The Crisis of Relativism: Helping Counselors Cope with Diversity

Counselors are sometimes disoriented by the massive variety of approaches to the helping process. This plurality of counseling methods often pushes both students and practitioners toward an epistemological crisis—“the crisis of relativism.” A developmental scheme outlined by William Perry in 1970 is employed to interpret some of the typical cognitive transitions that can occur among counselor trainees who struggle with diversity. Also, the authors offer suggestions that may meet the particular needs of counselors coping with this multitude of therapy options.