Specialization in Intercultural Counseling
The specialization in Intercultural Counseling at the Shinui Center serves as an in-depth study in the intercultural field, focusing on the topic of the helping relationship with the migrant population.
The Intercultural Counseling course, which lasts one year with approximately monthly attendance, addresses the issue of interculture and is primarily aimed at certified counselors, being recognized by AssoCounseling as a specialization. Additionally, professionals working with the migrant population who are interested in deepening their knowledge in this theoretical and practical field can also participate, engaging in self-exploration (prejudices, understanding one’s own culture, etc.). For these practitioners, a certificate of participation with the qualification of "Professional with Skills in Intercultural Counseling" is awarded upon completion of the course.
The course introduces the Systemic Pluralistic Approach in the intercultural field, based on over 40 years of research and work experience by Cecilia Edelstein and subsequently by her collaborators: clinical practice, community projects, collaborations with the public sector and social private sector, qualitative research, and action research have led to the development of specific techniques and various methodologies, which have culminated in an epistemological framework that guides professionals in the field.
Educational credits have been requested for social workers and lawyers.
Course recognized by
Assocounseling
Definition
DEFINITION OF INTERCULTURAL COUNSELING
Intercultural Counseling is a professional activity aimed at people (individuals, groups, families, communities) belonging to minority groups, with the objective of promoting their inclusion, settlement/adaptation, and integration, improving mental health, and providing support in addressing cultural transition crises typical of migration processes.
Intercultural counseling is a cross-cutting intervention as it can be applied in all fields: corporate, educational, legal or judicial, psychological, health, social." (Edelstein, 2004).
For this reason, the specialization course in intercultural counseling is open not only to certified counselors but also to professionals working in all these institutions, who can acquire techniques and work tools as well as a methodology that also considers the personal style of each participant, all within a theoretical epistemological framework developed over decades by the course’s main lecturer, Cecilia Edelstein.
Some Publications by C. Edelstein in the Field of Intercultural Counseling
- Edelstein, 2020. "Nouvelles familles nées des fratries: le cas des familles réseau", in Les défis des familles d'aujourd'hui. Approche systémique des relations familiales, Salvatore D’Amore (Ed.), Ed. De Boeck Supérieur, Louvain-la-Neuve, pp. 95-112.
- Edelstein, 2017. "A Pluralistic Systemic Approach in Intercultural Therapies", in Metalogos, Issue 31 contents.
- Edelstein, 2014. "Intercultural Counseling from Its Inception to the Present", in Italian Journal of Counseling, vol.1, pp. 82-98.
http://rivistaitalianadicounseling.it/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/RIC_volume1_numerospeciale_2014.pdf - Edelstein, 2013. "Epistemological and Methodological Framework of the Pluralistic Systemic Model" in m@gm@ - Electronic Journal of Human and Social Sciences – Osservatorio di Processi Comunicativi, 11 (3).
http://www.magma.analisiqualitativa.com/1103/articolo_02.htm - Edelstein, 2013. "The Epistemology of 'We' in the Pluralistic Systemic Model: Recognizing the Other as a Circular, Dynamic, and Reflective Process in Helping Pathways", in Systemic Reflections, volume 8, open-access electronic journal.
http://www.aiems.eu/files/edelstein_8.pdf - Edelstein, 2013. "Towards a Pluralistic Systemic Approach in Intercultural Therapies with Migrant People". in Human Systems, vol.24, pp. 124-137.
http://www.humansystemsjournal.eu/library/Istanbul-Congress-I - Edelstein, 2011. The Transformation of Social Services in the Era of Migration Flows, Rome: Carrocci Editore.
- Edelstein 2007. "Intercultural Counseling. A Pluralistic Intervention Model" in Connections, vol. 19, pp. 121-140.
- Edelstein 2004. "The Intercultural Counselor - An Introduction" in The Counselor, vol. 1, pp. 13-19.
Objectives
OBJECTIVES OF THE SPECIALIZATION IN INTERCULTURAL COUNSELING
Following Shinui's pluralistic systemic approach, the intercultural counseling course aims to promote reflection and debate on topics such as:
- intercultural communication
- psychological aspects of migration processes and gender differences
- our own migrations
- judgments, prejudices, stigma, and relationships between minority groups and the dominant society
- evolutionary migration and forced migration
- human rights, anti-oppressive practices, and non-violent conflict resolution
- valuing differences
- promoting dialogues and conversations
Specifically, the Specialist Training in Intercultural Counseling aims to:
- offer an epistemological and practical framework on intercultural counseling, non-violent conflict resolution, intercultural mediation methods, and intercultural communication
- provide tools and techniques for working in the field
- deepen the understanding of Edelstein's pluralistic systemic model in an intercultural context
- address prejudices, attitudes towards diversity, and the ability to engage with the "Other" in a helping context
- offer a broader perspective on fostering contexts, which are always intercultural, even when migration is not involved
- present a multicultural view of adoptive families and how to make them intercultural.
