Question

This is the second part of an assignment for culturally sensitive counseling of European Americans that have recently come to the United States:

The assignment:

What are the challenges and concerns in culture-sensitive counseling to Russians living in the USA as a result of their cultural influences?

My initial thoughts are that with the highly stigmatized view on mental health, many would be hesitant and continue suffering. I would also assume there are large political influences

Thank you

Answer 1

For Russians seeking help for the mental health would be a matter of shame and disgrace. This is because of their political-cultural influence. The communist regime in Russia discouraged counseling and psychological services in Russia, as a result people with psychological disorders were treated under the supervision of medical professionals in the psychiatric ward. Also, they didn't maintain the confidentialities regarding the patients information. This made psychiatric patients vulnerable to stigmatization and social shunning. Hence, people of Russia are reluctant to seek any help for their mental health. They feel it as a disgrace to seek counseling interventions due to the influence of their cultural norms. Hence, Russians living in U.S.A would still be reluctant to get any psychological help due to their cultural influence.