Evaluating the effects of cultural immersion on counselor trainees' multicultural development and intercultural competence: A metasynthesis of qualitative evidence

Promoting culturally and socially responsive multicultural training: Reflection, description, and synthesis from a refugee-serving multicultural therapy practicum.

“…Explicitly, the questions of how and what is needed to formulate effective MSJT that can facilitate psychology and counsellor trainees’ cultural competence, cultural humility, and social responsibility, including demonstrable skills and actions, have been extensively debated and studied (Adams & Kivlighan, 2019; Hage et al, 2020; Kuo, 2012; Smith et al, 2006). Parenthetically, cumulative experiential MSJT empirical and applied literature has offered some critical insights, promising clues, and potential directions (Kuo, Hussein, et al, 2023; Pope-Davis et al, 1997).…”

“…The literature has offered several directions for promoting MSJT. They include training and instruction through (a) involving experientially grounded exercises (Arthur & Achenbach, 2002; Kim & Lyons, 2003) and/or cultural (or cross-cultural) immersion pedagogies (Kuo, Hussein, et al, 2023; Shannonhouse et al, 2018); (b) engaging trainees in community-oriented service learning (Midgett & Doumas, 2016; Tomlinson-Clarke & Clarke, 2010) and community participatory practices (Hage et al, 2020; Harrell & Bond, 2006); and (c) implementing supervised multicultural counselling/therapy practicum that focuses on trainees’ actual cultural–clinical skill acquisition and the integration of their cultural knowledge and practice (e.g., Tomlinson-Clarke, 2000). These participatory, interpersonal, and skills-focused MSJT perspectives and interventions prescribed above are also conceptually compatible with the increasing emphasis on “cultural humility” of mental health clinicians (Davis et al, 2018; Mosher et al, 2017; Sue et al, 2022).…”

“…Now let me return to the central theme posed in the introduction, concerning evidence-based best practices for MSJT. Over the past 2 decades, there has been a steadily emerging body of MSJT literature grounded in the broad theoretical framework of experiential learning (Arthur & Achenbach, 2002; Kolb, 1984), cultural immersion (Barden & Cashwell, 2013; Kuo, Hussein, et al, 2023; Shannonhouse et al, 2018), service-based learning (Midgett & Doumas, 2016; Tomlinson-Clarke & Clarke, 2010), and/or multicultural counselling, therapy, and social justice practicum (Hage et al, 2020; Kuo & Boucher, 2020). These developments have compelled culture and diversity training towards a more interactional, process-oriented, and skills-focused pedagogy involving students in direct, cross-cultural contact with culturally diverse individuals and communities (Pope-Davis et al, 1997; Tomlinson-Clarke, 2000).…”

“…These in vivo MSJT interventions encompass experiential cultural learning through direct interpersonal interactions, developing practical cross-cultural skills, and engaging in action-oriented community services (Shannonhouse et al, 2018). A characteristic feature of cultural immersion MSJT modality is its unique potential to engage students directly in community participation, service, and social activism due to the active intercultural, interpersonal, and interactional nature of the immersion process (Kuo, Hussein, et al, 2023). The comprehensive and wide-ranging learning impacts of immersion-based multicultural training interventions on psychology and counsellor trainees have been evaluated and summarized in a recent metasynthesis of 33 qualitative and mixed-methods cultural immersion studies by Kuo, Hussein, et al (2023).…”

“…A characteristic feature of cultural immersion MSJT modality is its unique potential to engage students directly in community participation, service, and social activism due to the active intercultural, interpersonal, and interactional nature of the immersion process (Kuo, Hussein, et al, 2023). The comprehensive and wide-ranging learning impacts of immersion-based multicultural training interventions on psychology and counsellor trainees have been evaluated and summarized in a recent metasynthesis of 33 qualitative and mixed-methods cultural immersion studies by Kuo, Hussein, et al (2023). The authors identified significant, broad-based cultural learning in the participants across five major domains: (a) cognitive; (b) perceptual–attitudinal; (c) affective; (d) skills–behavioural; and (e) cultural dissonance.…”