Experiential Activities and Multicultural Counseling Competence Training

Abstract

Counselor's multicultural counseling competence (attitudes/beliefs, knowledge, and skills) has been highlighted as an important ingredient in creating positive counseling outcomes when the clients are ethnic and racial minorities. The use of experiential activities in general, and games in particular, is presented as a potentially useful strategy to instill and enhance multicultural competence in counselor trainees. Illustrative games and guidelines for implementation are described.

The influence of film and experiential pedagogy on multicultural counseling self-efficacy and multicultural counseling competence

“…Researchers Coleman, 2006;Kim & Lyons, 2003) emphasize that experiential pedagogical approaches enhance the effectiveness of multicultural counselor training beyond the traditional approach. The current study provides ample ground for further scholarship on the influence of film in increasing multicultural sensitivity and self-efficacy for counselor trainees.…”

“…Although there has been an increase in literature on the need for culturally competent practices, there is a relative paucity of literature on how to teach counselor trainees to be culturally competent (Kim & Lyons, 2003). Traditional pedagogical methods in the counseling profession have typically originated from a European-Western perspective, operating primarily within monocultural and monolingual frameworks, which can be ineffective when working with people from diverse backgrounds (Sue, Arredondo, & McDavis, 1992).…”

“…Additionally, multicultural self-efficacy has been found to be critical in working with clients from diverse backgrounds, however, there is a relative paucity of literature on how to teach counselor trainees to be culturally competent and selfefficacious (Kim & Lyons, 2003). The use of experiential education is one pedagogical tool that has been supported in effectively connecting multicultural theory to practice Coleman, 2006 …”

Multicultural Training in CACREP Counselor Education Programs: A Survey

“…It can enable counseling trainees to confront and overcome racial and ethnic biases. By being able to offer firsthand experiences to counseling trainees, they seem to become more engaged and therefore achieve the educational objectives (Achenbach & Arthur, 2002;Kim & Lyons, 2003). When students participate in experiential activities, they experience both cultural similarities and differences.…”

Learning Through Caring in the Clinical Settings

“…In all four cases, the students are given the opportunity to observe and practice the learning skill based on the principle of " learning by doing" which Kim and Lyons [15] emphasized is a very effective strategy. According to them this is the favored mode of delivery of creative and innovative teachers.…”