hispanic refers to “those who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean” (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014a). As of July 1, 2013, 17% of the U.S. population can be classified as Hispanic (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014a). In one year, from July 1, 2012 to July 1, 2013, the Hispanic population increased by 1.1 million, which represented half of the immigrant population during that time (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014a). The projection for the number of Hispanic Americans in 2060 is 128.8 million, which will represent 31% of the U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012).

There are 11.9 million Hispanic families in the United States. Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and Texas each have more than one million (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014a). The number of Hispanic people who report speaking Spanish in their homes is 38.3 million, and many of these report that they speak English very well (Goldenberg, 2010; Kindler, 2002; U.S. Census Bureau, 2014a).

In conclusion, the facts in the previous paragraphs are estimations and change from day to day. However, they provide a sense of the significance of the many different immigrant groups who bring their cultures and languages to the United States. Finally, these facts just scratch the surface, but they are sufficient to impress on counselor educators and supervisors that many different languages will continue to be significant in counseling sessions, and, therefore, in the lives of their counselor education students (Samson & Collins, 2012). The goal with this information is for counselor education programs to prepare future professional counselors for the multicultural and multilingual settings in which many will exercise their profession. The information provided above serves to inform how counselor education programs need to be cognizant of the varied cultural groups and the languages these individuals bring, especially when trying to meet the needs of such individuals.

Educational Imperative

The data in this manuscript provide evidence for the necessity of including issues of language in a comprehensive counselor education program. Working effectively with clients whose native languages are different from that of counselors’ native languages is not automatic (Samson & Collins, 2012; U.S. Department of Education, 2007). Language sensitivity must be addressed in the program. Practicum and internship requirements in a comprehensive counselor education program provide opportunities to actually practice what students have learned in the program.

What follows are some examples of how language sensitivity can be addressed in a counselor education program. The goal is to increase comfort with unfamiliar languages on the part of those counselor education students who are monolingual and to enhance the feeling of being valued for being bilingual or multilingual on the part of counselor education students who are proficient in more than one language. Both are essential for developing the knowledge, abilities, and skills for all counselor education students to become effective when counseling clients whose native language is different from theirs (Goldenberg, 2010).

Practical Applications

The following section highlights activities and resources used in the authors’ counselor education program. The activities were developed and created by the authors. In no way are they meant as an exhaustive list, but hopefully they will give other people in different counselor education programs ideas to develop their own or adapt them depending on the type of communities in which the students are preparing to work.

The native languages (L1) commonly spoken by the counselor education students at this university in the Southwestern part of the United States in alphabetical order are Arabic, Chinese, English, Igbo, Indonesian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Therefore, there is a rich group of languages from which to draw when teaching students how to work with native speakers of languages different from theirs (Samson & Collins, 2012). Through careful planning of content and activities, all students in a comprehensive counselor education program will benefit from learning from one another (Zemelman et al., 2012). The opportunity to demonstrate cultural and language differences foster an appreciation for one another. The counselor educator will acquire knowledge, abilities, and skills to better serve all students in their respective programs. What follows are some activities that will not only help counselor education students but counselor educators as well; all will appreciate one another while acquiring skills to work with all types of clients.

Sometimes students begin the counselor education program with translator devices on their desks as they struggle to learn to communicate in English. Professors negotiate with them about the length of their written work as they move along in their competency with English. Students are challenged yet supported in their studies. The goal is success in learning English (L2) while moving through the counselor education program. The objective is to do well in their respective classes, to pass their qualifying examinations, and to become effective, professional counselors in the United States.

Role-Playing

A successful activity was inviting two Vietnamese students to demonstrate a role- play in their native language (L1). The other students listened and watched. The observers reported on how they had understood the communication by observing body language, facial expression, tone of voice, rapidity of speech, and other nonverbal cues. After the role-play, salient variables were discussed through a reflective process. The professor had the students comment on what they saw and heard. The other students in class, although they did not understand Vietnamese, were insightful about what they had seen and heard. The professor commented after the students had finished. The exercise was handled much like a reflection team exercise.

Asking students to role-play in their native languages (L1) is very enriching. Students speak from the heart, express their emotions in L1 and feel appreciated and valued when they are invited to express themselves in the language that is most comfortable for them. After students complete role-plays, they write reflections on their experiences.

Following is a reflection submitted by Diana Lugo after role-playing in Spanish (Written permission was granted to publish this reflection and use Diana’s name.). Her words require no comment; they capture the essence of students’ being able to express themselves in their native language:

As I shared in class, I had never felt so valued and respected in a classroom. You know my story and the difficult experiences I had when I first arrived because I spoke Spanish. I cried on my way home because I was so appreciative of the experience. It did not matter to you if you understood what was said or not; you made me feel that having the experience of doing something in my native tongue was more valuable than the content of it.

