Browsing by Subject "Multicultural competence"
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Item A case for mindfulness practice in fostering multicultural competence in counseling(2014-08) Tourek, Samuel ChristopherClear and alarming disparities in mental health service and utilization exist between ethnic minorities and non-minorities. Research in the field of counseling psychology has been vigilant in naming this issue, and multicultural counseling competence (MCC) has been identified as an essential, ethical component to best practice in therapy. However, despite these efforts, action has been inadequate and slow to address the needs of substantial portions of the population. A contributing factor in the delay to amend these disparities is the lack of clarity about exactly what constitutes MCC, and how it is achieved, demonstrated and/or experienced. The present study offers mindfulness meditation as a potential vehicle for cultivating multicultural competence in therapists. Research in the field that combines MCC and mindfulness is virtually non-existent. As such, this study explores the relationship between MCC and mindfulness among 123 therapists at college and university counseling centers across the country. Survey data collected included demographic information, and the completion of the Multicultural Awareness, Knowledge, and Skills Survey- Counselor Edition- Revised Outcome (MAKSS-CE-R) and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Correlation and regression analyses were conducted for all participants and also for White-identified participants only. Data analysis revealed that positive relationships do exist between the MAKSS-CE-R and the FFMQ, and also between their respective subscales. Exploratory analyses revealed Gender to be a significant moderator of FFM-Observing when predicting MAKSS-CE-R-Total score among all participants and among White-identified participants. FFM-Non-judging was also moderated by Gender as a significant predictor variable among White-identified therapists. Results suggest that MCC and mindfulness are related, and that mindfulness may account for a respectable amount of the variance in MCC score as measured by the MAKSS-CE-R.Item An investigation of counselor trainees‟ perceptions of supervisor culturally competent feedback behaviors and general behaviors in supervision.(2011-08) Lee, Hyun KyungSocieties and cultures become more diverse and globalized. Changing demographics of the U.S. population draws increasing attention to issues of diversity and multicultural competence. In the mental health field, a growing body of research focuses on multicultural counseling and training. As supervision is a critical component of counselor training, including counselor development of cultural competence, culturally competent supervision has been studied in some previous studies. To date, however, little research has been conducted to comprehensively describe specific supervisor behaviors that constitute multicultural competence. In particular counselor trainees' perceptions of culturally competent supervisor behaviors, including supervisor provision of feedback, have received little research attention. Thus, three major research questions were investigated in the present study: (1) What supervisor behaviors (including feedback behaviors) do counseling trainees regard as culturally competent? (2) Do expectations of culturally competent supervisor behaviors differ between 1st year and 2nd year trainees? and (3) Do perceptions of culturally competent supervisor behaviors differ from perceptions of behaviors that comprise general supervisor competencies? Participants consisted of first and second year students enrolled either in a psychological counseling masters program or second year students enrolled in a genetic counseling masters program at the University of Minnesota (N = 51; 11 males and 40 females). A focus group design was used for this qualitative research. Participants in eight focus groups viewed a DVD containing two hypothetical supervision situations involving supervisor provision of feedback to a supervisee regarding the supervisee's apparent cultural insensitivity towards a client. One scenario portrayed a psychological counseling supervision relationship and one scenario portrayed a genetic counseling supervision relationship. Focus group participants responded to a series of questions regarding supervisor multicultural competence and general competence. They provided written responses prior to and after viewing the scenarios, and they gave verbal responses during focus group interviews. The focus group discussions were audiorecorded and transcribed by the researcher. Qualitative analysis of both written and verbal responses yielded four overarching themes reflecting supervisor culturally-relevant: Awareness, Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes. Some supervisor behaviors identified as culturally competent in this study are congruent with findings of previous studies (Ancis & Ladany, 2001; Dressel, Consoli, Kim, & Atkinson, 2007; Falender & Shafranske, 2004). Although most responses from the first year and the second year counseling students were similar and generally consistent, there were some notable differences particularly regarding expectations about supervisor provision of direction/guidance. Provision of guidance as a culturally competent supervisor behavior was a more prevalent theme for first year students. The findings of this study also show considerable overlap between behaviors associated with general supervisor competence and cultural competence (e.g., supervisor empathy, non-judgmentalness, self-disclosure). Major findings, study strengths and limitations, and clinical and research implications are discussed.