White counsellors’ perceptions of their influence in counselling relationships

The position of counsellor in our society carries with it the potential to influence many individuals due to its interactive nature. Concern regarding the client’s potential vulnerability in the distribution of power with the counsellor/client relationship has been raised by feminist, social constructivists and multicultural counselling theorists. Though counsellors may have benevolent intentions, they are embedded in a society which simultaneously promotes economic, social and political oppression of certain groups of people while providing benefits to a privileged few. The task of gaining awareness and understanding regarding the impact of the counsellor’s cultural history on their daily practice is difficult and challenging. A qualitative research design was used to explore the critical reflective process of how counsellors make sense of the complex and interactive factors which influence the construction of their position within the counselling relationship. Data were collected through six semi-structured one-to-one interviews with practicing counsellors. Participants were solicited from private and public mental health facilities from three communities located in interior British Columbia. Five emergent themes of: Values, Beliefs, and Attitudes Influencing Practice, Underlying Explanations and Experiences, Expectations, Maintaining a MultiDimensional Perspective and Unexamined Assumptions are discussed. Implications from this study add to the continuing disruptions of previously held assumptions regarding the counsellor’s perception of his or her influence with clients.