April 28, 2015

COUNSELING BRAZILIAN AMERICANS

Megan Silva

History
1500 - Portuguese explorer Pedro Alvares Cabral
discovers Brazil

1532 – The first Portuguese settlement was

established in Brazil

1538 - The first Africans were brought to Brazil to

be used as slaves, primarily on coffee & sugar
plantations

1580 - Portugal comes under Spanish rule

1640 - Portugal becomes independent from Spain

1690 – An influx of African people, enslaved by

the Portuguese, arrived in Brazil to work in the
gold and diamond mines
1700-1800 – 1.7 million Africans were enslaved
by the Portuguese and brought to Brazil
September 7, 1822 – Brazil declares its
independence from Portugal
1830 – The beginning of the coffee trade in Brazil
brought another wave of enslaved peoples from
Africa
1880's – Brazil experiences a period of massive
immigration, especially from Italy, Portugal,
Germany, Japan, Lebanon, and Spain,
1888 – Slavery is abolished in Brazil.
1960 – The first Brazilian was documented in the
United States. Prior to this time period Brazilians
were grouped in a large category as South
Americans.
1980's – Consider the "Lost Decade", Brazil's
declining economy led many Brazilians to
emigrate to North America.
1986-1990 - Estimated that approximately 1.4
million left the country permanent, mostly middle
and upper class citizens.
Early 2000's-present day –Many Brazilians
are returning to Brazil voluntarily due to the
worsening US economy as well as stricter
guidelines on undocumented immigrants post
9/11.
Counseling in Brazil: Past,
Present & Future
This journal article takes a closer look at past, present and
future counseling in Brazil. Since the 1950's, helping
professionals in Brazil have used similar approaches to
counselors in the United States, but even to this day
counseling is not an independent field within the country.
Psychologists in Brazil often refer to themselves at
researchers or professors. Brazil recognized the need for
counseling services for career and vocational guidance. As a
result, in 1942 a law was passed that mandated schools to
provide this "professional guidance" or counseling. In 1947,
in response to the new law the National Institute of
Professional Selection & Guidance was established in Rio de
Janeiro, which jumpstarted counseling for Brazil. In 1962,
Psychology was recognized as a Profession. In 1990, the
country took a growing interest in Carl Rogers Person-
Centered Approach. Presently there is more attention being
given to the multicultural movement, but Brazil still has no
agencies or organizations that currently assist with
immigration or refugees. There are large gaps in services,
especially for the under privileged and students who do not
speak Portuguese as their primary language are not provided
and language support within the school system. There
appears to be a growing interest in the field of counseling
within the country, which is believed to only increase over
time. This article speaks about Brazilian Universities interest
in partnering with US Universities, which may led to
counseling becoming an independent field in Brazil.
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Resources
Brazilian Women's Group
697 Cambridge St. Suite 106
Brighton, MA 02135
Telephone: 617-202-5775
Fax: 617-779-9586
http://www.verdeamarelo.org
✦ The Brazilian Women’s
Group was created in 1995
by a group of women
interested in discussing
immigrant issues they face
as Brazilians living in the
US. A Young Brazilian
Women's Group was also
created to empower young
women and encourage them
to be active in their
community at a early age. It
also serves as a support
group where these young
women can share personal
stories as immigrants and
obtain support from their
peers.
Brazilian Immigration
Center
14 Harvard Avenue, 2nd Floor,
Allston, MA 02134
General Questions: 617 783
8001 ext 101 - Fax 617 562
1404
Email:
bic@braziliancenter.org
website:
www.braziliancenter.org
✦ The Brazilian Immigrant
Center supports the
Brazilian population as well
and wider immigrant
community to advocate on
their behalf for their rights
as immigrant workers and
residents within the US.
April 28, 2015
Counseling Do's
•Ask questions
•Be willing to advocate for your clients
•Take a personal interest in learning more about your
client's background
•Be aware of strong family ties and gender roles
• Form a personal yet professional connection with your
client
Counseling Don'ts
•Refer to a Brazilian as Hispanic or Portuguese
•Assume you know someone's story
•Judge your client or be confrontational
•Tell a Brazilian they need to be in counseling
•Don't mistake a Brazilian's affection as them being
flirtatious
Interview with Karol
My interview with Karol confirms from a
Brazilian American's perspective much of
the information found throughout my
research on the population. Karol was born
and raised in Brazil. She came to the United
States as an undergraduate student to
further pursue her education and also played
basketball at the collegiate level. Karol has
lived here in the United States with her
mother since she was eighteen years old,
while her father and brother continue to
reside in Brazil. Karol is an outpatient
therapist and is currently working on her
PhD.
Throughout her interview Karol highlighted
the importance of family within the Brazilian
culture and spoke about the role this plays in the counseling process.
Although Karol believes very strongly in the benefits of counseling she
gave a great example about likely feeling differently about the process if
initiated by her brother. Karol admits that this contradicts her job and
beliefs, but spoke about growing up in a country where only "crazy
people" sort this support. She admits that it is hard to change beliefs
that are instilled in you at a young age. Karol also spoke about how
difficult it is for Brazilians to seek counseling, as issues should be dealt
with on your own or within the family. When Brazilians do present in
counseling, they are going to give you their all. Karol stressed the
importance of giving this respect back to them and making it a point to
ask about their immigration story.

