Professional associations, such as the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), and the American School Counselors Association (ASCA) have established codes of ethics that guide the various helping professions. For marriage and family therapists, ongoing self-evaluation, a commitment to upholding the values of the profession, and continuous education are some of the important things clinicians will need to do throughout their careers to maintain cultural competence and humility. One key way of beginning the journey of self-evaluation is to complete a cultural autobiography.
In your Cultural Autobiography Plan, make sure you address the following:
1)Identify three people in your family (biological, chosen, or otherwise someone you consider family) that you will interview for your cultural autobiography.
— My choice is: Grandmother, Mother & Father —
2)Explain why you are choosing these individuals.
— I would like to know more about their upbringing, and what mold them into who they are today —
3)Develop five open-ended questions that you will ask each individual during your interview.
Include at least two systemic (relational, circular) questions in the group of five.
Explain why you are including each question; for example, what will the question help you learn about your family culture and family relationships?
4)Reflect on the upcoming process you will engage in to create your cultural autobiography.
Describe your thoughts and emotions as you consider what it will be like to complete the interviews and cultural autobiography.
Describe themes, events, or experiences that may arise during the completion of your autobiography that is connected to potential feelings of pride and/or shame.
Discuss hopes and fears pertaining to the outcomes of your interviews and cultural autobiography.
— You can make up realistic topics/questions to be address in this essay–
— A bit info on my family background: My parents are west Indians, and move to the united states in their teen years .I am African American female–
Adhere to the rules of grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Apply APA style and formatting to scholarly writing.
Additional Requirements:
Format: Format your Cultural Autobiography Plan using APA style. Use the APA Style Paper Template (linked in Resources). An APA Style Paper Tutorial is also provided to help you in writing and formatting your plan. In addition, you may wish to refer to the APA Style and Format page on Campus to help with specific structure, formatting, and style questions.
Be sure to include:
1) A title page and references page. An abstract is not required.
2) A running head on all pages.
3) Appropriate section headings.
1) Length: Your plan should be 2–3-pages in length, NOT including the title page and references page.
2) Supporting evidence: Cite a minimum of 3 scholarly resources from peer-reviewed journals published within the past 5–7 years. Distinguished submissions typically exceed this minimum.
3) Proofreading: Proofread your document, before you submit it, to minimize errors that could distract readers and make it more difficult for them to focus on the substance of your plan.
