| Course | PAC 120 Multicultural Advocacy |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 2 |
| Paper type | Cultural self-assessment |
| Length | About 1,083 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Psychology and Addiction Studies |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PAC 120 Module 2
What I Bring Into the Room: A Cultural Self-Assessment of a Counselor in Training
Student Name
Psychology and Addiction Studies Program, Aspen University
PAC 120: Multicultural Advocacy
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
What I Bring Into the Room: A Cultural Self-Assessment of a Counselor in Training
I grew up in a farming town of about two thousand people in central Wisconsin. Nearly everyone was white, nearly everyone attended one of two churches and heavy drinking at weddings, deer camp and Friday fish fries was so normal that no one called it drinking. My father worked at the feed mill; my mother cleaned houses. We did not have much money, but I did not think about race, because I did not have to. Now, as a counselor in training at Northside Community Recovery, an invented program in Milwaukee where most clients are Black, Latino or Native, I am learning how much I bring into every session without noticing it. This paper assesses that cultural inheritance and plans how to grow. My history is a composite, the group described is a composite and the research is real.
A Framework for Self-Assessment
Sue et al. (1992) proposed a framework of multicultural counseling competencies that has shaped the profession for decades. In their account, a culturally skilled counselor first knows their own cultural conditioning and the biases it produced, second grasps how clients from other backgrounds see the world and third can shape interventions that fit those clients. Every one of these three areas is then broken down again into what the counselor believes, what the counselor knows and what the counselor can actually do. The result is a nine-part framework that lets a counselor assess where they are strong and where they need to grow. The authors argued that counselors who are unaware of their own cultural conditioning risk imposing their values on clients.
Rating Myself
The table shows that my strongest area is attitudes and my weakest is skills. I believe in culturally responsive counseling more than I know how to practice it.
| Characteristic | Beliefs and attitudes | Knowledge | Skills |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awareness of my own culture and biases | Growing: I accept that I have biases, but I still feel defensive when they are named | Limited: I am only beginning to understand how my background shaped what I see as normal | Developing: I notice my reactions more often, usually after a session |
| Understanding clients' worldviews | Moderate: I am curious and respectful | Limited: I know little about the histories of the communities Northside serves | Developing: I ask about culture at intake but rarely follow up |
| Culturally appropriate strategies | Moderate: I believe help must fit the client | Limited: I know few culturally adapted approaches | Weak: I tend to use the same techniques with everyone |
A Moment I Got Wrong
In my third week at Northside, I co-led a group. A client I will call Marcus, a Black man in his forties who works as a supervisor at a distribution center, spoke clearly and movingly about his relapse. When he finished, I said, "You are so articulate." I meant it as praise. Marcus paused, said "Thanks" flatly and stayed silent until the group ended.
Sue et al. (2007) described racial microaggressions as brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages to people of color, often without the speaker's awareness. They distinguished three forms. Microassaults are explicit, deliberate attacks. Microinsults are subtle remarks that demean a person's heritage or identity, often disguised as compliments. Microinvalidations deny or dismiss the thoughts, feelings or experiences of people of color. Among their examples of microinsults was telling a Black person that they are articulate, which implies surprise that a person of their race could speak well. The authors warned that microaggressions in counseling can damage the relationship and lead clients to leave treatment, partly because clients often stay silent rather than confront the counselor.
My comment was a microinsult. My intent was kind, but the message Marcus received was that I had expected less. After the group, I talked with my supervisor, who helped me see what I had done. At the next group, I spoke with Marcus privately and acknowledged that my comment had carried a message I had not intended and that I was sorry. He said he hears it often, and he thanked me for saying something. He stayed in the group.
Cultural Humility as a Stance
Hook et al. (2013) proposed cultural humility as an important part of multicultural orientation. In their account, a humble counselor looks outward toward the client, stays curious about the client's cultural identity and does not assume their own way is better. They developed a measure of clients' perceptions of their counselor's cultural humility and, across studies, found that clients who saw their counselors as more culturally humble reported stronger working alliances, and that perceived humility was associated with improvement in therapy. Cultural humility suits my situation. I cannot become an expert in every culture my clients come from, but I can approach each client as the expert on their own life, ask rather than assume and accept correction when I get things wrong.
What My Background Gives Me
Self-assessment is not only about deficits. I grew up working class, and I understand financial stress and jobs that wear down bodies. I understand small communities where everyone knows your business. I know rural drinking culture from the inside. These experiences help me connect with some clients, and they remind me that culture includes class, region and religion as well as race. The task is to use these experiences without assuming they match my clients' lives.
Goals for Growth
I am setting three goals. First, within six weeks, I will read two histories, one of Milwaukee's Black community and one of the Native nations of Wisconsin, so that my knowledge of clients' worldviews is grounded in history. Second, I will ask my supervisor to review one recorded session each month specifically for cultural responsiveness, and I will track the feedback. Third, I will complete a training in a culturally adapted intervention before my internship ends. Progress will be measured by my supervisor's ratings and by whether I can identify my own assumptions in session rather than only afterward.
