Ethnic diversity and the use of humor in counseling: Appropriate or inappropriate?

Humor can reflect the healthy release of feelings during the counseling pro cess, the type of emotional release that leads to significant therapeutic g ains. It can also be a disturbing distraction, possibly causing early termi nation, if used inappropriately. Counselors need to exert particular cautio n before attempting to apply humor in working with a client from a culture different from the counselor's. This article explores the available literat ure and offers contributions on the subject from 4 "ethnically diverse" per spectives. Finally, a general approach based on existential theory is prese nted along with 5 general conditions to ascertain the appropriate use of hu mor.