Leah I. Johnson, M.A.

CNS747: Cultures and Counseling

05.14.17
Cultural Immersion Activity #1 (Observation)

Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo

For my first cultural immersion activity, I elected to attend an introductory meeting at

Nichiren Shoshu Myosenji Buddhist Temple in Washington, D.C. I opted to explore this

religious event because my uncle recently told me, at a family function, that he had begun to

study Buddhism. He found it to be quite relaxing and enlightening. We had a very interesting

discussion; I asked him to tell me more about it, but he often had difficulty putting it into words.

He finally implied it was something to be experienced, not explained. I also vaguely recalled

taking a religious studies class in undergraduate school and finding it interesting back then. So, I

decided this would be my first cultural immersion activity.

This was an amazing experience for me. I arrived a bit early so I could explore the

temple. It was immaculate; beautiful shrines covered with, what was later explained as, food,

water, and evergreen offerings to the living Buddha. They did not require any special attire, just

comfortable and appropriate clothing. I was consumed by the rhythmic sounds of chanting

echoing throughout the temple; it was soothing. During this experience, I attended a lecture

presented by a Chief Priest on the Buddhist Concept of the Ten Worlds and the Four Noble

Mannerisms. The group was also taught how to properly use and care for Buddhist prayer beads

called Juzu Beads. The people there working and praying were very kind and soft-spoken; they

were patient and did an excellent job of encouraging the group to ask questions. They bid us

farewell in a similar fashion to greeting us, by bowing and expressing gratitude for sharing those

moments with them.

 This experience made me realize that Buddhism is not just a religion, but it is a way of

life. What I learned from this that could influence my work as a counselor is the high level of

regard these individuals have for all living things, especially each other. While I have always

considered myself to be very respectful, these individuals greeted me with such honor to be in

my presence. I believe that when we are able to look at our clients as more than their disability

and make them feel as though we are honored to be able to work with them, we may achieve a

greater, more in depth therapeutic relationship.

Leah I. Johnson, M.A.
CNS747: Cultures and Counseling
05.21.17
Article Reflection

The Case for Reparations

My initial reaction to this article was disgust, however, I cannot say that I was completely

surprised. Many generations after slavery ended in southern Virginia, I was raised to “know my

place” when addressing white folks. There, individuals proudly display their confederate flags,

maintain strong beliefs about the ignorance of niggers, and the Klu Klux Klan, in 2017,

continues to have a powerful presence. With that being said, articles like this are common

knowledge to readers like me; the strong negative emotions associated with the injustices are all

too familiar.

“Redlining” still exists in most urban areas, although it may not be referred to by that

name anymore, most people are more accustomed to terms such as the “projects” or the “ghetto”.

Whether they acknowledge the system designed to make it difficult for the inhabitants to leave or

not; they know those areas they care not to purchase property in or near. My father is the only

African-American homeowner on his street. He told me once that our neighbor had offered

twice the amount of what the property was being sold for, “just to keep the coloreds out of the

neighborhood because they would lower the property value”. What he did not know was that my

grandfather already owned the property and my father was simply buying the land from his

father to establish his independence!

I have strong personal feelings about the topics covered in this article; however, I am

aware that African-Americans are not the only ones that have been wronged, treated unfairly,

exploited, enslaved, or denied access to resources that could improve their situations.

Acknowledging that every day is what keeps me grounded and increases my ability to remain
impartial. This article referred to Africans as aliens who were “America’s indispensable

working class—fit for maximum exploitation, capable of only minimal resistance”. This sounds

like a fairly accurate description of Hispanics today and the attitude that allows them to be

treated similarly to indentured servants based on the same general principle.

I think in my future work with clients, I could easily apply the contents of this article to

understanding the premise behind the struggles of the African-American people and empathize

with their hatred of a system specifically designed for them to fail. However, I also think this

article was assigned to make us, as counselors, aware and awareness is only achieved through

both receiving and accepting information. Through this level of awareness, I am able to

recognize the definition of struggle is relative to the person that is experiencing it. I can see how

this could be divisive to the counseling profession if a counselor from a “white privilege”

background was unable to understand the African-American struggle or thinking that reparations

were unrealistic. Based on that counselors reaction, an African-American client could

believe/maintain the attitude that white people would never understand them or that they were all

the same as their forefathers. This could potentially damage the therapeutic relationship and

confirm both individuals preconceived notions of the other, preventing progression.

