Achieving Cultural Competency: Assessment of US-Based Counselor Educators Instructing Internationally
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Achieving Cultural Competency: Assessment of US-Based Counselor Educators Instructing Internationally Krista M. Malott
Published online: 26 January 2008 # Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2007
Abstract This article presents the outcomes of a qualitative investigation addressing the global exchange of counselor education. Findings delineate key traits and behaviors applied by counselor educators and counseling psychologists in cross-cultural exchanges. Personal traits noted by educators as essential for international exchanges included flexibility, respect, openness to learning, and passion for the experiences provided by international travel. Factors that increased cultural competency were cited as communication skills, increased comprehension of the context, and understanding of the counseling profession within the culture. Keywords International counselor education . Cross-cultural education . International . Global . Counselor training
Introduction Expanding global initiatives in counselor education has increased recognition that Western mental health services may be inappropriate for non-Western settings (Levers 1997). Educators instructing cross-culturally without consideration of context and its influence upon mental health services risk engaging in what one author described as a “form of intellectual ‘colonialism,’ at best, or ‘imperialism,’ at worst,” (Lynch 2002, p. 89). Consequently, uninformed educators could cause greater harm than help. Academics across several disciplines have delineated important instructor qualities and behaviors in effective cross-cultural work. Authors have cited the necessity of instructor flexibility, with a willingness to alter course content or pedagogical style in response to
K. M. Malott (*) Department of Education and Human Sciences, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Ave., 302 SAC, Villanova, PA 19085, USA e-mail: [email protected]
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Int J Adv Counselling (2008) 30:67–77
contextual needs (Chang 2004; Klein et al. 2003). Additionally, it has been asserted that educators working across cultures must extend efforts to establish relationships with students (McGee and Festervand 2002) and program organizers (Chan 1989), in order to facilitate receptivity of the academic material to be presented. Effective cross-cultural work regarding counseling also involves recognition of contextual healing practices (Burgess et al. 2004; Herr and Fabian 1999; Lynch 2002; Slavickas 2007; Vontress 2001). This is particularly relevant for African nations, where indigenous specialists are prevalent (Harper and Deen 2003; Levers 1997; Vontress 1991). For instance, in an assessment of one cross-cultural counselor training program in a South African country (Levers 1997), native professionals requested that counselor educators included indigenous healing practices. In response, Levers recommended that educators working cross-culturally honor student input, needs, and indigenous practices in designing and implementing the curriculum. In addition to recognition of contextual h
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