Counseling International Students: Clients from Around the World

Counseling International Students: Clients from Around the World Arthur, N. (2004). Counseling international students: Clients from around the world. New York, NY: Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers. Pp. vii+ 149, ISBN 0-306-48069-7International students have emerged as a student population that plays a critical role in the internationalization efforts of institutions of higher education across the world. Currently, the United States leads the world in the number of international students on local campuses. In 2000, a total of 547,867 international students were enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities. According to the Open Doors report, the number of international students reached 764,495 in 2011 (Institute of International Education, 2012). When considering this growth in the representation of international students on U.S. campuses, it is important to acknowledge that institutions have also acquired additional responsibilities, committing to provide services that can fulfill the academic and personal needs of this student sub-population. In line with this commitment, institutions have witnessed a rising number of students seeking counseling services because of psychological problems (Gallagher, 2011). International students are not excluded from this trend. Arthur (2004) uses her experiences counseling international students to explore how counselors in higher education can better understand this important student group and develop competencies and skills to provide the support services that will encourage these students to succeed.Arthur (2004) situates this examination within the context of "cross-cultural transition," considering the unique experiences that international students face when making the decision to study in a foreign country. Arthur's approach is simple and effective. In Chapters 1-4, she takes the reader step-by-step through the general process that characterizes the experience of an international student, and explores how differing cultural values, norms, and expectations can influence how students cope with the stresses of traveling overseas to study; interacting with a new culture, adapting to a college environment, facing the emotional ups and downs of culture shock, and finally returning to their home countries.In Chapter 5, Arthur explains the current multicultural counseling competencies that must guide counselors. She constructs a direct link to how these core counseling skills can be applied when working with international students. Chapter 6 introduces short but compelling individual case scenarios that illustrate the unique problems and issues that international students can face. These scenarios offer an opportunity to consider and reflect on the role of counselors serving international students, and allow the reader to connect literature presented throughout this book to how transitions in a cultural context shape the experience of international students. The final chapter focuses on institutional guidelines to enhance the services and support that are currently offered for international students. This chapter emphasizes the need to provide services that keep up with the increasing number of issues that arise when larger numbers of students with rich and diverse backgrounds come together on college and university campuses. The chapter concludes by identifying areas for future research.The strength of Arthur's work is her focused attention on the student experience. She provides a detailed examination of how cultural transitions and differences can influence the decision of international students to seek counseling services, and the process by which counselors should offer these services. Arthur points out that counselors can rely on core competencies that incorporate flexibility when international students seek counseling services. In many cultures, there is a stigma associated with seeking counseling services and students may be unfamiliar and uncomfortable with the dynamics of seeking help from someone whom they may consider to be an authority figure. …