Although many of my instructors from high school and college expressed empathy for my journey and said that speaking Spanish was a great asset, not one of them had ever made me feel what I felt last night – valued. I finally realized that, even if my training is in English, I can do what I love to do speaking the language I love to speak. I understood that a language might be learned cognitively but can only be truly understood with the heart. As I counseled Maria through a role-play focusing on setting limits, I realized how much easier it was to form empathic sentences in Spanish. I am not saying I do not feel I am able to convey empathy in English, but I am emphasizing on how natural it was to do it in my native tongue.

I called my grandma last night to share with her what had happened, and she heard how happy I was. It was beautiful to know that my grandma would be able to know that, even here in the United States, I could one day help people from our country struggling to find someone with whom they are comfortable.

I was touched, not only for what this assignment did for me, but for what I felt I changed in Maria. Her Spanish is beautiful, even though she hesitates to believe me. To know, I reminded her of meaningful years with her grandma, and

reminding her of how much she likes to speak Spanish was a great realization. Too often we are criticized for our “degree” of bilingualism, when really we should be appreciative of all those people who accommodate to serve others regardless of their comfort level. Again, thank you for this experience.

Demonstrations

The purpose of this activity is to engage monolingual, bilingual, and multilingual students in listening with their hearts and practicing awareness of body language of those who speak a different native language. Professors can demonstrate the use of a native language (L1) with a client by role-playing a counselor who does not speak the native language of the client. The professor does not have to speak a second language or be an expert in other languages; during the role-play, the counselor can invite the client (i.e., volunteer from the class) to speak in the native language (L1).

A professor invited one of her Arabic speakers to demonstrate a role-play. In English, the student began by telling her story of her empty nest feelings when her son had gone off to college. The professor invited the student to share her feelings in Arabic. The student expressed herself in Arabic freely for a couple of minutes. The professor then reflected what she had heard and seen using the reading of body language, facial expressions, tones of voice, rapidity of speech, and other nonverbal cues. Although the other students may not have understood Arabic, they, too, were invited to comment on what they perceived the Arabic-speaking student was sharing.

Finally, the professor asked the Arabic-speaking student how much the professor and her colleagues had gotten right. The student returned to English and told the professor what she and the other students had gotten right; then she nuanced and contextualized what the professor and students had offered. After the role-play, the professor asked the student what it was like for her to speak in Arabic. She answered, “I felt valued.”

Reading in the Native Language (L1)

The purpose of this activity is to lessen the unfamiliar aspect of hearing an unfamiliar language and to help all students appreciate and value unfamiliar languages. It also allows all students to experience moving from the familiar to the unfamiliar in a safe environment; students reflect on the emotions that hearing L1 invokes.

Once aware of the native languages of students in class, professors might invite students to read a passage from a document, book, or article written in their native language (L1). Students might have such written material at home, or they can find interesting content in libraries or online. Having students read in their native language (L1) affirms them in a special way and gives other students the opportunity to hear a native speaker speak a native language; the students hear emotions and change of tone; they observe body language and facial expressions.

In Vivo Assignment

Professional counselors have a responsibility to know the community in which they practice. In this assignment, exploring a part of the community unfamiliar to the counselor education students can assist them in grasping the value of learning to feel comfortable with the unfamiliar. The purpose of this exercise is to provide all students with the opportunity to explore different cultural or religious customs and their languages. Having a diverse student body helps a great deal.

Students are asked to visit a place where an unfamiliar language is spoken, different cultural practices are evident, or where an unfamiliar religious practice is offered. Students complete this assignment by submitting a manuscript that describes the site and the groups involved. In addition, they share their thoughts and feelings related to the experience. They are invited to reflect on having to listen with their hearts when they could not listen with their heads. Finally, they share their experiences with one another in the learning community. For example, in one class, English-speaking Christian students asked their Arabic-speaking Muslim classmates to take them to a mosque for prayer. The report of students orally and in writing was heartening to read. The mutual respect and support during the sharing in the learning community was inspiring. As an integral part of the program, professors and students talk about their feelings regarding visiting an unfamiliar place and hearing an unfamiliar language.

Idioms

When aware of the linguistic and cultural composition of a learning community, professors may carry out an activity using English-language idioms. The purpose of this activity is for all students to share of their native languages. A list of idioms is compiled for all students to share in dyads or small groups. The professor asks students who are native speakers of languages other than English what idioms might be similar in their language. Although this may seem like a basic activity to many, students find it fun to learn idioms in various languages; they become engaged in their learning dyads or small groups.

