THE ROLES OF COUNSELOR IN MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITY

Abstract

Indonesia face the challenges of global competition and the MEA that require the development of national education systems. Education should be a positive impact on people's lives and national culture (Department of Education, 1992). Indonesian society is affected by globalization and the development of technology and information. Indonesian society is a multicultural society and developing societies that are in transition from a traditional society toward modern society. Modern multicultural society and is a dynamic life marked interaction between diverse components. Indonesia is a country that consists of a variety of diversity such as ethnicity, religion, ethnicity and culture. Therefore, the Indonesian nation is referred to as a multicultural society. Multicultural society is a society which recognizes the cultural pluralism. Lately, people's lives are increasingly complex due to the changes in various aspects of life. In response to this phenomenon, the role of the counselor is seen to contribute to the implementation of the counseling process. Counseling is an activity that is essential in the life of each client that is growing to achieve optimal independence and development. Counselors in running counseling is not possible apart from public life. Counselors need to understand the human being in all things, even the possibility of understanding the changes that can be expected to occur in human beings. The effectiveness of counseling depends on many factors, one of which is the relationship with each other, and mutual understanding between counselor and client. This relationship will be more easily achieved if the counselor and client come from the same cultural background. The difference between the counselor and the client should not negatively affect the counseling process.