Teaching Multicultural Competence: An Examination of Two Internship Models

1. Teaching Multicultural Competence: An Examination of Two Internship Models Mollie Herman and AY Bryant ACCTA, 2016

2. Brief evolution of teaching multicultural competence Focus on acquiring knowledge about specific cultural groups Recognizing importance of counselor self-awareness

3. APA multicultural guidelines • Multicultural competence requires clinicians to (a) know their own cultural worldviews, including biases and prejudices, (b) know their clients’ worldviews, and (c) use culturally appropriate interventions

4. Intersectionality

5. Safe spaces to brave spaces • Arao & Clemens • Challenges notion of comfort as essential to difficult conversations. • Look at privilege, challenge self

6. Connections between cultural competence work and self-care

7. Self-Awareness • Basis for self-care is in knowing yourself (Carter & Barnett, 2014) • Where did you learn your values around self-care • Where might you benefit from focus on areas in your personal history

8. Increased connection with values Crisp & Turner (2011): When people repeatedly experience diversity in a way that challenges stereotypical expectations, they experience: Greater tolerance of uncertainty Greater ability to see things from multiple perspectives Greater ability to envisage things being different from how they are More likely to challenge status quo.

9. Communitarian culture (Johnson et al, 2014) • Self-care of the community • Accountability for personal well-being and professional competence of others in the community, including those who hold different beliefs, values, and approaches • Cultural competence enhances communitarian culture

10. Consistent Recommendations regarding teaching MC competence • Experiential / Interactive • Focus on self-awareness as well as good listening • Recognize intersectionality • Willingness to tolerate discomfort

11. Towson University Cultural Reflections Seminar Series

12. The Racial-cultural counseling laboratory • Special thanks to Dr. Sheila Graham • Person as counselor, with multiple intersecting identities that both help & hinder their multicultural competence • Basic assumption: counselor needs to understand their own racial cultural worldview before understanding others

13. Multicultural Lab • Modified RCCL to meet our needs as a staff • Lots of controversy about whether to include interns

14. Cultural Reflections Seminar • Evolved out of Multicultural Lab

15. Learning Objectives • Improve knowledge and awareness of the experiences of marginalized groups at Towson University. • Increase awareness of values, biases, privileges and identity development due to cultural life experiences. • Practice the ability to ask cultural focused questions with the aim of increasing the cultural self-awareness of the interview and future clients.

16. 2 primary content areas • 1. Didactic trainings by Student Affairs staff • 2. Cultural Reflections: short didactic introduction of the topic and structured interviews

17. Cultural Reflections Format • 15-20 min introduction of the topic • 30 min interview of the reference group for each intern • Staff member facilitates the interviews but does not participate as an interviewee • Every three meetings, participants discuss intersections of the three previous reference groups explored

18. Tripartite function: 1. Help interviewees explore themselves as racial/cultural beings; 2. Enable interviewers to practice asking culturally focused questions aimed at deepening self-understanding 3. Provide feedback to both interviewees and interviewers

19. Interviewee’s Role • Examine development and meaning of own reference group memberships • Respond to structured questions as a starting point • Goal of all questions is to help interviewee deepen understanding of reference group • Remain open and non-defensive • Share barriers to exploration when they arrive (e.g. “It’s difficult for me to share this because I worry I might offend you.”)

20. Interviewers’ Role • Use good listening skills, empathy, though don’t become a therapist • Use open questions, restatements, and reflections of feelings • Ask for clarification to understand meaning of particular words • Avoid questions stemming from pure curiosity with no value to the exploration of the interviewee’s reference group

21. Interviewer’s role, continued Encourage interviewee to stay focused on the reference group being discussed (there will be an opportunity to discuss intersections) Recognize biases, values and assumptions that may impact the interviewee’s clinical work

22. Facilitator’s Role • Help group stay on task • Use group facilitation skills to help both the interviewee and interviewers meet their goals • Model asking questions of the interviewee • Intervene when inappropriate questions are asked • Use clinical skills to intervene • Allow interviewers to assume more facilitation role as skills build over time (e.g. challenge each other’s assumptions, defensiveness, etc.)

23. Reference Groups Didactic • Introduction to Multicultural Series • Latino/a @ Towson • International Students @ Towson • Black @ Towson • Veterans @ Towson • LGBT @ Towson • Being White: Mirrors of Privilege • First Generation College Students @ Towson • Disability Identities @ Towson Cultural Reflections • Family Structure • Religion • Sexual Orientation • Social Class • Race • Ethnicity • Gender • Body Shape & Size • Ability • Age

24. Some sample interview questions

25. Social class • What do I feel about my social class group membership? Identify your class standing (i.e. working, middle, upper middle class, etc.). Try not to discuss only material things. Focus on the types of thoughts and behaviors that were expected of you and how these expectations shaped who you are and how you see others. What are the rules for good standing in the group and what is frowned upon? • What influence do I feel my social class group membership has had upon my personal development? (e.g. how has it shaped my view of people? How do I relate to others who are in my social class and those who are not? How has what I value been shaped by my class? How does my class status affect my motivation?) • How have I affirmed my social class group membership? (i.e. engaged in activities, actions, or thoughts to conform to group expectations) • Are there areas (e.g. personal, interpersonal, social, etc.) in which I have not come to terms with who I am with respect to my social class group membership? • What generalizations do I believe others make about me because of my social class group membership? List and explain each generalization

26. Race • How do I feel about my racial group membership? (defined on the basis of skin-color and physical features) • What influence do I feel my racial group membership has had upon my personal development? • How have I affirmed my racial group membership? (i.e. engaged in activities, actions, or thoughts to conform to group expectations) • Are there areas (e.g. personal, interpersonal, social, etc.) in which I have not come to terms with who I am with regard to my racial group membership? • What generalizations do I believe others make about me because of my racial group membership? List and explain each generalization. • How does this reference group membership affect my performance as a helping person? • What privileges and/or disadvantages do I experience based on this reference group membership?

