Almost all my clients are people of color and live in poverty. I think all of the clients I see are in recovery, or are actively abusing drugs and alcohol. In addition, I work with sexual minority clients and clients with developmental disabilities. Furthermore, several of my clients are in and out of jail or prison. Diversity plays a huge role in the work I am doing. I get a lot of clients that are considered to be special population clients, so I connect with clinicians that specialize with individuals I am working with. We are actually required to do this. It helps to make sure that the counseling provided is culturally appropriate. …show more content…
I know I still have a lot to learn, and that is one of the things I love about this work. However, I do believe that working with diverse populations is one of my strengths. I show up authentically, I try not to make assumptions, and I am invested in the relationship. I stay curious. I think the most anxiety inducing diversity experience has been working with my non-English speaking client. I feared if I could effectively provided counseling, I feared being able to truly connect, I feared having to work with a translator in the room. Providing counseling to someone who speaks a different language than you is a unique