Diversity In Counseling

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• Identify a diverse group that you will be likely to counsel, of which you are not a member, and about which you have identified a need to learn more.

The target population I would appreciate learning about, and working with, is First Nations/Native American students at a small liberal arts college or university at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). Traditionally, the age of college students ranges from eighteen to twenty one years of age; and these students are typically high performing high school students. According to Scholl (2006), First Nations/Native American students have an attrition rate after two years, underutilize counseling services due to mistrust, and experience high rates of suicide and abuse related to drugs and alcohol. Therefore, there would be a need to learn the reasons why this student population has a high attrition rate, difficulty adjusting to college life and reasons why they underutilize the counseling center (Scholl, 2006). I will also need to understand how First Nation/Native Americans form their identities, the various ways and levels they acculturate, and the various family structures and spiritual traditions that are particular to Native American tribal cultures (Sue & Sue, 2013)