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Massachusetts Alliance of
Portuguese Speakers
(MAPS)
Social Services Organization
1046 Cambridge St, Cambridge,
MA 02139
(617) 864-7600
www.maps-inc.org/

✦ MAPS works with Brazilian,

Cape Verdean, Portuguese and
other Portuguese-speaking
communities to remove barriers
to health, education and social
services through direct services,
advocacy, leadership and
community development.

Community Resources

Catholic Social Services

Fall River Main Office:
1600 Bay St; PO Box M/South Station
Fall River, MA 02724
T: 508.674.4681
F: 508.675.2224
www.cssdioc.org/

✦ Catholic Social Services provides social and human services

including basic and emergency needs, homelessness,
immigration issues, housing and residential services,
adoption, mental health counseling, elder health services,
neighborhood rehabilitation, foreclosure help, citizenship
services and much more. All faiths and cultures are
welcomed at CSS.

Community Counseling of Bristol County

1 Washington St, Taunton, MA
(508) 823-5400
www.comcounseling.org

✦ CCBC provides outpatient services as well In-Home Therapeutic services to clients of all ethnic backgrounds.
Portuguese speaking clinicians available upon request.

Child & Family Services

1061 Pleasant St, New Bedford, MA 02740
(508) 996-8572
https://child-familyservices.org/

✦ CFS provides outpatient services to both children and adults.

✦ Brazilian Clinician available upon request. Ask for Karol.

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✦ References
Bayer, R.A. (2011). Multicultural America: An Encyclopedia of the Newest Americans (vol. 1). Santa Barbara,
California: Greenwood.

Brazilian Immigration Center (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.verdeamarelo.org

Brazilian Women's Group (n.d) Retrieved from https://www.braziliancenter.org

Catholic Social Services (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.cssdioc.org

Child and Family Services (n.d.) Retrieved from https://child-familyservices.org/

Community Counseling of Bristol County (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.comcounseling.org

Fontaine, P. M. (1985). Race, class and power in Brazil. Los Angeles, California: Center for Afro-America
Studies.

Halbur, D.A. & Halbur, K.V. (2011). Developing your theoretical orientation in counseling and psychotherapy
(9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Hays, D.G. & Erford, B.T. (2014) Developing multicultural counseling competence (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle
River, New York: Pearson.

Hutz-Midgett, A. & Hutz, C.S. (2012). Counseling in Brazil: Past, Present and Future. Journal of Counseling &
Development, 90, 238-242.

Lima, Alvaro and Siqueira, Carlos Eduardo. Brazilians in the U.S. and Massachusetts: A Demographic and
Economic Profile. (2007). Gastón Institute Publications. Paper 50. Retrieved from http:/.
scholarworks.umb.edu/gaston_pubs/50

Marrow, H. (2003). To be or not to be (Hispanic Or Latino): Brazilian racial and ethnic identity in the
United States. Ethnicities, 3(4), 427-464.

Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.maps-inc.org/

McGoldrick, M., Giordano, J., & Pearce, J.K. (2005). Ethnicity and Family Therapy (3rd edition). New York:
Guilford.

Sue, D.W. and Sue, D. (2013). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and Practice (6th edition). New.
York: Wiley.

The United States Census Bureau. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/people

http://www.everyculture.com/multi/A-Br/Brazilian-Americans.html

Zubaran, C. (2008). The Quest for recognition: Brazilian Immigrants in the United States. Transcultural

Psychiatry, 45(4), 590-610.

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