Structure
STRUCTURE OF THE SPECIALIZATION IN INTERCULTURAL COUNSELING
The specialization in intercultural counseling has a total duration of 180 hours, including classes, seminars, internships, and supervision.
- 64 hours of classes divided into 8 days of 8 hours each (theory, practice, and self-work)
- 20 hours of residential seminar: a full weekend from Saturday morning to Sunday evening outside the city (experiential work)
- 45 hours of practical work (internship)
- 6 hours of group supervision (divided into two mid-week sessions – 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
- 20 hours of personal work
- 7 hours of cultural evenings (on training weekends, Saturday evenings)
- 10 hours for the final paper
- 8 hours for the concluding day and group presentation of papers
The Specialization in Intercultural Counseling at the Shinui Center will be held on Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, approximately once a month, with two additional Sundays from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM, a residential weekend (Saturday and Sunday outside the city), and two mid-week supervision meetings for practical work, conducted online via the Zoom platform (from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM).
During the summer months, from the last class until October 2025, participants will have the opportunity to complete the practical work, accompanied by online supervision, and write the final paper of about 10 pages, which will be presented in a group during the last session of the course. This interval allows for in-depth reflection, including guided reading, and a concrete application of the intercultural mediation techniques learned.
Classes
At the Shinui Center, in a welcoming environment, classes are held in a circle and have a dialogical and circular approach. While supported by didactic material (such as slide presentations) and audiovisual resources (viewing counseling sessions and/or documentaries), the days are conducted through a conversational approach. Sometimes, subgroups will be formed, utilizing all the space that the Shinui Center offers.
The one-hour lunch break, spent nearby, represents a convivial moment that provides an informal opportunity to discuss and elaborate on the topics covered during the morning.
Cultural Evenings
Since most participants in the Intercultural Counseling Specialization course come from distant locations, when the course takes place over the entire weekend, Saturday evening allows for participation in ad hoc cultural evenings in specific venues around the city. The details will be co-constructed.
Residential Seminar
The residential seminar, conducted with other students from Shinui Center courses in a picturesque location surrounded by nature, will be developed through small work groups, formed transversally among the courses, in a sort of itinerant experiential laboratories. The groups will be coordinated by at least two Shinui Center instructors. Each group will follow a different sequence (some starting with the first laboratory and others with the second, and so on). The laboratory is not intended as a linear space for merely telling and sharing one's story but as an experiential space where everyone has the opportunity to build their own narrative through the stimuli received from other participants and through non-verbal and narrative expressive techniques applicable to counseling (cards, collage, images...). There will be plenary sessions as well as pleasant and informal meetings such as lunch or dinner.
Personal Work
Groups are usually formed by professionals who, while all working with the migrant population, come from different fields. The personal work, which is primarily an in-depth study through readings in one's own work area or interest, allows for the "translation" of the epistemological framework and theory into specificity: schools, social services, child protection, foster care/adoption services, hospitals, psychiatry, prisons… are all structures that deal daily with multiculturalism. Translating this into intercultural action is a challenge and an art.
Internship
The 45-hour internship is carried out in facilities, including private ones, identified by the students or at their workplace, after drafting a project approved by the scientific director.
Although personal experience in the field is necessary, it is possible to participate in and/or view video-recorded intercultural counseling sessions as part of the internship.
Supervision
The internship will be accompanied by group supervision conducted by Cecilia Edelstein, counselor trainer and supervisor, director of the Shinui Center and the Intercultural Counseling Specialization course.
The supervision aims to support students in their practical work, assist with any difficulties encountered during the internship, work on personal style, and create greater professional confidence and further awareness of personal style and prejudices.
Group supervision allows for peer exchange, offers a space for mutual listening, and provides an opportunity to express doubts. Moreover, by discussing one's own and others' internship situations, the supervision meetings become an opportunity to deepen themes that emerged and techniques learned during the course, supported by debate, in a context different from the work environment.
Final Paper
At the end of the course, a final paper will be required that weaves together practical experience with the theory and content learned during the year. This paper will be presented by each student on the last training day in the format they find most suitable (any form of creativity is welcome).
Recipients
RECIPIENTS OF THE COUNSELING COURSE
The specialization in Intercultural Counseling at the Shinui Center, based on the Systemic Pluralist model developed by Edelstein, is intended for Counseling graduates registered with AssoCounseling. Upon completion of the course, after submitting a written paper, a diploma in "Specialization in Intercultural Counseling," recognized by AssoCounseling, will be awarded.
