Perceptions of Multicultural Counseling Competency: Integration of the Curricular and the Practical

Abstract

A national survey of counselor trainees was conducted to investigate variables that influence the development of perceived multicultural competencies. The development of multicultural counseling competencies from an integrative educational perspective was overviewed as a framework for empirically exploring these factors. The group differences on counselor trainees' scores of perceived multicultural competence was explored based on clinical supervision, number of multicultural classes, and number of non-White clients. Results indicate that receiving clinical supervision related to multicultural issues and conducting counseling with more non-White clients interacted significantly with higher scores of multicultural competence. Such findings highlight current curricular and practical issues within mental health counselor education and frame the need for ongoing research that evaluates our emphasis and commitment to multicultural counseling in the 21st century.