VISTAS Client Characteristics and Needs

VISTAS Online is an innovative publication produced for ACA by Dr. Garry R. Walz and Dr. Jeanne C. Bleuer of Counseling Outfitters, LLC. Its purpose is to provide a means of capturing the ideas, information and experiences generated by the annual ACA Conference and selected ACA Division Conferences. Papers on a program or practice that has been validated through research or experience may also be submitted. This digital collection of peer-reviewed articles is authored by counselors, for counselors. VISTAS Online contains the full text of over 900 proprietary counseling articles published from 2004 to 2017.



The Invisible Client: Ramifications of Neglecting the Impact of Race and Culture in Professional Counseling

Isaac Burt, Valerie E. D. Russell, and Michael Brooks

2016

Overlooking critical aspects of a client such as race, culture, and perception of societal treatment is harmful and emotionally devastating to clients of color (Butler & Shillingford-Butler, 2014). For Black clients specifically, this type of treatment can lead to feelings of invisibility and isolation, resulting in what Ellison (1947/1990) defined as “The Invisible Man.” This article examines this idea of invisibility in the Black client and proposes suggestions and framework for counselors working with this population.

Keywords: Black, invisibility, counseling, multicultural

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