Faculty Articles

Knowledge, Awareness, and Skills: The Missing Component in Multicultural Competency Training

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Spring 2018

Publication Title

Alabama Counseling Association Journal

Volume

42

Issue/Number

1

First Page

5

ISSN

1546-2781

Last Page

30

Abstract/Excerpt

Given the necessity of the development of multicultural skills, this study sought to assess the perceived multicultural skills competence of counselors in training and early career counselors (i.e. less than 10 years of experience). The aim of the research was to assess specific multicultural competencies (knowledge, awareness, and skills) among counseling trainees and early career professionals (n=125). Additionally, we explored whether openness to diversity and diversity experience predicted multicultural competency development. Results indicated a significant difference in multicultural awareness among early career professionals as compared with trainees, but no differences in skills and knowledge domains. Additionally, diversity experience was found to predict multicultural knowledge and skills, while openness to diversity predicted multicultural awareness. Significant differences were also found in multicultural awareness and multicultural knowledge based on ethnicity. Implications for these findings include increased attention to the development of specific multicultural skill domains in counseling trainees, as well as the benefit of including diversity experiences as a component of multicultural courses for counseling trainees.

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