One Counselor Trainee’s Journey Toward Multicultural ... · Though multicultural counseling...

Running head: ONE COUNSELOR-TRAINEE’S JOURNEY 1

One Counselor-Trainee’s Journey Toward Multicultural Counseling Competence:

The Role Of Mentoring In Executing Intentional Cultural Immersion

Laura Shannonhouse

University of Maine

Cirecie West-Olatunji

University of Cincinnati

Author Note

Laura Shannonhouse, Department of Teacher and Counselor Education, University of

Maine.

Dr. Cirecie West-Olatunji, School of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services,

University of Cincinnati.

This research was supported in part by the Association for Multicultural Counseling and

Development (AMCD) and the Association for Counselor Educators and Supervisors (ACES).

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Laura Shannonhouse.

Department of Teacher and Counselor Education, College of Education and Human

Development, University of Maine, 5766 Shibles Hall, Orono, ME.

Contact: [email protected]

ONE COUNSELOR-TRAINEE’S JOURNEY 2

Abstract

Though multicultural counseling training is required in counselor education, research suggests

that beginning counselors continue to feel underprepared and are found to be ineffective in work

with diverse populations. One often-employed training strategy is that of the multicultural

immersion experience (MIE). After a brief review of themes and trends regarding the use of

MIEs in the multicultural counseling competence (MCC) literature, the authors present a case

study, the personal narrative of one graduate counseling student as she reflects upon her MIE to

South Africa and Botswana. This reflection is considered in the developmental context of

enhancing MCC, with a focus on how mentorship during the immersion fostered that growth.

Recommendations for impactful cultural immersion in counselor training are provided along

with thoughts on future research.

Keywords: multicultural counseling Competence, multicultural training, cultural

immersion, mentorship


One Counselor-Trainee’s Journey Toward Multicultural Counseling Competence:

The Role of Mentoring In Executing Intentional Cultural Immersion

Culture can serve as a vehicle for change rather than a barrier to counseling.

Multiculturalism helps counselors break out of their inherent assumptions (Burnett, Long &

Horne, 2005; Pedersen, 1991; Sue and Sue, 2008), understand their own values (Reynolds, 2001),

and gain perspective and empathize (Chung & Bemak, 2002; West-Olatunji, 2010). Although

scholars have argued for increased multicultural counseling competence (MCC) for more than 30

years (Burnett et al., 2005; Pedersen, 1991; Reynolds, 2001; Sue et al., 1982; Sue et al., 1992;

Worthington, Soth-McNett, & Moreno, 2007), counselor-trainees remain unprepared to respond

to the needs of diverse populations (Ancis & Sanchez-Hucles, 2000; Arthur & Januszkowski,

2001; Sue & Sue, 2008). Based on self-reports, beginning counselors feel unprepared to work

with ethnically diverse clients in particular (Allison, Crawford, Echemendia, Robinson, & Knepp,

1994; Arthur & Januszkowski, 2001; Kim & Lyons, 2003). Furthermore, external measures

indicate that trainees possess racial and gender biases along with limited awareness, knowledge,

and skills (Ponterotto, Fuertes, & Chen, 2000; Sue & Sue, 2008; Holcomb-McCoy & Myers,

1999), the three domains of MCC.

Cultural immersion (CI), direct contact with another culture in its context, is argued to

increase trainees’ knowledge, skills, and awareness (Abreu, Gim Chung, & Atkinson, 2000;

Alexander, Kruczek, & Ponterotto, 2005; Goodman & West-Olatunji, 2009; Ribeiro, 2004). In

addition, there is an argument that immersed trainees are better able to respond to diverse

clientele (DeRicco & Sciarra, 2005; Pope-Davis, Breaux, & Liu, 1997; Sodowsky, Taffe, Gutkin,

& Wise, 1994). CI has gained extensive popularity as a MCC training strategy in the counseling

field (Alexander et al., 2005; Boyle, Nakerud, & Kilpatrick, 1999; Canfield, Low, & Hovestadt,


2009; DeRicco & Sciarra, 2005; Gaines-Hanks & Grayman, 2009; Ishii, Gilbride, & Stensrud,

2009; Kambutu & Nganga, 2008; Mehta, 2011; Pope-Davis, et al., 1997; Tesoriero, 2006).

