No abstract

espite a long-held belief within the field of counseling psychology concerning the importance of understanding and appreciating individual differences, constructive change in how many mental health professionals work with issues of diversity at the individual and community level has been slow in coming. In 1992, Sue, Arredondo, and McDavis noted that minority clients may be in therapy with professionals who, because of inadequate training, lack the basic competencies for working ethically and effectively with diverse populations. Although there is room for improvement, current accreditation standards of the American Psychological Association (APA) now require that all counseling and clinical psychology graduate programs include relevant course work and ensure that students demonstrate competency in their understanding of and ability to work with issues of diversity. Similarly, the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs also requires master's level psychology students to demonstrate competencies in relation to diversity