Which practice involves ongoing self-reflection about one’s cultural assumptions and power dynamics in counseling?

• A. Cultural Bias
• B. Cultural Humility
• C. Ethnocentrism
• D. Cultural Encapsulation

Answer: (B)

The practice being tested is cultural humility: the ongoing self-reflection about one’s cultural assumptions and power dynamics in counseling. It means recognizing that your own culture and privilege can shape the therapeutic relationship, and intentionally staying open to learning from clients’ lived experiences. It’s a lifelong process, not a one-time achievement, involving seeking feedback, monitoring power imbalances, and integrating clients’ cultural contexts into treatment. By contrast, cultural bias involves prejudiced judgments about others, ethnocentrism is evaluating other cultures through the lens of one’s own with a sense of superiority, and cultural encapsulation is a rigid, limited view that blocks understanding of diverse backgrounds. Cultural humility best captures the continuous, collaborative approach counselors use to honor clients’ meanings and experiences.