However, the mechanisms whereby trainees acquire increased MCC during CI remain nebulous.

There is no consensus model or structure for conducting CI. Thus, CI experiences vary

dramatically, making it difficult to understand the immersion components that contribute to

increased MCC. Pope-Davis and colleagues’ model (1997) has been extensively cited across the

aforementioned CI experiences. The purpose of this paper is to portray the developmental

impact that a particular instructional strategy, the Multicultural Immersion Experience (MIE;

Pope-Davis et al., 1997), had on one counselor-trainee's MCC. A brief summary of the MIE

model and constructs, along with an overview of the role of mentorship, is followed by a first-

hand account of and reflection upon specific immersion components that fostered transformation

in one student’s counselor development. Considerations for multicultural training, and cultural

immersion are then discussed.

Literature Review

Multiculturally competent counselors visit with their own biases, recognize the

importance of culture, respect diversity, and ensure that services are accessible, appropriate, and

equitable (Pedersen, 1991; Sue & Sue, 2008). The process of increasing MCC is a

developmental one that was originally described by Cross (1989) as moving forward along a

cultural competence continuum since attaining “competence” is a never-ending journey. This

journey is a long term, dynamic process requiring changes at the personal and professional levels.

This process is challenging and requires not only visiting with one’s inherent assumptions, but

also accepting responsibility for one’s actions and inactions (Kiselica, 1999). Specifically MCC

development involves gaining: (a) awareness of one’s own enculturation and their values, beliefs,


and worldviews (Cole, 1999; Kottak, 2008; Sue & Sue, 2008), (b) knowledge of the worldviews

of individuals with which one is working and an understanding of the sociopolitical systems and

institutional barriers operating in clients’ lives (D’Andrea & Heckman, 2008), and (c) skills for

effectively developing interventions based on a clients’ worldview as opposed to one’s own (Sue

et al., 1982; Sue et al., 1992; Sue & Sue, 2008). Though counselor educators have implemented

many strategies to foster movement along the MCC continuum, the experiential nature of the

MIE is argued to be a most effective training strategy.

CI positions participants to plunge themselves into the activities of an identified cultural

group (Canfield et al., 2009) which is reported to be transformative for counselor trainees

(Kottler, 1997). Trainees who experience CI are believed to gain genuine cultural understanding

(Arthur & Achenbach, 2002; Toporek, Ortega-Villalobos, & Pope-Davis, 2004), increased

knowledge of how groups define and view themselves (Pope-Davis et al., 1997), and increased

awareness of their own biases, values, and worldview (Abreu et al., 2000; Alexander et al., 2005;

Goodman & West-Olatunji, 2009; Ribeiro, 2004). Working in partnership with community

members while immersed also fosters mutuality, inclusion, and collaboration, thereby cultivating

self-awareness, peer learning, and community-centered perspectives (Burnett et al., 2005).

The MIE model (Pope-Davis et al., 1997) is widely cited among CI studies (Canfield,

Low, & Hovestadt, 2009; DeRicco & Sciarra, 2005; Diaz-Lazaro, & Cohen, 2001; Goodman &

West-Olatunji, 2008, 2009; Ishii et al., 2009; Paige, Fry, Stallman, Josic, & Jon, 2009) and is

grounded in the conditions of successful intergroup contact. A brief review of the conditions of

successful intergroup contact provides an important context for understanding the MIE.

Allport’s Contact Hypothesis (1954), also known as Intergroup Contact Theory, rests

upon the belief that contact between minority and majority group members is most effective in


reducing biases, tensions, and misunderstandings. Allport’s (1954) studies of intergroup

relations, however, did not support a simple contact theory. He argued that Blacks and Whites

living in close proximity did not eradicate racial tensions, but rather manifested prejudice.

Allport and colleagues identified necessary conditions of intergroup contact that bring about the

reduction of prejudice (DeRicco & Sciarra, 2005).