As students in their L1 make connections to L2 through the sharing of idioms and vice versa, the transactional child in each transactional adult emerges as they try to familiarize themselves in both languages by making connections both cognitively and emotionally. The activity provides opportunity for students to learn the various views idioms portray.

Untranslatable Words or Phrases

The purpose of this activity is to enhance appreciation for the difficulty inherent in moving from one language to another. Professors may want to familiarize themselves with some basic untranslatable words or phrases for this activity. In dyads or small groups, students with different native languages can be invited to identify several untranslatable words or phrases that they have encountered. There may be expressions with which they have struggled or simply heard or were part of their family or community’s language lexicon.

One example is using a phrase common in Mexico, namely, Conozco a mis hermanos (I know my brothers). The professor asked a native speaker of Spanish, who had been recruited from Mexico to teach in the United States, to explain to the others in English what Conozco a mis hermanos means when one Mexican says it to another Mexican. The Spanish L1 student explained that the phrase means that no matter what anyone says about my biological brother or those individuals dear and close to us, I know them better than anyone else. No spouse, friend, relative, etc., can tell me anything new as I already know everything about my brother(s). The phrase connotes endearment and a bond no other person has with my brother(s). The professor invited students to identify the familiar untranslatable, commonly used word or phrases in their language. This affirms and enriches all members of the learning community.

Written Languages

Professors’ knowing the L1 of their students is essential for the success of this exercise. When students speak languages that do not have a common alphabet with English, they can be asked to write their names and the names of the other students in their native script on the white board. Students can practice writing their own names in Arabic, Chinese, or Vietnamese. In addition, students with character alphabets can be invited to write the words they are feeling in their language characters. This demonstrates associating the written word with emotion. In some cases, simple feeling words like happy, sad, love, hurt, hungry, etc. can be useful for future professional counselors when working in settings where feelings are expressed with characters. Building a community of trust, appreciation, and valuing what others bring to the learning community enhances positive interaction, not only in the learning community, but in the future practice of the future professional counselors.

This activity and the one on untranslatable words and phrases provide the opportunity to discuss the different meanings emotions have in different languages. The importance of this activity is that all professional counselors learn that, for example, the emotion of anger might not have the same meaning in one language as it does in another.

Syllabus

The valuing of the different native languages represented by students in the learning community can be emphasized in the syllabus. What one author (MF) writes in the syllabus is as follows:

The professor of this course values the speaking of more than one language. The professor is especially sensitive to issues of language diversity, both on behalf of students for whom English is not their native language and in preparation to work with clients for whom English is not their native language. The professor is available to assist students who might need help with written English. In addition, the professor recommends that students who are bilingual or multilingual bring these gifts to the learning community in their journey through this course.

As students read this and the professor asks students to reflect on this passage, many state that they appreciate the professor’s welcoming them and valuing what they bring to the learning community. This simple and basic approach sends a positive message to all students.

Learning Community

The creation of a learning community helps a great deal in preparing all students to be successful with clients who have a different native language (L1) from theirs. Students become members of learning dyads or small groups into which students from different native languages are dispersed. The professor assigns dyads or small groups, and the newly formed dyads or small groups work together for the semester on every discussion of readings, consideration of cases, or questions. In learning groups, the dyad or small group works together to complete the task, often for about 5–7 minutes.

Dyads or small groups can also work sequentially. In this case, after the dyads consider the task, the dyads can move with their small groups to further enhance and hear the different points of view. The small group will then select a different person for each session to report out to the whole learning community. The forming of a learning community allows for the varying points of view to be heard, which validates all members. The purpose of forming a learning community is to enhance a diverse group of students in the collaborative conversation.

A Learning Lens

All students are expected to be present for and to participate in all discussions and activities in the learning community. Monolingual, bilingual and multilingual students can be encouraged to apply their languages and cultural contexts to criticism of the readings, when considering cases, or questions. Parenthetically, it is worthwhile to walk students through the process of critiquing work. Then students can critique their readings with confidence on a graduate level. All students have a lot to say when they are invited and encouraged to call up their culture and native language after reading chapters in textbooks or articles in peer-reviewed journals. The purpose of this activity is to bring all students to a level whereby they can critique content and process from their cultural and linguistic framework.

Summary

This manuscript began by considering indisputable evidence that the United States is a multilingual society; this has a profound impact on the way professional counselors interface with clients when counselors and clients have different L1s. This multilingual society introduces a challenge to counselor educators and supervisors as they prepare future professional counselors. The second part of this manuscript introduces practical ways of preparing counselor education students for the new clients they will encounter in their profession. The activities offered can be adapted, modified, or newly created to help individuals in their counselor education programs. There are many other useful activities that can be used by counselor educators and supervisors. As readers of this article, think of them and try them, and do not hesitate to share them with your colleagues and the authors.