ETHNIC-MINORITY - TRAINING IN COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY - COMPARISONS WITH CLINICAL-PSYCHOLOGY AND PROPOSED STANDARDS

This study evaluated the status of multicultural training in counseling programs approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) (n = 41) and compared these programs to (a) clinical psychology programs (n = 104) and (b) existing standards and recommendations proposed in literature, for example, by Bernal and Castro, and Ridley, Mendoza, and Kanitz. Results suggested that compared to clinical programs counseling psychology programs demonstrated significantly higher commitment to multicultural training. However, the effect size of the differences between these two psychology specialties was small. Moreover, normative data from counseling psychology programs indicated that most programs are providing training that leads to, at best, multicultural sensitivity, but very few appear to be providing training that prepares practitioners to be multiculturally proficient. Hence it was concluded that, although counseling psychology programs have potential to make significant contributions to the mental health of racial and ethnic minority populations, significant changes need to be made before these programs yield a critical number of counseling psychologists who can begin to meet the mental health needs of racial and ethnic minority populations. Suggestions and recommendations are made to guide these changes.