Multicultural Counseling Competencies: Experiential Learning Strategies

The increase of racially and ethnically diverse populations in the United States has called for the infusion of multicultural counseling training across curricula (Kerl, 2002; D'Andrea & Daniels, 1991). The accreditation standards stipulated by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), multicultural counseling is a critical component within counseling and psychology curricula (Estrada, Durlak, & Juarez, 2002). In response to required standards, counselor education and supervision instructors must design curricula to prepare counseling students to provide culturally informed services (Estrada et al., 2002). Experiential learning (EL) has been identified in the literature to improve multicultural counseling competencies (MCC) among students. Therefore, due to scarcity of research regarding EL and MCC development, the content of this paper will explore two studies identifying the efficacy of EL techniques, methods of implementation, and areas of future study.

The study titled, Critical Incidents in Multicultural Training: An Examination of Student Experience, examines critical incidents in graduate level MCC training through three research questions: "Are there identifiable process components of multicultural counselor training that influence trainees' development of the MCC? Does the multicultural environment of the training program affect the different processes? Do trainees of color and White trainees have different experiences in their development of the MCC?" (Coleman, 2006, p.170). Critical incidents are defined as "meaningful emotional or behavioral interpersonal experiences that make an impact" (Fukuyama, 1994, p. 143, as cited in Coleman, 2006, p. 171). The researcher gathered qualitative data by use of four open-ended prompts: the students' identification of a critical incident, reaction to the event, reasons why the event was influential, and what the student would change about the experience. In addition, a 27-item instrument, the Multicultural Environment Inventory-Revised (MEI-R), was implemented to assess the level to which graduate programs address multicultural issues. In order to measure the relationships between the study variables, a chi square analysis and analysis of variance were implemented.

The study results show three themes were most influential to the participants: interaction with culturally-different colleagues, didactic and experiential teaching strategies, and culturally diverse interactions in their personal lives. Results also show that students who felt support within their training program expressed their critical incidents as positive and thought provoking. In addition, there were statistically significant results revealing differences between African-American and European-American study participants. Finally, African-American participants had more responses regarding didactic learning and less pertaining to interactions with culturally-different persons than European-American students. Overall, study implications suggest that opportunities to interact with diverse populations increase MCC and students of color gain more from didactic methods as "they themselves are racially/ethnically diverse individuals and likely interact with other racial/ethnic" persons in their daily lives (Coleman, 2006, p. 180). In addition to critical incidents, service learning is another experiential technique identified in the literature.

The next study, Service Learning in Graduate Counselor Education: Developing Multicultural Counseling Competency, measures the effectiveness of a multicultural training course including didactic and experiential methods with a service learning component. Service learning is used to increase the awareness of students' personal cultural constructs and to influence the development of empathy (Pope-Davis et al., 1997; Ridley & Lingle, 1996 as cited in Arthur & Achenbach, 2002). The authors, Burnett, Hamel, and Long (2004) identify service learning as a method allowing for the implementation of didactic and experiential learning within a community setting. The course emphasized the influence of culture on professional practice and the impact of prejudice upon the needs of diverse populations. The course included topics such as ethics, cultural identity formation, age, and sexual orientation. The study consisted of 11 students who participated in a 6-week, 4-hour class session. In addition, the students engaged in a weekly service learning project at a community agency with a focus on culturally-sensitive service provision. In order to measure course effectiveness, the students completed personal journals regarding service learning experiences, personal evaluations to assess knowledge and learning, and course satisfaction and multicultural learning surveys. The study results show that the course format was positive in providing opportunity for community learning and cultural sensitivity. In conclusion, study results indicate that MCC will increase through "in-depth, contact-based, service-oriented, community-focused learning process" (Burnett et al., 2006, p. 189), therefore, increasing knowledge, skills, and self and community awareness amongst students.

In summary, EL methods provide structured learning opportunities that emulate life situations. Furthermore, this method has been identified "as a training method that can bridge multicultural counseling theory and practice" (Byrnes & Kiger, 1990 as cited in Arthur & Achenbach, 2002, p. 3). The use of EL methods in coordination with didactic teaching may enhance student MCC level. In order to improve upon the understanding and implementation of EL, further studies are necessary to explore both the impact and effective use of this model (Arthur & Achenbach, 2002). Next, evaluation of service learning techniques to assess effectiveness in the development of MCC is important to inform teaching strategies. In addition, a comparison of both experiential and other formats may help to determine the effective components of each. In conclusion, teaching modalities that promote self-awareness and closely reflect life experience present as critical components toward student development of multicultural counseling competencies.

References

Arthur, N. & Achenbach, K. (2002). Developing multicultural counseling competencies through experiential learning. Counselor Education and Supervision, 42, 2-14. Retrieved January 6, 2008, from EBSCOhost database.

Burnett, J. A., Hamel, D., & Long, L. L. (2004). Service learning in graduate counselor education: Developing multicultural counseling competency. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 32, 180-191. Retrieved January 18, 2008, from EBSCOhost database.

Coleman, M. N. (2006). Critical incidents in multicultural training: An examination of student experiences. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 34, 168-182. Retrieved January 27, 2008, from EBSCOhost database.

Collins, N. M. & Pieterse, A. L. (2007). Critical incident analysis based training: An approach for developing active racial/cultural awareness. Journal of Counseling & Development, 85, 14-23. Retrieved January 18, 2008, from EBSCOhost database.

D'Andrea, M. & Daniels, J. (1991). Exploring the different levels of multicultural counseling training in counselor education. Journal of Counseling and Development, 70, 78-85. Retrieved January 18, 2008, from EBSCOhost database.

Estrada, A. U., Durlak, J. A., & Juarez, S. C. (2002). Developing multicultural counseling competencies in undergraduate students. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 30, 110-123. Retrieved January 6, 2008, from EBSCOhost database.

Kerl, S. B. (2002). Using narrative approaches to teach multicultural counseling. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 30, 143. Retrieved January 27, 2008, from EBSCOhost database.

Pope-Davis, D. B., Reynolds, A. L., Dings, J. G., & Nielson, D. (1995). Examining multicultural counseling competencies of graduate students in psychology. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 26(3), 322-329. Retrieved January 18, 2008, from EBSCOhost database.