Disability and Counseling in Malaysia

Multicultural Counseling in Malaysia

• Estimated 4 million Malaysians are living with disabilities, but only 453,258 people with disabilities are registered in Malaysia as of 2017.
• Disability is defined as long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments that hinder full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.

Disability in Malaysia

• Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 defines persons with disabilities as those with long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments that interact with various barriers to hinder full participation in society.
• Consider office accessibility and scheduling to accommodate clients with disabilities.
• Use person-first language (e.g., "person with a disability") instead of disability identity language (e.g., "disabled person").

Language and Disability

• Use the client's preferred language term.
• Avoid language that focuses on a perceived deficit (e.g., "confined to a wheelchair" instead of "person who uses a wheelchair").
• Ask about disability, even if not visible, and assess perceived social support.

Clinical Implications: Assessment

• Ask the client about their disability and its impact on daily life.
• Assess the disability model(s) to inform case conceptualization and intervention.
• Failure to conform to or internalize stereotypes is not necessarily denial of disability status.

Clinical Implications: Diagnosis

• Consider how a particular model of disability informs the presenting problem.
• Higher levels of anxiety following acute disability onset may resemble a panic disorder.

Gender and Sexuality

• Genderqueer is an identity that falls anywhere between man/boy/male and woman/girl/female on the spectrum of gender identities.
• Gender dysphoria is a conflict between a person's physical or assigned gender and the gender with which they identify.
• Asexual people do not experience sexual attraction.
• Intersex people are born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn't fit typical male or female classifications (4% of births).

The Men's Movement

• The men's movement is a response to criticism of traditional masculine roles and their position of power in society.
• Men are examining the causes of negative and detrimental behaviors such as male violence, rape, and sexual assault.

Men in Counseling

• Male-friendly counseling involves understanding masculine values and designing treatment interventions to build and maintain rapport.
• Counselors should be aware of their own bias, stereotyping, and use of power, and be aware of intersectionality.
• Men may choose female counselors due to comfort, relational sensitivity, or past negative experiences with male counselors.

Female Counselor with Men

• Recognize the impact of men's socialization and differences with one's own gender socialization.
• Monitor for unresolved issues with men impacting therapy.
• Be mindful of relationship dynamics, power, and shame.

Male Counselor with Men

• Be mindful of male power competitiveness and masculine fusion between client and counselor.
• Recognize countertransference issues and potential blind spots in shared assumptions.
• Provide a positive male role model.

This quiz covers facts and legislation related to disability and multicultural counseling in Malaysia, including statistics and definitions.