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Praxis Paper Javier Rodriguez Northern Illinois University

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Theoretical Model The theoretical model that I most identify with is the Multicultural/Feminist Approach. This model focuses on an approach that uses a person’s culture to address the issues that women and other marginalized individuals mostly encounter. This theory emphasizes the importance of understanding individual’s cultures as a way to frame their ideas about what people of a marginalized class go through. It also values the idea that in order to understand what a person of color who is suffering from mental health issues is going through. You must be open to learning their traditions, values, and cultural background. By understanding a person’s culture, one can internalize what this person is going through and get a better understanding of what they are going through. This theory is important to me because I believe in the same philosophy as the one described. I believe that in order to understand a person, you must be able to understand them through a culturally competent lens. In many cases, the typical college student is not eighteen, White, and part of the middle/upper-middle class anymore. More and more students of color are attending colleges and universities at much higher rates than before. Many of whom come from a marginalized background and hold their culture and multiple identities near and dear to them. As future student affairs professional it is important to be able to understand these students and the cultures, they have in order to help them better.

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Theoretical Assumptions Along the lines of this approach, I believe that there are some theoretical assumptions that align with my own beliefs. The first assumption is contact; this assumption describes the notion that in order to be successful with a client and be open with them to make changes, you must have direct contact with the individual that increases the likelihood of changes in both the client and counselor. This assumption is important when working with students because it allows counselors to get more personal and allow students to trust them more. The second assumption that aligns with my values includes empathy. This assumption describes the way in which counselors try and literately feel what the client is feeling through a deeper means of understanding. This assumption aligns with my values because it offers an opportunity to get a better understanding of your client and reach a more personal connection. This is important to professionals because clients need the connection and trust of a person in order to open up. As future student affairs professionals we should be empathetic to students and not just go through the motions of sessions. The third and final assumption is the assumption of congruence. This assumption states that in order to be a successful helper you must be able to be real and genuine. In other words, you must be self-aware of your role as a helper and as an individual. You must also be aware of how your perception of yourself and your lived experience are connected. It is essential in understanding clients when they come to you for help.

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My reasoning for using these assumptions is because they all focus on the individual person and seek to get a deeper understanding of what the client is going through. Through these assumptions, counselors are able to understand people of color and other marginalized individuals. The theory emphasizes the idea that in order to understand a person you must approach their issues with an understanding of their cultural identity. Culture is one identity of a person, and these assumptions help counselors understanding through a deeper meaning of understanding. These assumptions are important for me because in my own experience as a Latino working in student affairs, I often find myself in the presence of students of color and other marginalized individuals seeking my guidance. I can see the reason for them coming to me was due to the identity I poses as a person of color and marginalized class. Using these assumptions is essential when attempting to use a multicultural/feminist approach. The reason they go well together is because this theory looks at the identity of a person through a deeper more personal and cultural lens. These assumptions are important to have because they allow you to get a deeper understanding of the client and the cultural they posses. Limitations Some limitations to this theory pose very damaging realities for students of color and for student’s affair professionals. On the one hand this framework is relevant especially if you are working with student of color and other marginalized groups. However, to fully grasp and understand this theory is a constant challenge and may not always yield the results one may seek. Due to the current way in which counseling is set up, this theory is relatively new and has not been tested to often or at all. For this

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reason, it is limited to those who make it their priority to understand and grasp the concept. For professionals who are unaware of the struggles that students of color and other marginalized classes face, they may find themselves fighting an uphill battle in terms of understanding and actually putting the theory into practice. This theory is difficult to grasp because unless you are actually a person who shares the identity of a marginalized group, it may not seem very important to you to actually learn and understand. Another limitation is the lack of resources or research on this theory. Although there is some good research out there on the matter, it is not efficient enough to conclude that this theory actually proves successful when put into practice. Some colleges and universities are still using outdated research methods to try to help students of marginalized identities. Due to the lack of research and the fact that this theory is relatively new, we may not see it utilized often or even at all. Application Although this theory may not have enough research behind it to prove successful, it does work in my case. As future student affairs professional, I have used this theory in a number of ways. I use it to advocate, educate, and understand the students I work with. For me this is important because I am one of the only people of color in my office and even in graduate school. One instance I have attempted to use this theory in real life is when I am advocating for students. I consider myself an advocate for the undocumented student population. The group on campus referred to as DREAM Acton NIU is a group that

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advocates for social justice and immigrant rights. This is especially important because as a person of color and a Latino I have made efforts to spread awareness of immigrant rights and the safety of our undocumented students on campus. I advocate by attending rallies and meetings discussing immigrant rights and coming up with ways to help students as a professional. I take the opportunities to support my students and show my colleagues that they too can be advocates for change. The second application of this theory is when I make it a priority to educate my students and colleagues. When students come to me regarding issues of discrimination due to their marginalized identity I make it a priority to let the rest of my office and other departments know. When members of White Europa, a national hate group were going around posting flyers about them and their organization, many students were fearful. They were scared that they would come to campus to spread messages of hate. When this information reached my office in Student Involvement and leadership Development, I made it my goal to educate my bosses and other colleagues, so that they knew exactly whom these people were and how they are using scare tactics to discourage a population of students, in this case it was undocumented students. My effort to educate both students and my colleagues on issues of discrimination tie into this theory because it allows them to understand what is going happening on campus through a cultural lens. The last and final application I use this theory for within student affairs is to understand and get others to understand individual’s cultural identity. When our office is conducting Homecoming royalty, we used to identify gender specific winners (i.e. King and Queen). More recently, we have moved to gender nonspecific winners and just call

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them Homecoming royalty where gender does not matter. This was a difficult topic for me to understand, and it was just as difficult for the students which whom I worked with. However, I made it my goal to try to understand the transgender community and sought information from those who were well aware of this group and the culture they poses. Utilizing the information, I was able to educate my students enough for them to understand and grasp the dynamics of the transgender culture. This was an important task for me and it ties into the theory of Multiculturalism/feminist because in order for me to help the students I work with, I must be able to educate and understand the cultures myself. Conclusion In conclusion, the theory of multicultural/feminist approach looks at the deeper meaning of individuals through their cultural identity. By using their identity, counselors and student affairs professional can get a deeper understanding of the issues and injustices they face. Understanding these identities can help professionals reach their students and become very affective counselors. Limitations for this theory include lack of resources and research on the subject. This can prove problematic because of the increase in students of color and other marginalized groups attending college. If their cultural identity can not be understood then how can student affairs professionals and counselors help them? I use this theory often to approach my students, and I believe that it is an effective theory because it highlights a group of people that are not always brought up or thought about in regards to counseling or education.

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