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Article Excerpt
Striving for cultural competence and developing expertise are both highly desirable objectives in the field of mental health counseling. That the two concepts have been investigated rather independently of each other is surprising. The importance of and rationale for combining two scientific knowledge bases of cultural competence and research about expertise in mental health counseling are the focus of this article. The case for a more deliberate juxtaposing of the two research areas of cultural competence and expertise in mental health counseling is made by highlighting the interrelatedness of cultural competence and master therapist research, the diversity of mental health consumers, the requirements of ethical practice, and the need to reduce bias in how mental health research is conducted.
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Skovholt and Jennings (2004) have provided a rich, insightful, and illuminating portrait of master therapists and the development of expertise in mental health counseling that is, I believe, cutting-edge. However, I am recommending that more attention be given toward investigating the role of cultural competence in the research on expertise. In an earlier report of their findings, Jennings and Skovholt (1999) were aptly self-critical about the lack of diversity in the sampling for their landmark study on the cognitive, emotional, and relational characteristics of master therapists. Jennings, Goh, Skovholt, Hanson, and Banerjee-Stevens (2003), in addressing the multiple factors that contribute to the development of expertise in counselors and therapists, also noted that the literature on expertise in mental health counseling fails to give sufficient attention to the role of cultural competence. I understand that the methodology used in the studies mentioned in Skovholt and Jennings' book did not intentionally seek to leave culture out of the equation. Other studies on expertise in counseling similarly did not fully capture or address cultural competence aspects of expertise (e.g., Goldfried, 2001: Goldfried, Raue, & Castonguay, 1998: Orlinsky et al., 1999). Methodological constraints notwithstanding, I believe that more can and needs to be done to address issues of cultural competence in studies of expertise in mental health counseling.
In this article, I will argue the case for a more deliberate juxtaposing of cultural competence with expertise in mental health counseling by outlining the following reasons: (a) Cultural competence and expertise in mental health counseling are conceptually similar and intertwined, (b) counselors and therapists need to be trained to work with the increasing cultural diversity in our communities, (c) developing cultural competence is required for ethical practice, and (d) meaningful research on expertise in mental health counseling must include and involve cultural diversity.
CONCEPTUAL SIMILARITIES BETWEEN CULTURAL COMPETENCE AND MASTER THERAPISTS
Two concepts frequently used in mental health counseling that address cultural expertise are cultural competence and multicultural counseling competence. S. Sue (1998) defined cultural competence as "the belief that people should not only appreciate and recognize other cultural groups but also be able to work effectively with them" (p. 440). The term multicultural counseling competence has been defined as a counselor's beliefs/attitudes, knowledge, and skills that relate to working with culturally diverse clients (D. W. Sue, Arredondo, & McDavis. 1992: D. W. Sue et al., 1998). Another definition describes multicultural counseling as "preparation and practices that integrate multicultural and culture-specific awareness, knowledge and skills into counseling interaction" (Arredondo et al., 1996, p. 43). The most comprehensive definition of cultural competence is perhaps provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (1997):
A set of congruent practice skills, behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals and enables that system, agency, or those professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations. It is the ability to demonstrate skills and knowledge which enable a person to work effectively across cultures: the ability to provide mental health treatment within the cultural framework of the consumer: the ability to provide effective services to people of a specific cultural background, including one different from the provider. (p. 27)
In this article, I use the term cultural competence as also representing multicultural counseling competence. It also should be noted that definitions of culture in these instances often are inclusive of gender, ability/disability, and sexual orientation and deal with a broader...
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