A National Tour to Promote Multicultural Competence and Social Justice
Organized by
Michael D’Andrea
Professor in the Department of Counselor Education at the University of Hawaii
and
Executive Director of the National Institute for Multicultural Competence
E-mail address — Michael@hawaii.edu
Introduction: The mental health professions are entering a new era. Among the numerous
factors that are contributing the emergence of this new era in mental health-care in the United
States include:
[a] the new challenges that mental health practitioners face as they deal with the rapid culturalracial transformation of our citizenry (U. S. Census Bureau, 2001) and
[b] recent reports that describe the overall failure of our existing mental health-care system to
effectively and ethically meet the psychological needs of millions of persons from culturally and
racially-different groups in our society (U.S. Surgeon report, 2001).
Besides pressing for the development and implementation of new psychological paradigms in the
fields of counseling and psychology, the two factors mentioned above are also leading:
[a] mental health professionals to acquire a broad array of new professional competencies that
will enable them to work more effectively, respectfully, and ethically in promoting the mental
health and psychological well-being of large numbers of persons from cultural-racial groups that
historically have been marginalized in the past and
[b] counselors and psychologists to embrace new helping roles as social justice advocates
(D’Andrea, 2003).
In short, the mental health professions in general and the fields of counseling and psychology in
particular are presently confronted with a number of unprecedented challenges that need to be
addressed if the mental health-care system is to remain viable and relevant in the coming years.
Recognizing that these challenges demand revolutionary changes in the way counselors and
psychologists are trained and conduct their work, graduate training programs and professional
counseling and psychology organizations have slowly begun to provide the kinds of professional
development services that are necessary to assist counselors and psychologists in become
culturally-competent. While this progress is encouraging, multicultural and social justice
counseling advocates agree that much more needs to be done to help mental health professionals
become better prepared to meet the unprecedented challenges they face in our contemporary
society.
With this backdrop in mind, Dr. Michael D’Andrea, a professor at the University of Hawaii and
the Executive Director of the National Institute for Multicultural Competence, has organized a
national tour in which professional development training services are provided to mental health
workers, students, faculty members, and other interested community persons from August 2003
– May 2008. This national tour is entitled, “Promoting Multicultural Competence and Social
Justice in the Mental Health Professions.” What follows is a brief description of the goals, types
of training services offered, and procedure for applying to participate in this national tour.
Purpose: The purpose of this national tour is threefold.
First, it is designed to enhance a greater understanding of the types of competencies counselors,
psychologists, and social workers need to acquire to work more effectively, respectfully, and
ethically within our culturally-diverse 21st Century society. To accomplish this goal, the
presenters will provide information about the 34 fundamental multicultural counseling
competencies that have been developed by the Association for Multicultural Counseling and
Development (AMCD) and endorsed by six professional associations in the American
Counseling Association (ACA). The presenters will also refer to the set of multicultural
guidelines that have more recently been endorsed by the American Psychological Association
(APA) in promoting a greater understanding as to what it means to be a culturally-competent
mental health professional in our contemporary society.
To further achieve this goal, the presenters will use video-taped demonstrations of counseling
and psychotherapy role-plays that involve persons from diverse cultural-racial groups. This
training strategy will clearly model some of the techniques and approaches that culturallycompetent practitioners can use to more effectively and respectfully promote the mental health
and psychological development of persons from diverse groups and backgrounds in the future.
Second, the national tour is designed to foster an increased understanding of the intimate links
that exist between the various forms of social injustice that continue to be perpetuated in the U.S.
and the mental health of millions of persons in our society. To achieve this end, the presenters
will [a] discuss the kinds of competencies mental health professionals need to acquire to work
effectively as social justice advocates and [b] present several practical intervention models have
been tested and found to be effective in fostering the personal well-being of larger number of
persons from culturally and racially-different groups in the U.S.
Third, the presenters will work with those persons, who participate in this professional
development program, by brainstorm practical things they can do to advocate for a greater level
of multicultural competence and social justice in the training programs, universities, and
communities where they live and work. To achieve this aspect of the project, the presenters will
outline a number of “multicultural organizational development” strategies that have been
effective in promoting the tenets of multiculturalism and social justice counseling over the past
decade.
Professional development training format: The presenters are committed to providing two
different training formats to meet the needs and interests of the applicants.
a. Training format #1: The first format involves a minimum of a 3-hour format during which
time the presenters will provide a broader overview of numerous issues related to the three topic
areas described above (i.e., exploring the multicultural competencies and guidelines, discussing
the links between social justice and mental health, brain-storming action strategies that students,
faculty members and other professionals can use to stimulate and increased level of support for
multicultural competence and social at their institutions.
b. Training format #2: The second format involves a 5-hour training format during which time
the presenters will be able to cover the three areas described above in greater detail.
Please note: Special accommodations can be made regarding the length of the professional
development services and the content to be addressed depending on the special needs of
particular training programs and universities who are interested in applying for this tour.
Requirements: The requirements to be considered as one of the professional training
programs/universities include: [1] the commitment your training program has made to promoting
multiculturalism and social justice counseling principles in the past, [2] plans that your training
program or university may have recently made in supporting these areas in the future, and [3] the
financial resources available at your institution. It should be emphasized that it is possible to
select a university or training program to be a part of this national tour if it has either
demonstrated strong institutional support for multiculturalism and social justice over a period of
time or has recently made a commitment in these areas but does not have funding to support such
an endeavor.
Costs: Although financial factors will not be the primary consideration that determines which
universities and training programs will be selected to participate in this tour, minimal fiscal
support ($1000.00) from all selected training programs and universities programs is appreciated.
Cost considerations include the geographic location of your training program; transportation
expenses; and the professional training framework that will best meet the needs of your training
program and university. Please see the various options for training formats that are described
below (See point #3 under Application procedure).
Tentative Timeframe: Three (3) to four (4) professional training programs and universities will
be selected from three broad geographic areas in the U.S. to participate in this project. This
includes: [a] the eastern-southeastern; [b] mid-western, and western parts of the United States.
This national tour will extend from August 2003 – August 2008. Specific dates and locations
where the professional development services are to be offered on an on-going basis.
Application procedure: To be considered as one of the training programs and universities to be
selected for this national tour, please e-mail Dr. D’Andrea your responses to the following
questions:
1. What level of commitment has your training program and/or university demonstrated toward
multiculturalism and social justice in the past?
2. Has your training program or university recently made a substantial commitment to
multiculturalism and/or social justice? If so, briefly describe.
3. If your training program is selected to participate in this national tour, which training format
would be preferable at your institution? Please check one of the following.
_____ 3-hour format
_____ 5-hour format
_____ Special accommodations for time of training (Briefly describe)
4. What sort of financial support do you think your training program or university might be able
to make in participating in this national tour.
Deadline: The NIMC has an on-going proposal review process established to ensure all
proposals that are submitted by completing this short application format will be given careful
consideration in the selection process. Please e-mail your completed proposal to Dr. Michael
D’Andrea (E-mail address — Michael@hawaii.edu).