DeRicco and Sciarra (2005) built upon the work of Allport (1954) and others to

underscore core conditions of contact theory. Chiefly, contact must be of sufficient duration or

frequency. There must be enough time and repeated interaction for individuals to develop

genuine closeness and meaningful relationships between cultural group members (Pope-Davis et

al., 1997). Contact is also more beneficial to reducing prejudice when members from different

socio-cultural groups are mutually dependent on one another. Pope-Davis and colleagues’ MIE

(1997) is grounded in this theory. The three phases of the MIE include planning prior to

immersion and initial reflection; immersion with continued reflection; and debriefing, evaluation,

and meaning making (Pope-Davis et al., 1997). While reflection is central to the model and

fostered throughout the immersion process, the critical components that facilitators of immersion

often employ include: (a) pre-deployment training, (b) interaction with culturally diverse others,

(c) sustained time in the field, and (d) genuineness/depth of relationships formed.

Simply executing these critical components is not sufficient; a skilled facilitator is needed

to facilitate meaningful reflection (Merta, Stringham, & Ponterotto, 1988) and foster personal

support in learning (Tentoni, 1995). Often, the facilitator’s task is to help trainees step out of

their cultural context and see from the perspective of another (Chung & Bemak, 2002). Ptak,

Cooper, and Brislin (1995) argued that facilitating cross-cultural training is complex and requires

an awareness of the dynamics of personal and cultural interactions, as well as experience


working with individuals who do not realize that complexity. In order to promote intentional

reflection in their trainees, facilitators must possess multicultural (and self) awareness, as well as

knowledge of the historical and contemporary social issues that influence the specific immersion

context (Merta et al., 1988). The facilitators cannot respond to the needs of each trainee alone.

Thus, they are more effective if peer-mentoring relationships are also established during the CI.

Some scholars have suggested that peer mentoring can serve as an alternative to

conventional mentoring relationships that are often hierarchical and involve power dynamics

(Pololi et al., 2002; Woessner, Honold, Stehle, Stehr, & Steudel, 1998). Peers are seen more as

collaborators wherein their opinions are sought for insights, guidance, and support. In addition,

mentoring fosters empowerment and extended resource development (West-Olatunji et al., 2007;

Casto, Caldwell, & Salazar, 2005) while adding a dimension of safety (Mehta, 2011). In

particular, peer-mentoring relationships have been shown to be less threatening for trainees’ self-

evaluation and professional growth (Crutchfield & Borders, 1997). Overall, key advantages cited

for peer mentoring include greater availability and enhanced understanding of everyday

problems faced by trainees (Ramani, Gruppen, & Kachur, 2006). Thus, both hierarchical and

peer mentoring are seen as integral to employing the MIE model for intentional MCC growth

during CI. The purpose of this investigation was to explore the evolution of MCC articulated by

one counselor-trainee during an international CI experience.

Setting

A CI experience in South Africa/Botswana actuated the critical components outlined in

the three phases of the MIE (Pope-Davis et al., 1997). This CI also featured an additional

clinical outreach component after the pre-deployment training and immersion. Before the

critical components of this particular immersion are discussed, the context of the case study


participant will first be given. Since acquiring MCC is a developmental process, it is important

to consider what the counselor-trainee case study brought to the CI that may have influenced its

impact on her experience.

Context of the Participant

Sarah (pseudonym used), was a twenty-seven year old Caucasian female counselor-

trainee who was mid-way through her CACREP-accredited Master’s/Specialist program in

Mental Health Counseling. She attended a large university in the Southeastern United States and

had three practicum experiences as a part of courses, but not a formal internship. Sarah had

completed an introductory multicultural counseling course and reported being impacted by a

previous MIE to New Orleans (West-Olatunji et al., 2007), which also incorporated the

aforementioned CI components. Examples of immersion activities included visiting the Lower

Ninth Ward, Center for Jesus the Lord, communities and agencies affected by Hurricane Katrina,

and the University of New Orleans. These locations afforded Sarah opportunities to hear,

visualize, and experience the narratives of New Orleanians. After attaining a better

understanding of the disaster and socio-political context, Sarah engaged in supervised clinical

outreach with charter schoolteachers. She reported assisting teachers in organizing their

classrooms and responding to the stories of teachers and staff when appropriate. Sarah described

herself as “transformed” by the experience, and expressed an increased desire to advocate. In

addition, she felt an increased sense of self-efficacy and motivation to participate in future

clinical outreach experiences.

