We held Seminar 1 for Foreign Consultation Workers – "Verbalizing" the Meaning of Your Own Practice for Sustainable Consultation Practice.

On Sunday, December 8, 2012, a seminar titled "Seminar for Foreign Resident Consultants ① - Articulating the Meaning of Your Own Practice for Sustainable Consultation Practice -" was held at Itabashi Green Hall.

Foreign national counselors are prone to stress due to cultural differences with their clients and the difficulty in gaining understanding of the significance and expertise of their work. Therefore, this seminar aimed to help foreign national counselors articulate their own practical activities, with Professor Yoshikazu Shiobara of Keio University, an expert in the theory and practice of multicultural coexistence, as the lecturer. Reflecting on one's own activities and considering their significance will help prevent burnout among foreign national counselors and ultimately lead to sustainable practice.

Twenty-one people involved in providing support to foreigners participated in this seminar. First, Professor Shiobara gave a lecture on "multicultural coexistence." Following the lecture, the participants reflected on their own practices and engaged in a group discussion. In his lecture, Professor Shiobara stated that a "philosophy" is necessary to continue providing support in the long term, and he spoke about theories that can serve as references for that "philosophy." In the discussion after the break, each participant connected the professor's lecture with their own activities and shared their opinions, resulting in a lively discussion. Although the participants all belong to different organizations and have different job duties, they all seemed to share many common experiences, and there was a lot of empathy for the opinions expressed.

We plan to hold another seminar on mental health for foreign counselors later this year, this time on a different topic. If you were unable to attend this time, we would be delighted if you could join us at the next seminar. Please invite your friends and family, and we look forward to seeing you there! We will inform you of the details as soon as they are finalized.

*This project is implemented with the support of Pfizer Inc.'s "2011 Pfizer Program - Support for Citizen Activities and Research on Mental and Physical Healthcare."