Coates, T. (2014). The case for reparations. The Atlantic. Retrieved from

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/.
Leah I. Johnson, M.A.
CNS747: Cultures and Counseling
05.27.17
Cultural Immersion Activity #2 (Observation)

Ramadan Mubarak (Blessed Ramadan)

Yesterday officially began the celebration of Ramadan 2017. In an attempt to immerse

myself in Islam, I elected to attend the Islamic Center in Washington, D.C. When I was in

middle school we had a family move to our little community that was muslim. They were

different, there were specific distinctions between “them” and “us”, for example their wardrobe

and their diet. I never cared about any of that , so when I was in high school, I dated one of the

guys briefly, until I found out his family did not approve of it. I was not allowed to visit his

home and he was forbidden by his parents to interact with me that way. Naturally, I was upset

because I did not understand. He told me at school the next day if I would be willing to convert

to Islam, he would marry me the following year! Although I was not at all ready for marriage, I

was interested in why they could not date outside of their religion and was willing to consider

conversion. My father said absolutely not; however, my interest in the culture never dissipated. I

own a Quran and even tried for a whole year to learn how to write in Arabic

I was initially caught a little off guard during my visit to the Islamic Center. The women

and men are not permitted to worship in the same space, so as we filed into the building, we were

immediately separated. Several restrictions were explained to the women, for example my head

had to be covered in its entirety for the duration of my visit, even when I was not praying.

Additionally, if I was currently menstruating, I would not be allowed to pray the Salah (the first

prayer in Islam), because it would break my Wudu (a type of ritual purification). After this
experience I had a deeper understanding of how disciplined this culture is especially during

Ramadan and of Muhammad's special place in their heart.

The influence this experience will have on my practice is acknowledging Islamic

devotion to being a peaceful people and understanding that most of their anger toward the

Western world is based on feelings of disrespect, not necessarily religious differences. This put

some of their cultural frustrations in terms I could identify with. Many of them left their

homelands to escape holy wars in search of peace and new beginnings, only to arrive in a new

place and be faced with a different type of war. No one wants to feel constantly disrespected or

misunderstood and no one should ever have to. Again, important rule of thumb for my practice

will always be to develop rapport by showing respect.

Leah I. Johnson, M.A.
CNS747: Cultures and Counseling
06.12.17
Cultural Immersion Activity #3 (Knowledge)

Raise Your Rainbow

This past weekend in Washington, D.C, it was gay pride. As the streets flooded with the

LGBTQ community and their supporters, I entered a small shop that I had been in several times

before to escape the crowd. I noticed the owner, a usually quiet, yet polite older gentleman

seemed in much higher spirits than usual. We often had general conversations about the weather

and such, so I felt comfortable enough to ask him what prompted the elevated mood. He

whispered “Can you keep a secret?”. I chuckled and replied, “It is kinda my job to do just that!”

His smile seemed to get even bigger as he recalled me telling him once that I was a counselor. I

think this particular cultural immersion activity chose me.

For the sake of confidentiality we will refer to him as Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith leaned over

the counter and whispered excitedly that this was his favorite time of the year. He went on to

explain that he “fancied the company of gentleman callers”, but it was not something he had ever

openly expressed. He went on to explain that he had know for most of his life that he was

different and tried to make his parents happy by marrying a woman and offering them

grandchildren. However, shortly after celebrating his nuptials, it became apparent to his new

bride that he was not the man she thought he was. Mr. Smith explained he tried for years to

make it work, but it just didn’t, so eventually they got divorced. She had become his best friend,

so she promised to never tell anyone why until he was ready; Mr. Smith admitted that ready

feeling never came. He reported that he was raised in a time and place where it was just “flat out

