TY - JOUR
T1 - Make It Personal
T2 - A Qualitative Investigation of White Counselors' Multicultural Awareness Development
AU - Atkins, Shawna L.
AU - Fitzpatrick, Marilyn R.
AU - Poolokasingham, Gauthamie
AU - Lebeau, Mariane
AU - Spanierman, Lisa
PY - 2017/7/1
Y1 - 2017/7/1
N2 - In this qualitative research study, we explored the multicultural awareness development of 12 multiculturally adept non-Latino White counselors. Using a grounded theory approach, we found that early personal experience with diversity was the most important contributing factor in developing understanding and empathy for oppression among White counselors. This factor appeared to lay the foundation for an ongoing personal initiative to develop multicultural awareness. Subsequently, counselors tried to maximize what they could learn from their culturally diverse clients, work environments, coursework, supervision, and mentoring opportunities. Their personal initiative also inspired them to persevere despite the difficult emotions and conflict inherent in this developmental process. Results suggest the need to incorporate personally transformative experiences in counselor training and to prepare counselors for the emotional challenges of multicultural awareness development.
AB - In this qualitative research study, we explored the multicultural awareness development of 12 multiculturally adept non-Latino White counselors. Using a grounded theory approach, we found that early personal experience with diversity was the most important contributing factor in developing understanding and empathy for oppression among White counselors. This factor appeared to lay the foundation for an ongoing personal initiative to develop multicultural awareness. Subsequently, counselors tried to maximize what they could learn from their culturally diverse clients, work environments, coursework, supervision, and mentoring opportunities. Their personal initiative also inspired them to persevere despite the difficult emotions and conflict inherent in this developmental process. Results suggest the need to incorporate personally transformative experiences in counselor training and to prepare counselors for the emotional challenges of multicultural awareness development.
KW - counseling
KW - diversity
KW - multicultural awareness
KW - multicultural counseling competence
KW - oppression
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85027555521&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85027555521&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0011000017719458
DO - 10.1177/0011000017719458
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85027555521
SN - 0011-0000
VL - 45
SP - 669
EP - 696
JO - Counseling Psychologist
JF - Counseling Psychologist
IS - 5
ER -