Perspectives of counseling among a sample of deaf adults

Though members of counseling professions are responsible for maintaining multicultural competency, there is a dearth of research literature to inform culturally-relevant counseling strategies for Deaf adults. This study uses naturalistic inquiry to better understand Deaf perspectives regarding counseling to provide a foundation for multicultural research and practices aimed at serving the Deaf community. Five participants contributed data in interviews which were transcribed, coded, and subjected to constant comparative analysis. As a result, the following five themes emerged from the data: Struggles and Trauma, Importance of Counseling, Barriers to Counseling, Emotional Support Role of the Counselor, and Desirable Counselor Characteristics. Implications for counselors, researchers, and educators are discussed.