PITFALLS AND HOW TO AVOID BEING A NAÏVE ADVOCATE
...cate subject as abortion carries much heavier weight. Not knowing how important a subject is to your coworkers may present a challenge. What if your boss is very conservative with strong beliefs against abortion and you advocate in favor of it? This could cause a rift in the relationship between coworker and boss. In extreme cases, such a difference in opinion could even lead to dismissal. Questions counselors have to ask themselves before advocating: 1. Is the topic even important? 2. How much do I really know about the subject? 3. What are the consequences? 4. Will I place myself at risk? 5. Will I place my job at risk? 6. Will others judge me negatively because of my position? It is certainty true that there is a need for social reform. School counselors try to change circumstances causing various social problems. It is naïve for a school counselor to think if he or she advocates a policy or position, it will actually be changed. Many of the problems encountered by school counselors cannot easily be solved. A resolution may take a long time. Multiculturalism and multicultural counseling competencies arose in the 1990’s. It was not until 1999 that the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) even issued a position statement on multiculturalism counseling that calls for facilitation of student development through an understanding of and appreciation for multiculturalism and diversity. Although this is an accepted school of thought, is it the Naïve Advocate 4 reality? Counselors can propose the idea, but not always change students’ thinking. Some children are taught by their parents not to even speak to others of a different race or different religion. It is naïve to think that everyone is going to accept everyone. Even appreciation is sometimes implausible. Contrarily, certain social reform issues can be addressed directly. Socio-economic status comes to mind. Students who may be found to be disadvantaged financially may be advocated for successfully. Were a counselor to determine that a particular student faces obstacles uncommon to the majority, such as emancipation or single motherhood, it may be the responsibility of said counselor to explore avenues of public assistance. School counselors are encouraged to take the lead in planning and advocating for less costly interventions for students and families. Multicultural Counseling Strategies III. Culturally Appropriate Intervention Strategies C. Skills 6. Culturally skilled counselors should attend to well as work to eliminated biases, prejudices, and discriminatory practices. They should be cognizant of sociopolitical contexts in conducting evaluation and providing interventions and should develop sensitivity to issues of oppression, sexism, elitism, and racism. However, it is easy to be naïve about how much money something actually requires. Research again needs to be done in cases like these. Finding out the actual costs of services will be helpful. School counselors are expected to advocate the school-community collaboration model. The model is ideal, but not everyone is going to get involved. Do not be naïve when promoting such an idea. One person cannot change the Naïve Advocate 5 world. That is important to realize. A counseling professional can easily become burned out by taking on such a responsibility. Being a naïve advocate can led to an ethical morass. Frequently, school counselors face circumstances that contradict their own beliefs and values. Guiding a student by one’s ...