Strengthening Cultural Sensitivity in Mental Health Counseling for Deaf Clients

Much attention has been given to cultural sensitivity within the mental health counseling literature. Deafness has been discussed in the disability literature, but there is little mention of deafness in a cultural context. Consequently, counselors may not be providing culturally sensitive services to their deaf clients. The authors provide an overview of the Deaf culture, describe the unique communication needs of deaf clients, and offer a description of culturally embedded behaviors that are relevant to counseling.