Running head: CULTURAL COMPETENCY 1

Smarthinking Tutor Response Form

Your tutor has written overview comments about your essay in the form below. Your tutor has also
embedded comments [in bold and in brackets] within your essay. Thank you for choosing
Smarthinking to help you improve your writing!

Hello, Demi! My name is Angela B. I look forward to working with you on this Essay Center
Review to improve your writing today. Let's get started!

*Writing Strength:
Your work contains a good case that effectively presents the different problems that must be solved.
This is commendable because this allows your readers to understand how theories may be applied to
everyday situations. Here’s a commendable excerpt from your draft:

In recent years, I worked as a substitute teacher of a very diverse, and publicly funded
daycare in my neighborhood where each week, a case worker visits the daycare owner along
with the guidance counselor to discuss the progress and behaviors of selected students who
were observed as “children with special needs.”

* 9397147 has requested that you respond to the Main Idea/Thesis:

Your thesis statement is too rough. This is a problem because it disrupts the reader’s flow and
understanding of your essay. I’ll be quoting an excerpt from your draft:

Cultural competence begins with . . . With a basic comprehension of these general differences,
this information can be appropriate for being cordial and respectful queries to enable a more
robust understanding of and individual and the matters at hand that might need an alternative
approach.

The points that should be found in a single thesis statement are scattered across different sentences.
It is better to create a single thesis statement that contains these points. What is needed to enable a
robust understanding of individual matters? What is needed to identify the need for an alternative
approach? Create a single statement that contains the aforementioned points. You may use these
questions to aid you in the revision process. Also, you may refer to the lesson on Developing a Thesis
in your Writer’s Handbook.

* 9397147 has requested that you respond to the Content Development:

Your draft contains points that are underdeveloped, Demi. A well-developed paragraph leaves the
reader feeling that the information given is thorough and complete. One good way to develop ideas is
through making a point, providing an example, and explaining how that point relates to your thesis.

P: Make a point: So, when the daycare owner violated confidentiality and approached
Missy wanting details of her private meeting with her student and questioned her in a
tone and rhetoric that suggest racial bias. . .

I: Illustrate the point: What exactly did the owner say that was suggestive of racial
bias?

E: Explain how this point relates to the thesis.

Grammar & Mechanics

Many of your words are spelled incorrectly. This can cause your readers to wonder about what you’re
trying to say. The worst thing that can happen is when your misspelled words mislead readers into
thinking that you’re referring to one thing, but in reality, you’re pertaining to something entirely
different.

When adminstrators, guidance counselors, and other school employees work. . .

CULTURAL COMPETENCY 2

What do you mean by “adminstrators”? Consider replacing “adminstrators” with a term that’s more
appropriate for the sentence. You may consult a dictionary to know the proper word to be used in this
context. Please check your draft for similar errors. Also, you may read more about Spelling Strategies
in your Smarthinking Writer’s Handbook.

Summary of Next Steps:

 Create a concise thesis statement.

 Explain your points well.

 Be mindful of how you spell your words.

Thank you for submitting your essay for a review. I enjoyed helping you with this step in the revision
process. Have a good day, Demi! – Angela B.

You can find more information about writing, grammar, and usage in the Smarthinking Writer's
Handbook.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Please look for comments [in bold and in brackets] in your essay below.
Thank you for submitting your work to Smarthinking! We hope to see you again soon.

Problem Identification and Background

Demi Ortega

PSL7020

Professional Practice and Collaboration in a Diverse and Dynamic World

CULTURAL COMPETENCY 3

7411 N 16th Lane

McAllen, Texas 78504

Telephone: 956-797-6766

demiortega36@gmail.com

Instructor: Dr. Garth Kemerling

Introduction

Whether in a community or on an organization, diversity, ethics, and cultural competency

are all important ingredients to operating an effective undertaking. [What do you mean by an

effective undertaking? Some of your readers might not be aware of what you’re pertaining

to. Therefore, it is important to be precise about this.] The long-term success of any

