Multicultural Counselor Competency in College Counseling Centers: Recommendations for Implementation

Abstract

A brief review of the research on multicultural counselor competence is presented as well as a review of the measurement of self-reported multicultural counselor competence with suggested measurement instruments. Recommendations for the implementation of multicultural-specific training in college counseling centers are made through the use of an example program located in a northeastern public university counseling center. Program implementation recommendations and implementation based on International Association of Counseling Services standards are discussed. Concluding remarks and future research directions specific to college counseling center multicultural counseling programming are also included. Multicultural Counselor Competency in College Counseling Centers:Recommendations for Implementation Chris Cubero, Ph.D. Slippery Rock University Counseling Center Multicultural Counseling Competency in College Counseling Centers:Recommendations for Implementation By necessity, counseling professionals are challenged with meeting the service needs of individuals from diverse groups. To answer the challenge, counselor education programs along with their accrediting bodies are increasingly more aware of the importance of cultural differences in counseling practices. The standards of practice outlined by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) include updated information on social and cultural diversity that parallel current research (CACREP, 2009). The International Association of Counseling Services (IACS, 2010) also recognized the importance of multicultural counseling competence in the role of counselors/counselors-in-training working within college and university settings. Thus, solidified counselor-in-training multicultural counseling awareness and knowledge of self and others, and skills when working cross-culturally are of the utmost importance.The purpose of this article is to recommend ways to implement evidence-based multicultural counseling competency standards for counselors-intraining working as interns or practicum students in university counseling centers. To do so, the article describes a current college counseling center Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) program's procedures and methods for training and measuring counselor-in-training multicultural counseling competency. BeforeChris Cubero is an Assistant Professor & Counselor in the Student Counseling Center at Slippery Rock University. He is also the Program Director of the Alcohol & Other Drug . He can be reached at chris.cubero@sru.edu. 34hand, a brief review of the multicultural counseling competency research is provided that includes a review of common instruments of self-reported multicultural counselor competence (MCC). Self-reported MCC instruments can be utilized by counseling center programs to measure counselor-in-training multicultural counseling learning outcomes. Recommendations are outlined for the implementation of MCC standards into college counseling centers that can be utilized wit...

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“…They shared counselors/therapists with cultural competency would be able to understand their upbringing, cultural contexts, and experiences. This is consistent with literature that recommends and supports culturally competent counseling (Cubero, 2011;Resnick, 2006). Conversely, this is reminiscent of literature that focused on the underuse of mental health services due to lack of culturally competent counselors (Kim-Goh et al, 2014).…”

“…There is a growing emphasis on cultural competence and relevance in counseling and mental health spaces. Studies have focused on recommendations toward multicultural counseling (Cubero, 2011;Resnick, 2006) and social justice (Ratts et al, 2016). Similarly, specific studies have also focused on the underuse of mental health services due to lack of cultural competency (Kim-Goh et al, 2015).…”