Diversity training: Conceptual issues and practices for Canadian clinical psychology programs.

Abstract

Abstract This article presents recent arguments about the need for sensitivity to diversity issues in psychological practice, and for training programs to attend to these issues. The results of a survey related to the extent and nature of diversity training in Canadian clinical psychology programs are presented, in which diversity was defined broadly as reflecting the vast number of possible individual differences (e.g., culture, nationality, ethnicity, colour, race, gender, religion, sexual preference, disability, economic disadvantage) that can affect clinical psychology knowledge, research, and practice. Directors of Clinical Training (DCrs) at all Canadian clinical psychology programs were asked about the extent to which various aspects of diversity training were deemed important or essential to their program, what training activities were required, and how effective different methods of training were viewed. The results revealed that DCTs varied widely in their opinion of how important diversity materials were, and that few programs require many different methods of training related to diversity. Further, the training methods more commonly adopted did not generally relate well with those that were seen as being most effective. Implications of the survey for training in clinical psychology are provided. [Reference] References [Reference] Abney, V.D. (1996). Cultural competency in the field of child maltreatment. InJ. Briere, L. Berliner,J.A. Bulkley, C. Jenny, & T. Reid (Eds.), The APSAC handbook on child maltreatment (pp. 408-419). London: Sage. American Psychological Association. (1991). Guidelines for providers of psychological services to ethnic, linguistic, and culturally diverse populations. In H.F. Myers, P. Wohlford, L.P. Guzman, & RJ. Echemendia (Eds.), Ethnic minority perspectives on clinical training and services in psychology. Washington DC: American Psychological Association. [Reference] Aponte,J.F., & Clifford,J. (1995). Education and training issues for intervention with ethnic groups. InJ.F. Aponte, RY. Rivers, &J. Wohl (Eds.), Psychological interventions and cultural diversity (pp. 283-300). Needham Heights, NY: Allyn & Bacon. Arean, P.A., & Gallagher-Thompson, D. (1996). Issues and recommendations for the recruitment and retention of older ethnic minority adults into clinical research. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 875-880. Bernal, M.E., & Castro, F.G. (1994). Are clinical psychologists prepared for service and research with ethnic minorities? Report of a decade of progress. American Psychologist, 49, 797-805. Canadian Psychological Association. (1991). Canadian code of ethics for psychologists. Ottawa: Author. Cheatham, H.E. (1994). A response. The Counseling Psychologist, 22, 290-295. Dana, R.H. (1995). Impact of the use of standard psychological assessment on the diagnosis and treatment of ethnic minorities. In J.F. Aponte, RY Rivers, and J. Wahl (Eds.), Psychological interventions and cultural diversity (pp. 57-73). Needham Heights, NY: Allyn Bacon. Esses, V.M. & Gardner, R.C. (1996). Multiculturalism in [Reference] Canada: Context and current status. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 28, 145-152. Fineman, N. (1991). The social construction of noncompliance: Implications for cross-cultural geriatric practice. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 6, 219-227. Gray-Little, B. (1995). The assessment of psychopathology in racial and ethnic minorities. InJ.N. Butcher (Ed.), Clinical personality assessment: Practical approaches (pp. 140-157). New York: Oxford. Hall, C.C.I. (1997). Cultural malpractice: The growing obsolescence of psychology with the changing II.S. population. American Psychologist, 52, 642-651. [Reference] Harre, R. …