General and multicultural case conceptualization skills: A cross-sectional analysis of psychotherapy trainees.

The general and multicultural case conceptualization skills of 91 psychotherapy trainees were evaluated for complexity and expertness across 3 case scenarios. The cases varied in the extent to which culture was presented in the demographic information and presenting concerns. Whereas general case conceptualization skills were found to relate to clinical training, multicultural case conceptualization skills were found to relate to multicultural training. Across cases, advanced trainees demonstrated significantly greater complexity and expertness than beginners. Trainees consistently included more culturally relevant ideas when culture was explicitly stated in the case as a presenting problem, versus when culture was implied. Last, consistently significant differences in the case conceptualizations of White trainees and trainees of color were not found. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictors of observer ratings of multicultural counseling competence in Black, Latino, and White American trainees.

Using transcribed intake sessions of 52 counselor–client dyads, this study explored the relative contributions of (a) counselor and client race or ethnicity, (b) counselor–client racial or ethnic match, (c) previous academic training in multicultural counseling, and (d) self-reported multicultural counseling competence to observer ratings of trainees' multicultural counseling competence. Results revealed that (a) Black American and Latino American counselor trainees were rated as more multiculturally competent than their White American peers, and (b) prior multicultural training was positively predictive of observer-rated multicultural counseling competence. Implications of the findings for counselor training and practice are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)