+1 862 207 3288 Multicultural Counseling Competencies
Ethical Practice
Patricia Arredondo
Rebecca Toporek
Read the article that’s enclosed concerning an ethical issue in counseling. And write a 1 page summary with APA reference.
The adoption of the Competencies is indicative of ethical and culturally responsive practices.
Historical marginalization based on ethnic, racial, cultural, and socioeconomic differences and sci-
entific racism have adversely affected the mental health professions and clients deserving of ser-
vices. A rationale for the adoption of the Competencies is articulated based on existing research and
cramp/es of application of the Competencies. Rebuttals are made to criticisms about the
Competencies by Weinraclt and ‘l‘homas (2002). Viewing the Competencies as a living document
indicates their future evolution as a set of culturally universal and culturally relative guidelines for
the mental health professions.
Unfortunately, it is often easier to ignore, dismiss, reject, and even hurt one
another rather than engage in constructive confrontation” (hooks, 2000, p
viii). The sentiments of hell hooks, a feminist writer and multicultural advo-
cate, are relevant to our invited response to Weinrach and Thomas (2002). We
thank them for the opportunity to engage in respectful and candid discourse,
and to write in support of the Competencies developed by the Association of
Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD). For the record, there
are 31 Competency statements and ‘119 Explanatory Statements articulated
in the published document Operationalization of the Multicultural Counseling
Competencies (Arredondo et al., 1996). The latter is an expansion of the first
AMCD Competencies document (Sue, Arredondo, & McDavis, 1992),
although the 31 statements remain the same. The focus in both documents is
on interpersonal interactions, primarily through clinical practice, and less so
on specifics of training, research, assessment, and organizational develop-
ment.
California, the ACA Governing Council endorsed the Competencies. At their
annual convention, the APA Council of Representatives endorsed
Multicultural Guidelines on Education and Training, Research, Practice, and
Organizational Developmentfor Psychologists (APA, 2002) creating new pol-
icy for its 160,000 members.
A national campaign to endorse the Competencies was initiated Fall 2002
(D’Andrea & Arredondo, 2002). The goals are to have 300 individual coun-
seling professionals and 100 institutions or counseling bodies endorse the
Competencies by 2005. In the first 3 months, more than 100 counselors and
psychologists and l3 counselor training programs made an endorsement’l‘his
means that the individuals and programs have committed to put the
Competencies into practice within the purview of their role and responsibili-
ties. Weinrach and Thomas (2002) may never endorse the Competencies;
however, there are members of the Association of Mental Health Counselors
among the more than loo professionals that have stepped forward. With both
ACA and APA now endorsing the Competencies and Multicultural
Guidelines respectively, we predict a groundswell of response from educators,
researchers, and practitioners alike. Multicultural competency is becoming a
way of life.
5. Multicultural competency measurement and scale development has
been on going since the mid-198os It is recommended that there be
more consistency in the definition of constructs and their validity
and the internal validity of the scales themselves.
6. Mental health professional advocacy and social justice are impor-
tant aspects of counseling. Atkinson,Thompson, and Grant (1993)
suggest that the extent to which the mental health professional
addresses internal versus external attributions and interventions
greatly depends on various personal dimensions of the client’s iden-
tity and context. New studies are needed to examine the utility of
these different roles, the ethical and practical concerns of these vari-
ations on traditional practice, and the experience of clients working
with mental health professionals who adapt their role depending on
the client’s needs.
7. As a reflection of accreditation, there has been more standardiza-
tion regarding the content and scope of training and practice. One
of the reasons that accrediting bodies and ethical standards have
been established is that of consistency. When graduates from
accredited programs are interviewed for faculty or practice posi-
tions, accreditation ensures that standards of curriculum and
coursework have been completed. With empirical studies, it may be
possible to discern how graduates of multiculturally centered pro-
grams perform on licensing or other professional competency
exams, where they gain employment, and how this may correspond
to a program’s attention to multicultural competency development.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
When a mental health professional joins a professional association, such as
the American Mental Health Counselors Association or American
Counseling Association, and agrees to abide by the organization’s code of
ethics, it is assumed that the professional recognizes and acts in accordance
with a publicly acknowledged set of standards. As with the above examples,
having a common document addressing multicultural competence helps the
mental health professions achieve greater sophistication in preparation and
practice. In addition, it communicates to consumers and potential mental
health providers that the professional community considers culture, in its
many forms, as essential.
Corey, Corey, and Callanan (2003) identify 10 major mental health associ-
ations with their own code of ethics. Of these, five are affiliated with ACA.
Meanwhile six ACA divisions and two divisions of the APA have endorsed
the Competencies. More recently, at the annual conference in Anaheim,
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