I know from my training (social work) that we are encouraged to meet our own clients cultures. Part of the ethics (at least in Australia) is that we accept and embrace culture and identity as a strength of a person and should not force our own values onto them.

I believe it is something that should be negotiated between you and your therapist to determine something that you are both comfortable with doing. For example, if you are a person who likes to hug but your therapist isn't comfortable (or vice versa) you may come up with an action or greeting that expresses that without the hug. For example, a hand shake or specialised verbal greeting that you are both comfortable with.

As for challenging to 'talk straight' I'm not 100% sure what you mean. I assume you mean speaking what is on your mind and not trying to sugarcoat everything/be worried about how it affects others? Personally, I would attempt to get to a point with my clients that allowed them to feel comfortable talking to me about anything without fear of retribution, but would also attempt to set boundaries on what was acceptable using guidelines wiithin our current culture, etc. For example, I would be comfortable with a person telling me what they thought of my practice if I had done something wrong (even if it involved something I found rude or insulting) but then attempt to help the individual to rephrase that same comment in a way that was more constructive. For example instead of telling me that I was a ****** for [insert wrong action here] working with them to constructively state that 'when I did [insert action here] it made them feel [insert feeling] and because of that [negative effects on them and our therapeutic relationship].

Does this make sense? I am having trouble trying to word it so that it makes sense - it is so much easier face to face!