Other Recipients
The specialization course in Intercultural Counseling is also aimed at professionals working in the field of intercultural relations who have not previously obtained a Counselor diploma. Social workers, educators, doctors, psychologists and psychotherapists, family mediators, and practitioners such as teachers with experience in the intercultural field can enroll. Upon completion of the course, and after submitting a written paper, the title of "Professional with Skills in Intercultural Counseling and Family Mediation" will be awarded. For family mediators registered with AIMS, the course is also recognized as a specialization.
Instructors
INSTRUCTORS OF THE COUNSELING COURSE
- Cecilia Edelstein - Head and lead instructor
- Tiziana Mantovani
- Orietta Sponchiado
Content
THEORETICAL CONTENT
- mixed couples, multiethnic families, and migrant families
- integration models in a multiethnic society
- the network in the territory and professional networks in the intercultural field
- psychological aspects of migratory processes and gender differences
- intercultural lexicon
- refugees and asylum seekers – initial interviews
- migration and trauma
- giving birth elsewhere: maternity in a distant land
- educational contexts: reception, integration, and inclusion
- linguistic-cultural mediation: constraints and resources
- second generations: family bonds, ties with the surrounding environment
- mixed identities: psychosocial-evolutionary implications
- fostering and adoption
- marginalized female labor: domestic workers, caregivers, and prostitutes
- unaccompanied foreign minors
- interdisciplinary networks in multicultural contexts
Methodology
The specialization in Intercultural Counseling at the Shinui Center follows the systemic pluralist approach developed by Edelstein and his collaborators and applied in various contexts.
As with all other courses at the Shinui Center, self-work, which follows an experiential method, practical parts with simulations and discussions, and the theory read and discussed, are three levels that are included and intertwined. Teaching is circular, and the dialogic mode among all participants in a group of no more than 15 allows for strong involvement, an intimate atmosphere, and mutual enrichment.
A bibliography for further reading will be provided from time to time.
Specific Techniques
- the pluralist intervention model in counseling, mediation, and intercultural therapies
- the construction of selves in intercultural communication (universalism, constructivism, social constructionism, and ethnopsychological models)
- the narrative approach
- the group work model
- the narrative in non-verbal expressive techniques
- the use of the linguistic-cultural mediator as both a constraint and a resource
Registration
REGISTRATION AND COSTS FOR THE SPECIALIZATION COURSE IN INTERCULTURAL COUNSELING
The application form must be accompanied by a curriculum vitae with a photo, a photocopy of the counselor diploma or, in the absence of it, a photocopy of the most recent qualification, a brief written statement of the motivation to take the course, and a payment of €100 + VAT.
Admission interviews will be conducted. For candidates living far away, the interviews can be conducted online.
The total course fee is €1,800 + VAT with the option of installment payments.
Those who register by September 15 will benefit from a financial incentive with a total course cost of €1,600 + VAT.
Payments are made by bank transfer:
Beneficiary: Shinui – Center for Relationship Counseling
IBAN: IT 10 S 05034 11109 000000001701
Bank: Banco B.P.M. (High City branch)
For more information, contact the secretariat.
Schedule
SCHEDULE AND PLANNING
Starting Saturday, October 26, 2024.
October 26, 2024
Psychological aspects of migratory processes and gender differences.
Cecilia Edelstein
November 23, 2024
Intercultural lexicon.
Systemic pluralist epistemological framework.
Linguistic Cultural Mediation (LCM) - Constraints and resources
Cecilia Edelstein
November 24, 2024
Introductory interview with asylum seekers (reception, different truths, possible narratives).
Working with migration trauma.
Cecilia Edelstein
January 18, 2025
Giving birth elsewhere.
Group work model with migrant women.
Tiziana Mantovani
February 22, 2025 (Probably Online)
Mixed identity of migrant children.
Fostering and adoption
Cecilia Edelstein
March 15, 2025
Migrant families. Second generations.
Internship preparation
Cecilia Edelstein
March 16, 2025
Marginalized female labor (domestic workers, caregivers, prostitutes).
Internship projects
Cecilia Edelstein
April 12, 2025
Mixed couples.
Orietta Sponchiado
Internship starts: 45 hours of practical work
May (date to be defined)
1 midweek group supervision meeting
17:00 – 20:00 (online)
Residential Seminar: June 14-15, 2025
Belongings
July (date to be defined)
1 midweek group supervision meeting
17:00 – 20:00 (online)
Personal Development and Final Paper Writing
October 11, 2025
Presentation of final works, group discussion, and future perspectives
Cecilia Edelstein