Are Multicultural Courses Addressing Disparities? Exploring Multicultural and Affirmative Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Competencies of Counseling and Psychology Students

Abstract

Clinical training and counselor competency are essential for ethical practice when working with multiethnic, lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB), and transgender clients. In this study, the author examined how multicultural courses related to students' (N = 286) LGB and multicultural competencies. Self-reported multicultural and LGB competencies varied significantly depending on the number and types of diversity education reported. Multicultural courses significantly predicted students' multicultural, but not LGB counselor competency. Political conservatism was the strongest predictor for both multicultural and sexual orientation competencies.La formación y competencias multiculturales afirmativas hacia individuos gays, lesbianas y bisexuales (LGB, por sus siglas en inglés) de consejeros son esenciales para una práctica clínica ética. En este estudio, el autor examinó cómo los cursos multiculturales se relacionaron con las competencias multiculturales de un grupo de estudiantes (N = 286). Las competencias multiculturales y sobre LGB autorreportadas variaron significativamente dependiendo del número y tipos de educación sobre diversidad reportados. Los cursos multiculturales predijeron de forma significativa la competencia multicultural de los estudiantes, pero no la competencia sobre LGB en consejería. La ideología política conservadora fue el predictor más fuerte de las competencias multiculturales y sobre orientación sexual.

Intersectionality Pedagogy in the Classroom: Experiences of Counselor Educators

“…Dated forms of multicultural education research promote passive learning, which is a contributing factor to impersonal quality of care (Brown et al, 2014). Historically, multicultural education has required a binary, monolithic, and unilateral approach to discussing identity that is not relational or dynamic (Bidell, 2014;Brown et al, 2014).…”

“…Traditionally, counselor education faculty provide multicultural competence in a single course in a master's counseling program in which students are given the objective to learn about different cultural groups, however; these programs historically have not acknowledge multiple marginalized identities (Bidell, 2014;Brown et al, 2014;Collins et al, 2015). Historically, multicultural counseling classes focused on preparing White students from a monolithic perspective because of the concern related to the encapsulation of White-Eurocentric social identities or White privilege that systematically affect many marginalized individuals daily (Seward, 2014).…”

Multicultural Competency Training of School Counselor Trainees: Development of the Social Class and Classism Training Questionnaire

“…Previous researchers have found that, in general, school counselors rated their competence and training of specific dimensions (e.g., addressing issues of sexual orientation, working with students with disabilities) of multicultural competency as low (Bidell, 2014;Chao, 2013;Milsom, 2006). Understanding one's perceived competence and training can help school counselor educators prepare activities, lessons, and supervision to address SCTs' areas of concern (Cartwright, Daniels, & Zhang, 2008).…”

A Population at Risk: Counseling Sexual Minorities with a Serious Mental Illness

“…There is evidence that many sexual minorities with a SMI do not use mental health services, supporting the need for additional training of counselors working with this population to increase and improve services (Kidd et al, 2016;Mizock et al, 2014). Researchers and counselor educators need to explore other ways to educate culturally competent counselors so that counselors can address the needs of sexual minorities with a SMI (Bidell, 2014). With additional research, counselors and counselor educators can provide services that are more effective to sexual minorities with a SMI.…”