Respond 3 to 5 sentences

  In your response, compare and contrast your own approach to The Case of Wendy to that of your peer. Would you adopt something your peer suggested and what you would do differently? 

 
eview Lisa’s (the counselor’s) interactions with Wendy and her supervisor. Identify at least two interactions that could be considered microaggressions. 
My perspective in the case of Lisa’s (the counselor’s) interactions with Wendy and her supervisor, lead me to two microaggressions. 

1.  Lisa’s assumptive reaction of amazement (surprised) that Wendy could be doing so well in school considering her race and background.  
2.  Lisa didn’t want to deal with Wendy anymore. 
3.  Wendy interpreted Lisa’s mentioning of her being a single mother raising a family, as an indirect surprise (allegedly assuming) that Wendy couldn’t’ve actually been successfully at raising kids. In actuality, I believe Lisa was complimenting her.  
4.  Wendy put up a wall of “Never mind”, blocking the communication between her and Lisa by personalizing her comments due to her feeling profiled.  
5.  Lisa’s underlined stereotype of Wendy being an angry black woman.  
6.  Lisa did not address her concerns, just her actions which she seen as threatening. Wendy would be better with another counselor. 

Now imagine you are Lisa; how would you approach Wendy’s concerns about working in a system dominated by mainstream values and ideals? 
 If I was Lisa, I would address Wendy’s concerns by first showing empathy. Unfortunately, as a Native Indian, I’ve also been faced withdiscrimination in the work pace. However, I would then focus on resilience and teaching her to push through. Resilience would be my line of focus. It’s defined as the ability to recover after a misfortune (Dictionary.com, n.d.). In addition, I would also inform Wendy of her options. If she had proof she was being discriminated against, I would then locate resources that would take a deeper look into the accusations.  
Discuss your experiences with respect to a time when you experienced a microaggression related to your skin color, gender, or social class, or a time when you have caught yourself as the aggressor with a person of color, a woman, or a person of a lower social class.  
 When I first married my wife (she’s White) and we were seen in the public – at least the first two years, my wife was approach and called a “nigger” by both Whites and Blacks. I allowed their negative prejudice and racist behavior to upset me. 
How did you handle it at the time?  
I punched both of them. I didn’t speak to either race for 4 months.       
How would you handle it now if a microaggression occurs in a counseling relationship? 
 Unfortunately, here in this part of Georgia it happens periodically – even with small children saying racial words to my family. I approach it and handle it with using positive words like: “I’m sorry you don’t love yourself, but I do” or I quote a bible scripture to them.  
References 
Sue, D. W., & Sue, D. (2016). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. 
Sue, D. W., Sue, D. (2015). Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice, 7th Edition. [Bookshelf Online]. Retrieved fromhttps://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781119084334/  
www.Dictionary.com