Rethinking Multicultural Counseling Competence: An Introduction to the Major Contribution

Abstract

In this introductory article of the Major Contribution, we explore the construct of multicultural counseling competence, particularly its inception and the early social movements from which it evolved. We posit that although the intentions of early pioneers and professional organizations were admirable and the subsequent body of work impressive, progress has stalled. A conceptual and operational impasse now impedes advancement of the discourse and ultimately hinders our ability to adequately serve clients, supervisees, and consultees who are the beneficiaries of our efforts. In this article, we lay the foundation for an analysis of the impasse, a proposal for an alternative model of the construct, and a case conceptualization that demonstrates usage of the model. We conclude by providing an overview of the Major Contribution, including a synopsis of the subsequent three articles and our intention to rejuvenate this dialogue with our colleagues and students.

Oppression is not “culture”: The need to center systemic and structural determinants to address anti-Black racism and racial trauma in psychotherapy.

“…Numerous scholars (myself included) have written about the ways in which psychology has been stalled for decades in making progress on improving psychotherapy and mental health outcomes for BIPOC individuals and communities (e.g., DeBlaere et al, 2019; Mollen & Ridley, 2021; Tao et al, 2015; Wilcox et al, 2020; Worthington & Dillon, 2011). This is not for lack of attention to the topic; scholars continue to publish calls to the profession to genuinely integrate “multiculturalism” and “social justice” into our work (e.g., DeBlaere et al, 2019; Singh et al, 2010; Speight & Vera, 2004; Vasquez, 2012; Vera & Speight, 2003) and have continued to note the subsequent failure to do so following such calls.…”

Bibliometric study: Trends in multicultural counselling competence research in Indonesia, 2013–2022, and its implications

“…The unpreparedness to interact with different cultures can lead to cultural encapsulation in counsellors, which can have a detrimental impact on the counselling process (Heslop et al, 2018). Therefore, counsellors are expected to have multicultural counselling competence so that counselling can be effective and efficient (Kazanjian, 2019; Mollen & Ridley, 2021; Ridley, Mollen, et al, 2021; Ridley, Sahu, et al, 2021; Sahu et al, 2021).…”

Trends and Research Implications of Guidance and Counseling Services in Indonesia From 2010 to 2020: A Bibliometric Analysis

“…Unpreparedness to interact with a different culture with the counselee will lead to cultural encapsulation by the counselor, which will have a fatal impact on the counseling process (Garrett et al, 2004; Heslop et al, 2018; Masturi, 2015; Shen, 2015). Therefore, counselors are also required to master the competence of multicultural counseling so that counseling proceeds effectively and efficiently (Kazanjian, 2019; Mollen & Ridley, 2021; Ridley et al, 2021; Sahu et al, 2021). Suppose you look at the co-word map in Figure 6 and the number of articles in Table 2.…”