Navigating Ethical Dilemmas in Multicultural Training Seminars

I work for a domestic violence shelter that has been asked by a Latin-American group to offer a domestic violence training seminar. My male coworker accompanies me to the training, during the session a male member of the audience confides in me that he feels uncomfortable with my active leadership style and wishes for the male coworker to take the presentation lead.

The ethical dilemma presented is that the group consensus may differ from the male audience members’ personal preference. Although a Latin-American group has requested the seminar other people that differ from Latin-American culture may have also attended. An essential issue involved in the dilemma includes disregard for others cultural backgrounds.

As a human services professional it is stated in the National Organization for Human Services Ethical Standards (2015), standard eleven that “Human service professionals are knowledgeable about their cultures and communities within which they practice. They are aware of multiculturalism in society and its impact on the community as well as individuals within the community. They respect the cultures and beliefs of individuals and groups” (NOHS, 2015). This ethical code is relevant to the situation in order to accommodate for cultural beliefs within the group.

Although it may contradict my own beliefs, it’s important to be mindful and respect that in Latin-American culture it is the female’s standing to defer to the male as mentioned in the provided dilemma. When providing services in accommodation to a multicultural groups request, it would be working against the clients’ best interest to remain uninformed of the various cultures within the community and their practices.

A second issue presented within the case relates to bias and countertransference. Countertransference is when the counselor’s personal beliefs reflect back on to the client. When reviewing the current dilemma, If I, a woman, am making people feel uncomfortable by actively leading the seminar, my own personal beliefs and values are present and demeaning towards the group.

In an ethically sound situation, these types of personal attitudes should cease attendance when working with others. Presenting these within the group would be a violation of standard seven which reads, “Human service professionals ensure that their values or biases are not imposed upon their clients” (NOHS, 2015). It is important for me as a professional, to not inflict my own beliefs on to members of the attending group as that would be reprehensible no not only myself but the company as well.

In relation to the company, a third essential issue directly relates to standard twenty-four which expresses that, “Human service professionals participate in efforts to establish and maintain employment conditions which are conducive to high quality client services. Whenever possible, they assist in evaluating the effectiveness of the agency through reliable and valid assessment measures” (NOHS, 2015). As a professional working for a domestic violence shelter, I represent not only myself as a professional, but the company as well.

An issue arises when I, the employer, fails to provide a mindful and culturally appropriate seminar which reflects poorly on the company and the condition of client services. It is in best interest to take clients practices and values into account beforehand. By consciously recognizing and acting in favor of the different cultural values of each person within the group the strength and competency of the company’s services as a whole increase.

A fourth essential issue is that the one man’s practices may not be unanimous with the entire group, when discussing the dilemma amongst a classmate she had said that “on one hand we are meant to consider our clients values, however in a presentation it’s hard to accommodate several different values and maintain your own” (S. Kemp, personal communication, October 7, 2019) I as a counselor must be mindful that everyone at the seminar might not withhold the same beliefs as the one confiding male.

It would be blasphemous for the professional to disregard the group consensus as well, the standard that most relates to this ethical concern is standard twenty-five, reading that “When a conflict arises between fulfilling the responsibility to the employer and the responsibility to the client, human service professionals work with all involved to manage the conflict” (NOHS, 2015). Not only one, but the best interests of all the clients are required to be met and fulfilled as adequately and ethically sound as possible by the company as well as the working individual.

Lastly, a fifth and final essential issue regarding the dilemma is the lack of self-awareness to personal cultural norms. In the textbook, Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions, chapter four reads that counselor competency from a multicultural standpoint must involve withholding and recognizing “specific knowledge about their own racial and cultural heritage and how it personally and professionally affects their definitions of and biases about normality/abnormality and the process of counseling” (Corey, Corey, Corey, and Callanan, 2015).

It is crucial for me as the professional to avoid assuming that my own beliefs are imbedded within in everyone else’s cultural norms.

There are many essential issues that present themselves within the ethical dilemma involving a training seminar requested by a cultural group where one man within the group feels uncomfortable and verbally expresses his concern. It is important to be aware of the possible dilemmas presented within the case in order to adequately handle these issues and to continue to offer the most inclusive and inviting experience possible.

In conclusion, the ethical dilemma surrounding the domestic violence training seminar underscores the importance of cultural sensitivity and awareness in the field of human services. As highlighted by the National Organization for Human Services Ethical Standards, professionals in this field are obligated to be knowledgeable about diverse cultures and communities. The situation presented, where a male audience member expresses discomfort with the presenter's leadership style, brings forth crucial considerations related to cultural backgrounds, biases, and the need for self-awareness.