Who’s Multiculturally Competent? Everybody and Nobody: A Multimethod Examination

Melanie M. Wilcox, Danielle N. Franks, Terrill O. Taylor, Christopher P. Monceaux, Keoshia Harris

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study was a social dominance theory-driven multimethod investigation of multicultural competence. Given the concerns with self-report, we examined the relationship between study variables and both self-report and performance-based multicultural competence. We also tested competing hypotheses regarding the relationship between the multicultural competence measures. We examined two samples: one of counselor trainees (N = 93), and one of practicing therapists (N = 107). The overwhelming performance floor effect in the context of self-report ceiling effects was striking and unexpected in its severity. Awareness of privilege was the most consistent predictor, and the only variable related to most multicultural competence measures. Results related to social dominance orientation, just-world beliefs, and empathy differed by sample. A key finding was the failure by a substantial proportion of participants in both samples to even minimally address clients’ sociocultural context. Thus, we focus our discussion on the implications of this result.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)466-497
Number of pages32
JournalCounseling Psychologist
Volume48
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1 2020
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • counselor competence
  • multicultural competence
  • multicultural counseling
  • multicultural training
  • social dominance orientation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Applied Psychology

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