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

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.     

Strange Bedfellows?: Rational-Emotive Therapy and Pastoral Counseling

Integrating Rational-Emotive Therapy with biblical precepts is discussed as a basis for pastoral counselors to bridge the gap between religion and psychotherapy.     

An Investigation of Relationships among Genetic Counselors’ Supervision Skills and Multicultural Counseling Competence

As racial and ethnic diversity increase in the U.S., genetic counselor multicultural competence is growing in importance. In mental health counseling, supervisor multicultural competence has been shown to promote supervisees’ multicultural competence. Moreover, developmentally-advanced supervisors tend to be more effective. This study was designed to investigate relationships among genetic counselor supervisors’ perceived multicultural counseling competence and development as supervisors, and their ability to evaluate a supervisee’s multicultural skills. One hundred twenty-two supervisors completed an online survey of demographics, the Multicultural Counseling Knowledge and Awareness Scale, the Supervisor Development Scale, and a hypothetical vignette in which they evaluated a supervisee’s multicultural skills and provided written feedback. Stepwise multiple regression yielded five significant predictors accounting for 31% of the variance in accuracy of supervisor evaluations of the student: multicultural awareness, multicultural knowledge, age, supervision experience, and supervisor development. Six feedback themes were identified from written responses. Practice and research suggestions are provided.     

Counseling and Consulting: Separate Processes or the Same?

This article examines the theoretical similarities and differences between the counseling and consulting processes and finds that differences between the two processes are reflections of the differences found among the counselors who use them.     

Dual Relationships and Pastoral Counseling: Asset or Liability?

Dual relationships are proscribed in the standards of ethical conduct for most professional groups that provide counseling or psychotherapy. Dual relationships are thought to be unethical because they cloud the clinical judgment of the counselor and may present conflicts of interest that prevent the counseling relationship from being beneficial. Pastors frequently provide counseling for troubled persons or families, yet they often maintain other roles and relationships with these persons and families. This article addresses the issue of the inevitability of dual relationships in pastoral counseling. Courses of action for handling dual relationships in pastoral counseling are identified.     

Counseling Past and Present: Is There a Future?

Major criticisms directed at counseling are identified and prominent suggestions for their elimination are described through an analysis of the counseling literature of the past 10 years. A brief outline of the history of counseling offers a historical perspective to the discussion. One suggestion to improve counseling, that counselors become change agents in their institutions, is examined and described with steps for its implementation. The implementation of the change-agent role for counselors would address much of the substantive criticism directed at counseling, and would remold the profession to more effectively meet today's needs.     

Öst's (2008) methodological comparison of clinical trials of acceptance and commitment therapy versus cognitive behavior therapy: Matching Apples with Oranges?

Öst (2008) recently compared the methodological rigor of studies of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and traditional cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). He concluded that the ACT studies had more methodological deficiencies, and thus the treatment did not qualify as an “empirically supported treatment.” Although Öst noted several important limitations that should be carefully considered when evaluating early ACT research, his attempt to devise an empirical matching strategy by creating a comparison sample of CBT studies to bolster his conclusions was itself problematic. The samples were clearly mismatched in terms of the populations being treated, leading to differences in study design and methodology. Furthermore, reanalysis showed clear differences in grant support favoring CBT compared with ACT studies that were not reported in the original article. Given the actual mismatch between the samples, Öst's methodological ratings are difficult to interpret and provide little useful information beyond what could already be gathered by a qualitative review of ACT study limitations. Such limitations are characteristic of the earlier randomized controlled trials of any emerging psychotherapeutic approach.     

What Do the AMCD Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies Mean in the Context of Black Lives Matter?

In this article, the authors discuss how the legacy of hypersurveillance and egregious anti‐Black vigilante violence and police brutality helped foment the Black Lives Matter movement. The authors consider how the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (Ratts, Singh, Nassar‐McMillan, Butler, & McCullough, 2015) can operate as an ethical professional framework counselor educators can use with counselors‐in‐training to increase their awareness, knowledge, and skills in relation to the state‐sanctioned violence Black people routinely experience. En este artículo, los autores discuten cómo el legado de hipervigilancia y la violencia brutal ejercida contra personas negras por parte de la policía y patrullas urbanas ayudaron a fomentar el movimiento Black Lives Matter. Los autores consideran cómo las Competencias en Consejería Multicultural y Justicia Social (Singh, Nassar‐McMillan, Butler & McCullough, 2015) pueden funcionar como un marco ético profesional que los educadores de consejeros pueden usar con sus consejeros en formación para aumentar su conciencia, conocimientos, y habilidades en relación con la violencia autorizada por el Estado que sufren con frecuencia las personas negras.     

Marriage and Family Therapy Students’ Change in Multicultural Counseling Competencies after a Diversity Course

Attention to diversity is required in Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education-accredited programs, yet not much research exists regarding the effectiveness of graduate training on therapists’ multicultural counseling competencies. In this study, 12 students enrolled in a masters-level diversity class were given pre- and post-tests of their multicultural counseling competencies. Results showed that students significantly increased their multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills after completing the diversity class. The discussion includes implications for educators who seek to improve students’ multicultural counseling competencies.     

Disciplinary Counseling: A Contradiction?

Many counselors appear to be operating on false assumptions (shibboleths) regarding counseling. The removal of these shibboleths leaves one more receptive to examining the basic assumptions underlying the linkage of discipline and counseling. Discipline and counseling may be seen as similar in terms of their educational goals, and counseling is used as a tool for the disciplinary counselor to implement the attainment of these common goals. Unresolved problems remain, however. Counseling is used during only a portion of disciplinary activities; thus there seems to be a misplaced emphasis on counseling in the title of the disciplinary counselor. Such inaccuracy may have unfortunate implications. Because of the usually accepted meaning of “discipline,” the title of disciplinary counselor is confusing and possibly damaging to both the profession and the students it intends to serve.     

A Counseling Paradox: Do Preservice Counselors Need Employment Counseling?

Data from this study identified a significant discrepancy between preservice counselors' perceptions of their career opportunities and actual placement data.     

Spirituality in Counseling: What Do Counseling Students Think About It?

The author discusses students' reactions to 4 seminars. 1‐hour each, on the topic of spirituality in counseling. Students were enrolled in a master's‐level counseling program, Several issues emerged that have implications for the training of counselors on spiritual issues, including students' level of comfort with discussing spiritual issues, the difficulty of defining spirituality, client and counselor readiness to explore spirituality, and training issues in the area of spirituality.     

Androgyny: A Goal for Counseling?

Although psychological androgyny is a useful and attractive concept for many counselors, a review of the literature suggests that androgyny cannot now serve as a concrete goal for sex-role counseling. It may also pose its own problems for individuals.     

Wisdom in Pastoral Care and Counseling: What Does it Entail?

The purpose of this article is to suggest richer potential meanings of spiritual wisdom and theological reflection in response to a critical reading of Pamela Cooper-White's book, Shared wisdom: Use of the self in pastoral care and counseling.     

Children and Psychotropic Medication: What Role Should Advocacy Counseling Play?

There are currently millions of children with mental and emotional symptoms who are being treated with psychotropic medication. The authors critique such treatment and suggest that advocacy counseling is a responsible approach to balance the power of both the pharmaceutical companies and the medical model in the mental health arena.