organization necessitates a diverse body of talent that can offer renewed concepts, creative

outlooks, and general perceptions of their communities or workplace. Likewise, becoming

culturally capable is a progression that requires extensive effort, and frequently in the face of

adversity. The challenge that diversity encounters, consequently, is empowering organization and

community leaders to exploit on the combination of genders, cultural upbringings, ages and the

norms to respond to opportunities more swiftly and productively. It is fair to say that it is

impossible to be aware of all the possible differences between individuals based on their age,

gender, race, ethnicity, and cultural upbringing. Cultural competence begins with the readiness to
CULTURAL COMPETENCY 4

attempt and become as acquainted as possible with what is recognized about individuals from

backgrounds dissimilar from our own. With a basic comprehension of these general differences,

this information can be appropriate for being cordial and respectful queries to enable a more

robust understanding of and individual and the matters at hand that might need an alternative

approach.

Problem Identification

In recent years, I worked as a substitute teacher of a very diverse, and publicly funded

daycare in my neighborhood where each week, a case worker visits the daycare owner along

with the guidance counselor to discuss the progress and behaviors of selected students who were

observed as “children with special needs.” The visiting child care worker, Missy, as far as I have

observed was a well-rounded middle age woman who was a wife and mother to two beautiful

children. I saw her as being a straight shooter who does everything by the books and not cutting

corners, she’s a real professional. Each week Missy, along with her supervisor Paul, who was a

tall gentleman who appears to be of Muslin decent meets with at least ten children of various

ages and would spend a half an hour with each child accessing their emotional, or other mental

needs as it might be. [What do you mean by “decent”? Saying the intended word out loud

might help you in figuring out what this word is supposed to be. Also, you may consult your

dictionary to know more about the appropriate term to be used in this sentence. Please

check your draft for other misspelled words.] As always, Missy would engage with the

children while Paul would sit nearby and just observe the interaction. Missy and Paul would then

meet with the school guidance counselor and the daycare owner for another ten to twenty

minutes discussing the basics of her visit with the children and would require a signature from

the school owner for verification that she met with the children at the given times.
CULTURAL COMPETENCY 5

For many reasons regarding culture, political, customs and religious ideologies, guidance

counselors must approach situations cautiously to evade any suggestion of prejudice. These

guides are mandatory in maintaining preserve the maximum level of integrity to protect all the

student's distinct rights and must certify that each student is treated justly and fittingly. So, when

the daycare owner violated confidentiality and approached Missy wanting details of her private

meeting with her student and questioned her in a tone and rhetoric that suggest racial bias, Missy

was apprehensive and pondered on what her response would be. The daycare owner had asked

why she sometimes spends more time with two four-year-old brothers of Hispanic heritage and

so little time with Brad, a Caucasian child who her, the owner was always socializing with his

parents at pick up time for the children. When adminstrators, guidance counselors, and other

school employees work in close cooperation over a period of time roles and responsibilities can

evolve into assumptions and therefore become unclear (Murray, 1995). The daycare owner not

only displayed preference but also expected Missy to go along with her unprofessional actions,

and that didn’t take to the fact that Missy would be violating not only ethical rules but also legal

standards by sharing personal information with others not privy to receiving this information.

Analysis of Problem

A fundamental perseverance of the American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of

Ethics is to direct counselors inappropriate action to correctly serve clients and sustain the values

of the counseling profession (Smith & Okech, 2016) and these articulates that counselors may

only share the smallest information necessary. Missy, of course, did not reveal any personal

information and took the right course of action by disclosing in detail what the daycare owner

had requested and what were the necessary steps to take in this kind of situation. The sharing of

case notes is contingent in each state statutes, and frequently the ability to advocate employing
CULTURAL COMPETENCY 6

the legal muscle the ethical standards provide is necessary. In numerous states, the conversations

between school counselors and students are considered privileged communication. [What does it

mean when something is considered privileged communication? Let your readers know

more about this.] In most states, however, school counselors are required to testify in court

proceedings (Herlihy, Gray, & McCollum, 2002).