Critical Components of Immersion

The MIE chronicled in this case study lasted for 23 days in South Africa and Botswana

and consisted of an outreach team of 12 graduate students, 1 practitioner, 1 lay-person, and 10


counselor educators. Planning involved organizing the field experiences (e.g. selecting locations

to visit, and agencies & African counselors with whom to connect) and the pre-deployment

trainings. Six-hour pre-deployment trainings were held weekly and covered (a) socio-cultural

and historical content, (b) introduction to the local language, (c) counseling issues in South

Africa/Botswana, (d) culture-centered counseling interventions, (e) compassion fatigue and self-

care, and (f) culture shock.

Interaction with culturally diverse others was encouraged throughout the MIE.

Immersion activities involved visiting historical places in South Africa, such as the Apartheid

Museum, the Hector Pieterson Museum (named for a child who died during the civil rights

struggle), and Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela and other political dissidents had been

imprisoned). These locations offered opportunities to learn about South African history, hear the

narratives of community members, and dialogue with them. For instance, a former political

prisoner led the visit to Robben Island, such that his narrative was a lived experience.

Interaction continued during a three-and-a-half day international conference, titled

“Providing Culturally Competent Counseling Services in Trauma-Affected Communities”, in

Botswana’s capital city of Gaborone. A panel of counselor educators from multiple ethnic and

cultural backgrounds spoke with students about scholarship and career advancement. Counselors

from both Africa and the U. S. gave keynote speeches, and counselor-trainees from both

continents presented content sessions, paper presentations, and poster sessions. This structure

fostered exchange of knowledge through sessions and also in-between sessions, often over tea.

Counselors continued to dialogue during the conference luncheon and reception. Genuine

relationships were established, demonstrated by three practicing African counselors inviting the


Americans to their home village. Dressed in their traditional attire, the African counselors

hosted a visit to a local orphanage, museum, and a cave to view early markings on the walls.

Interaction was also fostered during the subsequent clinical outreach. Visits to the

University of Botswana’s practicum and internship sites provided opportunities for American

counselors and counselor-trainees to meet with mental health professionals in the community

that may not have attended the conference. These sites included a domestic violence shelter

along with elementary, middle, and high schools. Supervision and consultation was provided if

requested and/or appropriate (Shannonhouse & West-Olatunji, 2009).

The U.S. faculty, professional counselors, and counselor-trainees were required to journal

daily. Entries contained personal narratives of daily events, moments in which individuals were

impacted, and questions/concerns that emerged. These entries provided a component of personal

reflection. The MIE facilitator emphasized critical thinking among participants (during group

process) to allow them to expand their knowledge and skills in working with diverse clients

(West-Olatunji, 2010). This emphasis on intentional reflection is rooted within the framework of

critical consciousness theory (Freire, 2000), asserting that reflection and dialogue aid counselors

in taking social action, a key outcome of MCC.

When working with counselor-trainees, a core element of reflective process involves the

presentation of a problem contextualized by the dilemma of effective practice. This process

occurs in the space between the trainee’s ability to tolerate the ambiguity of not knowing and the

safe space in which they struggle (Nelson & Neufeldt, 1998). When facilitators provide safe

spaces, permission to reflect, and knowledge about how to reflect, they can stimulate change

among their trainees. In concert with the reflective process, the facilitator fostered peer

mentorship opportunities to allow trainees to process their daily experiences with peers. In


addition, there was opportunity for dialogue between MIE participants at all levels using a

structured group process component every evening. Group process lasted from one to three

hours nightly. Thus, these training interventions, founded upon critical consciousness theory,

sought to minimize counselor bias, increase self-awareness, and create new knowledge.