Conclusion
I bring a small town, a farming family, a culture of heavy drinking and the privilege of never having had to think about race into every session. Sue, Arredondo and McDavis give me a framework for assessing that inheritance, Sue and colleagues help me understand the harm a well-meant comment can do and Hook and colleagues show that humility strengthens the relationships through which clients heal. My ratings are modest, but my goals are specific, and I intend to meet them.
References
Hook, J. N., Davis, D. E., Owen, J., Worthington, E. L., Jr., & Utsey, S. O. (2013). Cultural humility: Measuring openness to culturally diverse clients. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60(3), 353-366. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032595
Sue, D. W., Arredondo, P., & McDavis, R. J. (1992). Multicultural counseling competencies and standards: A call to the profession. Journal of Counseling & Development, 70(4), 477-486. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1992.tb01642.x
Sue, D. W., Capodilupo, C. M., Torino, G. C., Bucceri, J. M., Holder, A. M. B., Nadal, K. L., & Esquilin, M. (2007). Racial microaggressions in everyday life: Implications for clinical practice. American Psychologist, 62(4), 271-286. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.62.4.271
PAC 120 Module 2 instructions, in plain terms
Self-awareness is the starting point of multicultural competence, and the second module of PAC 120 often asks for an honest look at your own culture, assumptions and blind spots as a helper. Your Aspen course posts the actual Module 2 instructions; the writer here is a composite. Describe your cultural background and how it shaped your assumptions. Use a recognized competency framework to assess yourself rather than general impressions. Examine a specific incident, ideally one where you fell short. Explain what you learned using research, and adopt a stance that will guide future work with clients whose backgrounds differ from yours. Set concrete, measurable goals, cite each source in APA 7 and keep the tone honest rather than either defensive or performatively guilty.
How this PAC 120 Module 2 example is built
The writer describes growing up in a farming town where everyone attended one of two churches and drinking at weddings was expected. Sue, Arredondo and McDavis's Journal of Counseling and Development article provides the three-by-three framework of awareness, knowledge and skills, each with attitudes, knowledge and skills. A nine-cell table rates the writer. Sue and colleagues' American Psychologist article on racial microaggressions explains a comment the writer made to a Black client in group, praising how articulate he was. Hook and colleagues' Journal of Counseling Psychology studies supply cultural humility and its link to the alliance. Three growth goals close the paper with specific actions, dates and a way to measure each through supervision.
Where the marks sit in the PAC 120 Module 2 rubric
Self-assessments earn credit for honesty, for using a framework rather than impressions and for turning insight into action. This example rates the writer cell by cell, admitting strengths and gaps, and examines a real lapse rather than a safe one. Sue and colleagues' taxonomy is applied precisely, and the paper describes what the writer did afterward, which shows growth rather than only regret. Cultural humility is explained with its evidence, not just as a value. The goals are concrete and checkable. The tone avoids both defensiveness and self-punishment, keeping attention on clients, which is the purpose of self-awareness in the first place. It also names what the writer's background contributes.
PAC 120 Module 2 help from the desk
Self-assessments often stay general, saying the writer values diversity and treats everyone the same. Treating everyone the same can itself be a blind spot. Use a framework and rate yourself honestly in each area. Describe a specific incident where your culture or assumptions affected a client, and analyze it. Avoid making the paper about your guilt; focus on what you learned and will do. Explain concepts such as microaggressions and cultural humility with research. Set goals you can measure, such as a training completed or supervision feedback sought. Protect any client's identity, and keep personal disclosures relevant to your development as a counselor. Name what your background gives you as well as what it hides.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More PAC 120 and Psychology and Addiction Studies sample papers
- PAC 120 Module 1: Culture, Identity and Addiction
- PAC 120 Module 3: Attending, Observing and Questioning
- PAC 120 Module 4: Reflecting Feelings and Meaning
- PAC 120 Module 5: Empathic Self-Disclosure and Confrontation
- PAC 120 Module 6: Advocacy for Clients and Communities
- PAC 120 Module 7: Crisis Intervention Across Cultures
- PAC 120 Module 8: Assessing Suicide Potential
- SBS 200 Module 1: Theories and Methods in Human Development
- PAC 201 Module 5: Language Development
- PAC 102 Module 7: Collegiate Recovery Communities
- PAC 415 Module 1: Practical Wisdom in Ethics
PAC 120 Module 2 questions, answered
What does PAC 120 Module 2 usually ask for?
Aspen's PAC 120 turns to the counselor's own culture in this module, so a self-assessment of assumptions, knowledge and skills is typical. Check your Module 2 prompt.
What are multicultural counseling competencies?
Sue, Arredondo and McDavis described awareness of one's own assumptions, understanding of the client's worldview and culturally appropriate strategies, each involving attitudes, knowledge and skills.
What is a microaggression?
A brief, often unintended slight that communicates a negative message about a person's group; Sue and colleagues described microassaults, microinsults and microinvalidations.
Where can I find a free PAC 120 Module 2 sample paper?
See this page for the whole paper: a counselor in training's cultural self-assessment with a competency table, a microaggression examined and growth goals.
What is cultural humility?
Hook and colleagues defined it as an other-oriented stance open to the client's cultural identity; clients who saw counselors as humble reported stronger alliances.