In realizing the legal and ethical issues, in this case, Missy and her supervisor Paul, are

within their right to report the daycare owner and to consider any legal repercussions that may

follow. One element of this issue is that because of the ages of these children the need to provide

consented agreement, appropriate transitional grownups, i.e., parents or guardians would have to

give authorization if the daycare owner required information to be released on a minor. Since this

case was not so, the owner clearly violated either ethical or/and legal protocol and possibly

require some form of admonition. However, the need is present to decipher what is

confidentiality and if it was violated, and how is confidentiality different from legal actions that

may be taken. While confidentiality in school counseling is an ethical term, legal privilege is

(obviously) a legal term. Whenever there’s a struggle between ethics and the law, the law always

prevails (Kaplan, 1995) stated that school counselors work in close relation with school

principals (in this case the daycare owner) where both interrelate with students, teachers, parents

and the community across the full education programs. Both also have shared distinct and

separate accountabilities that foster a successful learning atmosphere. With all this in mind, we

now need to create a strategic and appropriate response.

The first stage in undertaking this matter is to identify the concerns. The daycare worker

violated an ethical code in asking for and questioning preference of treatment to two students

who were a minority with signals of showing biases. Secondly, requested for information which
CULTURAL COMPETENCY 7

is private and confidential. In this case, it is relevant to realize that the difference in paradigms

can cause potetial conflict between the daycare owner (Pricipal). Even as it may not be either

precise or just in oversimplifying or stereotype all day care owners or counselor, I will generalize

about each profession in saying that even as they both see the students from a deferent angle, the

principal more-so then the counselor should be more cognizant of his or her responsibilities and

limits. Missy followed both protocols legally and ethically and so the fault, in this case, falls on

the principal of the daycare. Appropriate multiple courses of action in accord with disciplinary

codes possible remedies, along with suitable consequences should be measured and applied.

Employing the ACA ethical decision and multicultural making codes in action, this case will

successfully conceptualize circumstances by outlining ethical and diversity dilemmas and see

where violations of professional ethical standards required. As stated by Jayaratne, Croxton and

Mattison (1997), Social Workers must not practice, condone, facilitate, or work together with any

form of discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation,

age, marital status, political belief, religion, or mental or physical disability. Since this was not

violated by Missy, the recommendation for the principal of the daycare should be forced to go

through diversity, sensitivity, and code of conduct class. This recommendation must be a long

term temporary course that will ensure that lessons are learned, the consequence for failing to

adhere to such will result in the loss of license to operate a daycare.

Conclusion

School counselors are most affecting spending majority their time with direct service to

and contact with their assigned students. The duties of school counselors are primarily engrossed

on the general conveyance of the total program through control curriculum, specific student

planning, and reactive services. In moments of conflict, school counselor's professional code of
CULTURAL COMPETENCY 8

ethics is there for them to uphold, and an essential element employed and resolving any possible

conflicts. Missy encountered, appraised, and responded to the given situation by the book. Going

to her supervisor was a smart move, and dealing with the possible reprimanding elements against

the day care owner was fitting and the responsible thing to do in resolving the given issues.

References

Herlihy, B., Gray, N., & McCollum, V. (2002). Legal and ethical issues in school counselor

supervision. Professional School Counseling, 6, 55-60.

Jayaratne, S., Croxton, T., & Mattison, D. (1997). Social work professional standards: An

exploratory study. Social Work, 42(2), 187-199.

CULTURAL COMPETENCY 9

Kaplan, L. S. (1995). Principals versus counselors: Resolving tensions from different practice

models. The School Counselor, 42(4), 261-267.

Murray, B. A. (1995). Validating the role of the school counselor. The School Counselor, 43(1),

5-9.

Smith, L. C., & Okech, J. E. A. (2016). Ethical issues raised by CACREP accreditation of

programs within institutions that disaffirm or disallow diverse sexual

orientations. Journal of Counseling & Development, 94(3), 252-264.