Operationalizing multicultural training in doctoral programs and internships.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe an operational definition of multicultural training through dialogue with experts in the field via a modified Delphi method. A list of 91 experts was identified from their publication records during 1980-1991. Fifty-one of the identified experts (56%) elected to participate in this study. In Phase 1 of the study, the participants were sent an open-ended questionnaire that asked them to specify 10 attributes important for both doctoral programs and internships to be considered "multicultural." In Phase 2, the participants were asked to rank order the compiled list of the attributes according to perceived importance. The results of this investigation may provide guidance to doctoral programs and internships as they attempt to train multiculturally competent psychologists.Over the last 20 to 30 years, numerous conferences on graduate training and a plethora of position papers have recommended that professional training prepare psychologists to effectively work with diverse populations. The field of psychology appears to have recognized that it cannot ignore its "re-SUZETTE L. SPEIGHT received her PhD in counseling psychology from the Ohio State University in 1990. She is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling Psychology at Loyola University Chicago. Her academic interests include multicultural training, process and outcome variables in multicultural counseling, and Afrocentric psychology. ANITA JONES THOMAS received her PhD in counseling psychology from Loyola University Chicago in January 1995. She is currently an assistant professor in Human Services-Counseling at National-Louis University in Wheaton, Illinois. RICHARD G. KENNEL received his MA from Loyola University Chicago in community counseling and is now a doctoral candidate in counseling psychology at Loyola University Chicago. He is beginning his pre-doctoral internship at

Home Visitation Programs With Ethnic Minority Families: Cultural issues in Parent Consultation

“…Changes in existing training programs, some of them dramatic, have been advocated as a means of addressing cultural barriers to intervening with historically underserved ethnic groups (BoydFranklin, 1989;Halpern, 1993;Kalyanpur & Rao, 1991;Mitchell-Jackson, 1982;Speight, Thomas, Kennel, & Anderson, 1995). Among the most radical ideas has been the suggestion that students or trainees be required to spend their first year residing in a minority community to learn firsthand about a different culture and its intricacies (Mitchell-Jackson, 1982).…”

“Directive Approach” for Chinese Clients Receiving Psychotherapy: Is That Really a Priority?

“…There appears to be little information regarding Chinese clients’ perceptions of therapy in the available literature, and yet as the North American population continues to diversify, therapists and other mental health professionals have an obligation to examine cultural sensitivity issues in therapeutic practice and to develop multicultural counseling competence (Carlson et al, 1998). Over the past few decades, the importance of multicultural education has been stressed in mandates of professional associations (Speight et al, 1995), and these associations have provided guidelines to help therapists serve clients who belong to non-dominant cultures (Canadian Psychological Association, 2001; American Psychological Association, 2002). Specific to our study, Chinese people constitute one of the largest visible minority groups in Canada (Colin, 2001), and Canadian therapists are likely to be working with clients from Chinese cultural backgrounds.…”

Multicultural Training in CACREP Counselor Education Programs: A Survey

“…Evidence of meeting these standards is customary in the accreditation and reaccreditation processes. However, multicultural competencies and standards for counselor education (doctoral) programs are a growing concern (Speight, Thomas, Kennel, & Anderson, 1995). Since counseling faculty will more than likely come through a Counselor Education program, it would seem logical to have multicultural standards in place.…”