Recent research on counseling intervention for clients with physical disability

Together with the growth in the global population, there has been a subsequent increase in the number of people with disabilities (Fangwi, 2020). However, the fact is that people are all different, and this is what makes them unique and interesting as human beings. Certain differences seem obvious, like the color of hair, height, or the shape of the nose. However, there are certain differences that are easily discernible, such as people’s mental capabilities or their ability to read. Although people would generally like to be viewed as normal, this isn’t possible for millions of people, and it affects how they view themselves as well, especially among children and young people. These individuals have been identified and labelled by their schools, social service agencies, and other organizations as exceptional, and this implies that they need special educational services. In the learning world, scholars have identified children with exceptionalities as an extremely heterogeneous group of divergent learners, with each of them having their own unique learning needs and strengths, normally misunderstood and frequently less served by professional counselors (Gargiulo & Bouck, 2018).

All counselors are charged with professional and ethical responsibilities when it comes to facilitating the conditions that would allow for promoting the full potential of all individuals, including those that belong to exceptional groups (Rathnakumar, 2020). Thus, it is critical that all the counselors working with children and adolescents have good knowledge about the identification of and services for those that have these exceptional features. With such knowledge and experience of the said group, it would be easier for the counsellors to deliver quality services to the affected groups and their families in a fully-integrated way based on the provided professional and legal guidelines (Shari & Spagna, 2004).

In the course of their practice, the fact is that most counselors will come across people with disabilities. This all-inclusive term is used to highlight all individuals that differ from the community or societal standards of what is considered normal. The concept of normalcy, which is a critical part of the definition of exceptionality, is dependent on the reference group (family, peers, society, and so on), together with the specific circumstances considered exceptional, which is usually relative to the cultural or social context in which these individuals and the said circumstances exist (UNESCO, 2018). As a relative concept, normalcy is viewed or interpreted by other people based on their attitudes, values, and perspectives. Behaviors or features that might be considered abnormal or atypical by school counselors might actually be viewed as fairly normal by the students themselves. These variables, together with other factors like how an individual’s actions are interpreted within a given culture, aid in shaping how people understand what is considered normal (Gargiulo & Bouck, 2018).

Going by the report of WHO (2011), about 15% of the global population actually lives with certain forms of disability, and 2–4% of this group actually experience significant difficulties in performing normal daily functions. On average, as a group, people with disabilities are said to be more likely to experience adverse socioeconomic and educational outcomes than those without disabilities. The implication is that there is a need for desperate measures to be taken on the part of the counselors to make sure these children recognized as having exceptional features are accorded equal opportunities for reducing (and potentially ending) their misery as well as improving their overall life.

Notwithstanding the number of people with disabilities, historically, counseling professionals are known to have limited contact with this population for a number of reasons. First, certain counselors do not have the training and confidence to serve these groups. Others seem uncomfortable around people with disabilities. Some have incorrect information about people with exceptional needs or prejudice towards them. On the same note, considering that services for people with disabilities are normally delivered by special education personnel, the counselors may have the belief that their skills might not be required for these groups. However, the fact is that the majority of the counselors have many of the skills required for these groups and their families, like a background in human development, communication strategies, and expertise with different kinds of therapeutic techniques (Shari & Spagna, 2004).

These counselors can actually prepare themselves to serve these exceptional groups in different ways. One of the first ways would be for them to make clear their feelings and attitude about working with people with disabilities. This is because factors like repulsion to physical abnormalities, low expectations, pity, misinformation, and other biases can actually hinder effective counseling. Having the right information, coupled with expertise, can aid in facilitating awareness and acceptance of these groups. On the same note, counselors need to have pronounced knowledge about and training in working with groups with special needs. This knowledge can be acquired via counseling workshops, in-service training, supervision, consultation, community resources, and extant literature (Echevarria, 2002).

The rationale and objectives for intervention that cater to the client’s cultural background

It is widely acknowledged in the field of health care that an individual's culture has a significant impact on the nature of treatments received and how they respond to the treatment.According to a Surgeon General's report, Mental Health: Cultures, Race, and Ethnicity, substantive data from customers and families about self-reported ethnic-specific service outcomes and ethnic matches have shown that services tailored to these ethnic groups' specific needs will increase their rate of patient utilization and outcomes (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001).In essence, it goes to say that enhanced utilization rates and outcomes are one of the rationale and objectives for culturally-based prevention and health care services. This is based on the understanding that, when a healthcare service provider is attending to patients from the same culture based on certain ethnic-variables (be it language, approach, customers, and so on), the patients seem to easily trust such services as compared to when they are being provided by those from different cultures. As a result of this enhanced trust, it is widely acknowledged that the rate of usage will increase, and since the usage rate increases, the said medical prevention and care will subsequently yield higher outcomes. Therefore, increased usage and outcome rates can be induced through the application of medical care based on cultural variables (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001).

In another study, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), it was pointed out by the American Psychiatric Association that clinicians' relationships with their patients are influenced by their cultural differences, and this is a rationale, as well as an objective, for clinicians to understand the cultural aspects of their patients (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). This is based on the earlier notion of trust as being a determining factor in the nature of relationships between clients and clinicians. When they come from the same culture, the chances of a positive relationship emerging are enhanced due to their enhanced understanding of one another. This is made more significant in diverse societies like the U.S.A., where people seem to be easily, emotionally, attached to their cultural elements. It has been found that about 50% of ethnically and racially diverse clients end their counseling or treatment after their first visit with a mental health practitioner (Sue & Sue, 2013). At the initial stage of their treatment, patients are known to feel vulnerable, scared, and uncertain about the outcome of such preventive care. Thus, the first meeting is usually the initiating encounter that these patients have with their healthcare providers, and it is critical that they leave the health facility feeling understood and hopeful (Sue & Sue, 2013). Thus, Paniagua (1998) stated that in situations where the counselor lacks necessary sensitivity and is easily jumped into premature conclusion, the patient’s first visit might eventually become the last. Therefore, the clinician-patient relationship, which determines medical service usage and outcome, is another rationale and objective for culture-based prevention care services.

In essence, the need to enhance medical service usage and outcomes, as well as build a positive clinician-patient relationship, represents the objectives and rationale for intervention care services being delivered in line with the patient’s cultural background.

References

American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

Echevarria, J. (2002, March 15). The disproportionate representation of minority students in special education: Where do we go from here? Paper presented at Oxford Round Table on Education and Human Rights at Oxford University, Oxford, England.

Gargiulo R. M. & Bouck, E, C (2018) Special Education in Contemporary Times; an Introduction to Exceptionality Sixth Edition, SAGE Publications, Inc.

Paniagua, F, A. (1998). Assessing and Treating Culturally Diverse Clients: A Practical Guide. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Fangwi, M, L. (2020). Contemporary Counselling Strategies for Persons with Disabilities. International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education (IJHSSE), 7(9), 58-69. https://doi.org/10.20431/2349-0381.0709005

Rathnakumar, D. (2020) "Play Therapy and Children with Intellectual Disability." Shanlax International Journal of Education, 8(2), 35–42.

Shari, T, B. & Spagna, M, E. (2004). Counseling with Exceptional Children Focus on Exceptional Children. 36(8), 1-12.

Sue. D, W., & Sue, D. (2013). Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice. 6th ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons; The education and training of mental health professionals; pp. 64–70.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2001). Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity—A Supplement to Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved from: www.mentalhealth.org/cre/default.asp[accessed June 11, 2021.

UNESCO (2018) Education and Disability: Analysis of Data from 49 Countries. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), Education and Disability.

WHO (2011) World Report on Disability. WHO Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data