Multicultural Incompetence and Other Unethical Behaviors: Perceptions of Therapist Practices

The present study examined nonprofessionals' perceptions of culturally based and noncultural ethical violations. One hundred seventy-four undergraduates students read 12 vignettes depicting situations in which a clinician committed either a culturally based violation (e.g., sexist or ageist behavior) or a noncultural violation (e.g., breeching confidentiality or multiple relationship). Results indicated that participants were more likely to have unfavorable views of clinicians who had committed culturally based violations. In addition, results suggested that participants would be more likely to report a clinician who had committed a culturally based violation to a supervisor or ethics board.     

Multicultural training practices in community psychology programs

Surveyed the directors of 56 community psychology graduate programs to assess multicultural training practices and attitudes. Although most program directors agreed that multicultural training is important in their mission to educate students, less than half the programs (48%) required their students to take any relevant course work and only half of the programs surveyed had any faculty who were members of an ethnic minority group and one third had only one such faculty member. Furthermore, less than half the programs had a combination of training opportunities in place to integrate classroom, research, and field experiences relevant to multicultural issues. Finally, only 23% of program directors believed their training programs were successful for most students, suggesting the need to improve training.     

The Therapeutic Alliance in Multicultural Practice

Abstract

The therapeutic relationship rests on both an emotional bond with the therapist and a rational, “working” connection. Both dimensions of the alliance have relevance for multicultural clinical work. There have been many contributions to multicultural practice that emphasize either cognitive or emotional levels of the alliance. This paper uses both empirical studies and clinical papers to synthesize both the emotional and the rational perspectives on the multicultural alliance. Examples are drawn from literature, published case examples, and the author's own clinical practice.     

Public Theology and the Modern Social Imaginary

Abstract : Charles Taylor's study of the development of the modern social imaginary raises several issues for public theology in a secular, multicultural society. Canada provides an example of such a culture and shows how the issues arise in a specific public and media context. Even if public theologians can learn to speak the language of secular multicultural societies and give what are recognized as public, rational arguments for their positions, the media culture may not provide the space which makes public theology possible.     

Examining School Counseling Students' Multicultural and Sexual Orientation Competencies Through a Cross‐Specialization Comparison

Professional school counselors have an opportunity to directly address the educational, emotional, and social problems facing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth. The purpose of this study was to examine the multicultural and sexual orientation counselor competencies of school counseling students through a cross‐specialization comparison with community agency students. Results indicate that school counseling students had significantly lower self‐reported multicultural and sexual orientation counselor competency scores. The findings and their implications are discussed.     

Democratic Patriotism and Multicultural Education

Debate about multicultural education in the USAhas been marked by anxieties about thestability of a nation that is both increasinglyculturally diverse and increasingly resistantto coercive assimilative practices. Apolitically and morally persuasivemulticulturalism must seek to dispel ratherthan evade these anxieties. One educationalvenue in which they must be addressed ishistory teaching. The possibility ofcultivating democratic patriotism in theteaching of a genuinely multicultural Americanhistory is discussed.