Challenges of applied cross-cultural psychology.

The assigned readings for Week 7 cover the challenges of applied cross-cultural psychology.

For example, note the personal and sensitive cross-cultural situation between Gerome and Suki in the readings.

Cross-cultural counseling requires great sensitivity.  In this conference discussion imagine that you are a high school counselor.

Your friend, a science teacher, refers a 16-year-old girl, an immigrant girl originally from rural India to your office.  The teacher tells you that the girl is very intelligent, but lately, the girl’s schoolwork has declined in quality and the girl seems overly tense and nervous.

Finally, the teacher tells you the girl confided to her that she is frightened about being sent back to Asia in order to be married to an older man, because her parents have agreed to an arranged marriage which will financially benefit her family.

The girl tells you that she really does not wish to be married but is afraid to resist her parent’s wishes.

She much prefers to stay in school and perhaps one day become a doctor or a teacher like her older cousin.  You have never met the girl’s parents.

Given only this information:

a.  What would you say to the girl?

b.  What would you say to the teacher?

c.  What other actions, if any, would you take?