Multicultural Training, Theoretical Orientation, Empathy, and Multicultural Case Conceptualization Ability in Counselors.

This study explored the contributions of previous multicultural counseling training, counselor theoretical orientation, and cognitive and affective empathy attitudes in predicting counselors' ability to conceptualize clients' mental health issues from a multicultural perspective. Results revealed that counselors who (a) reported higher levels of formal multicultural training, (b) had an eclectic/integrative theoretical orientation to counseling, and (c) endorsed higher affective empathy attitudes were rated as being better able to conceptualize a culturally diverse client's mental health issues. Future research directions are discussed. ********** Attention to issues of multicultural counseling competence has been a primary focus in the field of counseling over the past decade (e.g., Pedersen, 1991; Ponterotto, 1998; Ridley, Mendoza, & Kanitz, 1994; Sue, Ivey, & Pedersen, 1996). Multicultural counseling competence is commonly referred to as counselors' attitudes/beliefs, knowledge, and skills in working with culturally diverse (e.g., racial, ethnic, gender, social class, sexual orientation, etc.) individuals (Sue, Arredondo, & McDavis, 1992; Sue et al., 1998). In recent years, self-reported multicultural counseling competence has been examined in relation to a host of variables, especially demographic, educational, and training variables (e.g., Ottavi, Pope-Davis, & Dings, 1994; Pope-Davis, Reynolds, Dings, & Nielson, 1995; Pope-Davis, Reynolds, Dings, & Ottavi, 1994; Sodowsky, Kuo-Jackson, Richardson, & Corey, 1998). In particular, the relationship between formal multicultural training and self-perceived multicultural counseling competence has been an area of interest in several previous investigations (e.g., Constantine, Juby, & Liang, 2001; Ottavi et al., 1994; Pope-Davis et al., 1995; Pope-Davis et al., 1994; Sodowsky, Taffe, Gutkin, & Wise, 1994). In nearly all of these studies, prior multicultural training was significantly correlated with higher levels of self-reported multicultural counseling competence. Moreover, some researchers (e.g., D'Andrea, Daniels, & Heck, 1991; Neville et al., 1996) have found that coursework in multicultural counseling contributed to changes in counselors' self-reported competence in working with culturally diverse clients. Taking multicultural coursework has also been linked to increases in counselors' White racial consciousness (e.g., Parker, Moore, & Neimeyer, 1998), White racial identity attitudes (e.g., Neville et al., 1996), and interracial comfort (e.g., Parker et al., 1998). Despite the growing literature in the area of multicultural counseling competence, little information is available regarding the role of previous multicultural training in assessing counselors' demonstrated ability to work with culturally diverse clients. One aspect of counselors' multicultural competence may be their ability to conceptualize clients' concerns by differentiating and integrating multicultural knowledge pertaining to clients' problems (Ladany, Inman, Constantine, & Hofheinz, 1997). Conceptualizing clients from a multicultural perspective means that counselors are (a) aware of and can integrate the impact of various cultural factors on clients' presenting issues and (b) able to articulate an appropriate treatment plan for working with clients based on this knowledge (Constantine & Ladany, 2000). Client conceptualizations become more complex as counselors make associations between and among hypothesized etiologies of presenting issues and, subsequently, integrate these data into their treatment plans. Hence, counselors' multicultural case conceptualization ability (i.e., the inclusion of cultural data within conceptualizations of clients' presenting concerns) may represent an appropriate manifestation of their actual multicultural counseling competence. There is a need for research examining factors that may contribute to counselors' ability to conceptualize clients from a multicultural perspective. …