Training Counseling Students to Develop Group Leadership Self-Efficacy and Multicultural Competence Through Service Learning

Abstract

This article describes a service-learning project designed to increase student group leadership self-efficacy and multicultural competence. Students facilitated debriefing groups for campus and community members after they participated in a theater production aimed at increasing awareness of oppression, power, and privilege. Students completed pre- and posttest measures to evaluate this approach. After completing the project, there was a significant increase in students’ group leadership self-efficacy and a trend toward significance in multicultural knowledge. However, there was no change in multicultural awareness. Implications for incorporating service learning as a teaching strategy in counselor education preparing students to conduct group work are discussed.