The counseling practices in Nigeria, Ecuador and Israel reflect the countries’ specific level of development and perceptions of psychology and mental health. From this perspective, they are very different. The most important differences not only refer to the specific challenges that the professions face in their socio-economic context, but also, the different worldviews regarding mental health, and the clients’ attitudes towards counseling. However, several similarities may be perceived, particularly in the struggle to develop the profession against cultural and economic drawbacks, in the importance of traditional healing practices for the people in these countries.
Counseling has developed differently as a profession in each of the three studied countries. Professional counselors in Nigeria are extremely scarce, and they generally work in schools. Professional counseling is in its infancy in Nigeria, and there are different challenges regarding the standardization of the methodology and theory development. In Ecuador, professional counseling does not exist, but the mental health professionals perform tasks which are closely related to those of the American counselor (Cruza-Guet et al., n.d.). In Israel, as compared to Nigeria and Ecuador, there is a well-established practice, and counselors and psychotherapists are doing their best to cover the needs of a diverse society. While based on the European tradition, the counseling school of thought in Israel took its own direction soon after its establishment. As compared to the situation in Nigeria, the counselling services in Israel has underwent steady growth and it is well-implemented in the society and in the scientific arena. The counselors in this country face different types of challenges. While, like in Nigeria, the number of mental issues faced by the population is extremely high, the causes are very specific to this region, and place counsellors in a unique and challenging position. As compared to Nigeria and Ecuador, in Israel, the counselling profession is well-developed. Beginning with the massive immigration from Europe following the Second World War, the Israeli population welcomed counselling which helped them to deal with post-war traumas, and offered them professional guidance (Israelashvili & Benjamin, n.d. ). Over the time, different other specialized directions developed, and the psychology profession developed.
The manner in which counseling is perceived by the population is different for the three countries. Furthermore, the general population has a negative attitude towards counseling (Ugwegbulam, Homrich and Kadurumba (n.d.). In Ecuador, psychological treatment is perceived as a luxury. Despite being costly, it may not be very efficient, because psychology students are not taught about the needs of a culturally diverse population, and diversity issues are largely ignored. The imported models of psychotherapy do not take into consideration the clients’ worldviews, which cause them to be largely ineffective, and even damaging. The Israeli client’s attitude towards counselling derives from the ethnical characteristics of the majority of the population. Thus, the Israeli are typically suspicious in the beginning, but become open and cooperative as the sessions progress (Israelashvili & Benjamin, n.d.).
All three countries however are similar in the fact that the people rely heavily on traditional healing practices. In contrast to the concern with the mind which is predominant in the Western culture, Nigerian science and philosophy focuses on the heart, spirit and nature and it is based, as Ugwegbulam, Homrich and Kadurumba (n.d.) explained, on an organic worldview. The training of a traditional counselor lasts 7 years and includes the memorization of thousands of verses which include songs and myths. They also receive training in traditional medicine, counseling and human relations. These methods are considered sound and valuable. In Ecuador also, people rely heavily on indigenous healing practices, which aim to purify the individual and to restore his harmony with the cosmos (Cruza-Guet et al., n.d.). Furthermore, much like Nigerians and Ecuadorians, Israeli also consult traditional healers, despite the reputation of Israel as a developed country with an advanced High-Tech industry. The people in Israel believe in the power of spiritual healers to solve mental illness (Israelashvili & Benjamin, n.d). In all of these countries, the individuals who believe in the power of traditional healing are likely to refuse to see a professional counselor or psychologist, which can affect the progress of the mental health issue negatively. In none of them, professional help is the first choice of the people.
References
Cruza-Guet, M. et al. (n.d.). Diversity, hegemony, poverty, and -the emergence of counselling psychology in Ecuador. The Counseling Profession around the World. Retrieved from: https://bbhosted.cuny.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-25480235-dt-content-rid-119033942_1/courses/JJC01_CSL_280_98_1166_5W1/Equador.pdf
Israelashvili, M. & Benjamin, B. (n.d.). Context and diversity in the provision of counseling services in Israel. Retrieved from: https://bbhosted.cuny.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-25480235-dt-content-rid-119033940_1/courses/JJC01_CSL_280_98_1166_5W1/Israel.pdf
Ugwegbulam, C., Homrich, A., and Kadurumba, C. (n.d.). Cross-cultural counseling in Nigeria. The Counseling Profession around the World. Retrieved from: https://bbhosted.cuny.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-25480235-dt-content-rid-119033939_1/courses/JJC01_CSL_280_98_1166_5W1/Nigeria.pdf