unacceptable” and he knew his parents would never accept him or understand it. So he chose to

live his life in secrecy, ultimately in misery; his smile faded. He said it was hard enough to be an
older, black man, trying to establish a small business in corporate D.C., that he did not need

anymore strikes against himself. It was at this moment, I realized that this man had lived his

whole life in fear. Fear of being rejected by his family/friends, outed by his ex-wife, put out of

business by someone younger, or something bigger, newer, shinier, and sadly enough fear of

never being truly loved or able to show love in return. I smiled slightly and told Mr. Smith that

he would always have Pride Weekend to be free, but I walked out of his shop feeling empty, like

it was a lie. When I looked back to wave goodbye, his bright smile had returned and he gleefully

waved a little rainbow flag, like it was the truth.

This interview painfully reminded me of the need for empathy. To provide an increased

level of understanding for the individuals that suffer in silence. Additionally, to never make

light of a decision that is seemingly easy to me, but potentially earth shattering for someone else.

Finally, to provide advice for individuals based on where they are in life and what they

want/need to be healthy, not necessarily what I would do if I were them. I am not them and they

are not me; we respond to life’s situations differently based on the things that make us who we

are. Acknowledging and respecting that is essential.

Leah I. Johnson, M.A.
CNS747: Cultures and Counseling
06.15.17
Cultural Immersion Activity #4 (Knowledge)

Understanding Pakistan

For my final cultural immersion activity, I chose to interview a Pakistani gentleman. He

and his family had been in the US for approximately 5 years. He was known for presenting with

extreme arrogance and radical ideas of how to control his family. His daughter suffered from

severe anxiety as a result of PTSD from an extensive history of abuse dating back to when the

family lived in Pakistan. Although her father had several complaints filed and two current Child

Protective Services investigations open on him, he prided himself on being able to manipulate

that system.

The day of the interview, I advised him the information obtained was mainly to satiate

my personal curiosities about his country and some of their practices. I informed him I would be

using some of the content for a school assignment and he asked what I was in school for. When

I said it was my second Master’s Degree, he stated he did not think women were that intelligent,

especially Hispanic women. I inquired further about his views on women in general, then

specifically on the women in his immediate family. He stated that women were of very little use

in a man’s world (including his wife and daughter), but in a woman’s world (to cook, clean, take

care of children, and give of their bodies) they could be quite useful. He insisted this was why

his family was only efficient when he was present. “Commanding them, like his personal army”

was the best way to get things done right. I asked if most Pakistani men felt similarly to him in

regard to family interactions. He replied, “Of course they do! Especially those that were raised

properly by their fathers!” and he was raising his son to be a strong, smart Pakistani man as well.

When I asked what that entailed, he smirked and said I know your laws well enough to be an
American lawyer. What I did to teach my children, was not it illegal in Pakistan, but I know I

have to take a different approach here.

Many more statements of this sort were made in terms of “stupid American politicians”.

He believed he was far more educated than most of the people he encountered, despite not being

formally educated at a University. He was in fact smart enough that he could run this country if

he wanted to. I got the impression throughout this interview that he was trying to get a negative

reaction out of me and when I did not fold, his responses would become more demeaning. He

asked me many questions as well, but when I minimally responded or redirected him toward a

question I had previously asked, he would make comments such as “You American women are

quite disrespectful and insubordinate”, as if to imply he had some authority over me. I would

simply smile, nod my head, and continue with the interview.

I am not certain this particular gentleman offered much insight into the cultural aspects I

had hoped to gain from the interview, I may have gained a more accurate account from

interviewing his wife. However, I do believe I was truly tested on my ability to accept opinions

largely different from my own, maintain professionalism, and find something positive to end the

discussion with. I learned that not everyone that steps into my office as a potential client is

going to be a good fit for the services I am able to provide. Finally, while I do not necessarily

believe this gentleman was the best choice to obtain knowledge about Pakistani (middle eastern)

culture, I must acknowledge his upbringing had some influence on his view of men, women and

family that I cannot help but to wonder if I was to encounter another middle eastern man, would

I get similar responses about how to maintain a household?