Canadian society encompasses a variety of cultural, ethnic and religious groups. It is essential for the counsellor to understand the beliefs and thought processes of individuals within these various groups in order to establish rapport and understanding, as well as to make the counselled individual feel comfortable.

This book is based on the belief of diversity and the importance of culture, that multicultural counselling offers an approach to working with people from different ethnic, racial, religious backgrounds and sexual orientations. Understanding the causes and costs of stereotypes and biases is vital if counsellors are to bridge the ethnic and racial divide. Being secure in one’s own identity, culturally and racially, can only help to ensure that people accept and respect individual and collective differences. This book provides necessary background information relative to many of the diverse cultural groups in Canada.