27. Intern comments • Moves the conversation about diversity from an intellectual and academic discussion to one that is personal and affective; atypical experience thus far • Expanded language to talk about various social locations • Commitment to explore numerous social locations

28. Intern comments • Greater confidence and comfort in having conversations about diversity and multicultural factors • Deeper connection with members of my intern cohort and staff • Appreciated modeling by facilitators to name something that was unspoken in the room or make a process comment

29. Intern comments: Suggestions • More time to process each social location • Sometimes thoughts would take awhile to process • Would like group supervision portion of cultural reflections to process client issues pertaining to the cultural reflection topic of the day

30. Some pluses & minuses • Rotating staff members: • Increases investment • Allows for different areas of expertise • Group dynamics change each time • Different levels of staff comfort / different styles / different relationships with interns • Not all staff members followed the protocol • Grouping intersections was somewhat arbitrary, could have been done differently

31. Duke University Diversity Apprenticeship and Portfolio

32. The Diversity Apprenticeship and Portfolio An Ecological Perspective on Professional Development, Diversity and Culturally Responsive Services

33. VERY early career development

34. Early career professional development Professional Expert Service Provider Community Representative Human Becoming in Context

35. DAP Goals • Prepare emerging professionals for rapid entry into and service in diverse higher educational settings • Strengthen culturally responsive service competencies • Explore cultural identity development within the professional setting • Enhance skills to evaluate workplace settings for professional-environmental fit

36. Competencies Snapshot • Gain information about CAPS, Division and University diversity policies and procedures • Begin to apply this knowledge across workplace activities • Adapt knowledge and skills to unique workplace identity and performance • Use knowledge gained for post-internship employment • Evaluate the diversity fit of potential workplace settings

37. Methodology: Project Centered Learning • Personally, educationally and professionally meaningful and relevant • Focused inquiry • Ongoing feedback • Seamless integration with existing learning activities and requirements • Public work product

38. Existing Learning Opportunities August Orientation: KnowDuke.edu Seminar Series January Multicultural Training Supervision Departmental, Local and National Speakers

39. Existing Internship Requirements • Clinical case presentations • Outreach and Developmental programming • DSM Cultural formulation • Environmental assessment

40. Focused Inquiry: Administrative • Identify identity groups/constituencies that have been historically or currently underrepresented: Underutilize counseling center services Values, cultures, experiences and unique concerns have been underrepresented in discussions, policies and procedures germane to agency operations • Identify key agency and community stakeholders influencing policy and procedural decision making.

41. Focused Inquiry: Clinical Assessment and Intervention • DSM Cultural formulation assessment Intern Two clients • Discussion of two clinical cases that incorporate population of interest • Reflection on how clinical work informs the project/project informs clinical work

42. Focused Inquiry: Person in Context The College Environmental Assessment Task: Advance planning team looking at an aspect of the Duke college environment. • Would this be an inclusive space for participants of a conference you are holding? • Affirming for members of your racial group? • Affirming for members that are not members of your racial group? • Recommendations? Adaptations?

43. Environmental Considerations • Cultural artifacts • Physical environment • Social climate • Inhabitants • How space is described in popular culture and social media

44. Environmental Assessment • Description of the location through the lens of intern’s racial identity • Artifacts that reinforce that identity • Artifacts that reinforce racial identity(ies) different from intern’s • Non-reinforcing/threatening artifacts • Recommendations • Changes to location that promote inclusion

45. Focused inquiry: University initiatives and programmatic resources • Program, university major speaker, sponsored speaker, discussion, workshop • Departmental programs and workshops • Constituency group general body meeting or program • Attend with a focus on themes, audience dynamics, personal impact

46. Focused inquiry: Collectivism through Collaboration and Mentorship • Staff Ally/Mentor • Student Affairs Administrator(s) • Student organization leaders • Student organizations • Other interns

47. Focused Inquiry: Scholarship • Local clinical data • Annual reports CAPS/Student Affairs • Strategic plans • Academic scholarly contributions that summarize findings about the population of interest

48. Training Tools • 6 apprenticeship supervision meetings • Cultural formulation seminar • Environmental assessment seminar • Stereotype Threat Seminar (Classroom environment, academic distress, anxiety and clinical interventions) • 2 day Multicultural training • Administrator debriefing form • Diversity program debriefing form • Clinical supervision • ODP consultations • Ally consultations

49. Portfolio Components • Description of the constituency group of interest • Self-reflection about the population. • Scholarly review • Description of the apprenticeship project • Implementation and learning opportunities • Ways to integrate into the next phase of professional contributions and work environment • Recommendations • Staff meeting presentation

50. Career Choice & Family Socioeconomic PrivilegeAnne Scott, PhD Relevance Pitch: Extension of doctoral work. Assumption of unlimited occupational opportunities by career practitioners, reality that privilege, family expectations truncate career choice Components: Career center mentors, allies. Product: Workshop for career center staff addressing these concerns in career counseling.