Working with diverse clients entails an acceptance that diversity is a normal practice of good management wherein managers are charged with increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of all of their employees so they can produce more. This approach requires good management systems that create a productive work environment where all employees feel comfortable, confident, proud and included. It requires managers to deal with employees as individuals (rather than ethnic groups, genders, etc.) and to implement individual development plans so every employee can overcome barriers that inhibit the achievement of their highest potential. When involving people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds we have to be respectful of their religious and cultural beliefs. In counseling the multicultural Dobson (2010) poses many relevant questions. They include: How do I understand the impact of cultural and economic privilege, and of cultural disadvantage and poverty, in the lives of my clients?  How do I assess directly, or make inferences about, these constructs?

 How willing am I to seek consultation to avoid issues that may arise from my own unacknowledged or unrecognized privilege—based on racial, ethnic, geographic, cultural and other advantages I may have?  How often have I done this in the past?

• What are some potential sources of consultation in my professional and personal networks?  What people or organizations could I call upon?  If areas of diversity are not represented in my own networks, how can I go about obtaining the necessary training, either through continuing education efforts or otherwise?
• What are the personal or institutional barriers to seek such consultation?  How might I address them to serve my clients competently?

 What assumptions do I make about others' racial or ethnic identities based on their physical characteristics?

Do I feel comfortable asking about the background/heritage of others?  What do I notice (thoughts, feelings) happening when I ask such questions?  How is their experience similar or different across racial or ethnic groups? What words/terms do I typically use to assess a client's diverse sociodemographic background?  How have clients responded when I ask these questions?  What do I seem to be doing well that I ought to keep doing?  What are techniques or language that might be useful to change? How can I remind myself to explicitly assess "diverse" aspects of identity when I meet new clients?  What mechanisms can I put in place in my practices to ensure that I minimize a reliance on stereotypes and maximize a true idiographic assessment?

 How do I conceptualize the complexities of the intersections of multiple identities—including cultural, racial, socioeconomic class, sexual orientation, physical ability, and others?

• How do I discuss these issues with clients?  Do I ever initiate discussion with diverse clients about the potential difficulty they face in managing multiple identities?  Why or why not?  What factors influence the likelihood of my discussing these issues with clients?  If a client alludes to struggles with conflicting identity elements in session, how do I respond?
• How flexible am I about whom I allow to participate in treatment, so as not to invalidate a client's culturally congruent desire to involve extended support networks or others?

• "Best practices" for therapy may work well for some clients but are culturally incompatible for others.  What allowance do I make, in accommodating clients from different backgrounds, to make therapy more acceptable and/or applicable to them?  What allowances have clients asked for that I declined?  What rationale did I use to explain my decisions?  On what data are they based?

 In session how do I acknowledge or highlight cultural, ethnic, sexual orientation, or other differences between myself and clients?

• Cognitive Behavioral therapists typically strive to be warm and genuine, while maintaining a task orientation.  Given these goals, comments about similarities or differences between therapist and client can facilitate alliance building.  How/when/with whom do I highlight these similarities or differences?  How/when/with whom do I shy away for this type of comment?
• A high degree of heterogeneity exists within many identity groups.  Thus, even if I have some experience with or insight into, a given group, those experiences may or may not be similar to the experiences of any given client.  How can I communicate and demonstrate my understanding of this fact to clients?

 How frequently do I inquire about specific, negative consequences that occur in my clients' lives because of their "diverse" identity or identities?

• In what ways can I inquire about experiences of racism, sexism, heterosexism/homophobia, and so forth that validate clients' experience?  How do I best portray my genuine understanding of the struggles they may face?
• What kinds of language would I use?  How can I remember to assess these important experiences, in my intake, as well as during ongoing therapeutic work?

Source:  Dobson, K.S. (Ed.) (2010).  Handbook of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies, (3rd ed.).  New York:  The Guilford Press.