Pre-training, interaction, mentoring/peer mentoring, and reflection/group process were

used throughout the experience to enhance MCC. These experiential methods were reported as

transformative for the case study subject in her development along the MCC continuum. A

doctoral student and counselor educator (who served as the organizer and facilitator for this MIE

experience) read the trainee’s journal. Selected passages from her reflection journal are printed

below to depict the impact of specific components of this MIE.

Findings

Several themes found in the cultural immersion literature are also evident in a review of

Sarah’s MIE journal for her immersion in South Africa and Botswana. Her writing indicates that

the MIE fostered MCC growth, especially in the awareness and knowledge domains.

Specifically, she was emotionally impacted by the MIE, had shared experiences with group

members and community members, and the mentorship/reflection components were vehicles

through which she gained deeper understanding. In addition, she reported being “forever

changed” as a result of the journey.

Emotional Impact

Sarah’s journals reflected that her immersion experience had a strong emotional impact.

While walking through the Apartheid museum, she reported being moved by the video of Winnie

Mandela (Nelson Mandela’s second wife) at the Rivonia Trial just after her husband was

sentenced to life imprisonment, “Winnie Mandela said, ‘I will never lose hope and my people


will never lose hope..,’ I felt humbled and inspired by her faith and resiliency.” Sarah also wrote

on her feelings after reading about the Sharpeville Massacre:

On the next display wall, I learned that 69 Black South Africans were

killed, most shot in the back, when they didn’t have their passbooks

[documents required for Black South Africans that listed employment

information and travel permits]. I felt nauseous and horrified and realized

that this isn’t that different from what we have done in the US.

She further shared:

As I stepped into the replica of a solitary confinement cell, I felt

disoriented, and eventually realized that it was time to leave. Though I

had been alone and disconnected from my group for nearly two hours, I

had barely seen a fraction of the museum.

Shared Experiences

A sense of connection to her peers and to those in the immersed community enhanced

Sarah’s personal experience during the immersion. Feeling a sense of solidarity with others was

important to her, as is evident in this passage, “Two students’ disclosures resonated for me. I was

surprised to learn that others were feeling things too.” In these writings, she commented on

instances of both peer and facilitator-driven mentorship. Two examples of reflections by other

group members that impacted Sarah were the following entries:

One peer of mine [Indian female] felt that she could escape conversations like this

as she doesn’t identify with being Black or White. This afforded me another

perspective and an opportunity to learn about my peers’ journey and their context.


Her experience touched me; she spoke from a place of loneliness, isolation, and

disconnection

and

He [White male] shared an experience about when a professor [Black male]

stepped into a solitary confinement cell and asked him to close the cell door. The

student said it was a hard thing to do, recreating a scene that played out all too

often. In that moment we were all in touch with our feelings.

Another journal entry shows how Sarah’s experience was enhanced by the timely

supervision of a facilitator during the group experience:

Then, one group facilitator [Black female] said it was okay to feel uncomfortable.

I had been feeling uncomfortable for quite some time. Non-Whites were

officially second-class citizens under Apartheid, but that academic fact became

much more disturbing by what I had seen with my own eyes. I shared what I read

about the conditions of the miners: the payment discrepancies, tuberculosis, death,

murder, male rape followed by ridicule. I felt sick.

Sarah also discussed feeling a sense of connectedness to community members in

addition to group members:

These images will never leave my mind; it isn’t something I can ignore. Though I

was not a member of that community, I have had pain, loss, and struggles in my

life. I felt a sense of shared humanity as understanding I could have had a similar

experience was more genuine and less ‘othering’. This process of connecting will

stay with me.


Increased Awareness

Increased awareness emerged as Sarah reported new understanding of her own values,

beliefs, and worldview. Her writings also reflected a deeper understanding of community

members’ values and socio-political context, along with new beliefs about mental health work.

She noted, “At this clinic in Soweto we dialogued with over twenty para-professionals who,

despite not having college degrees, have a powerful and genuine way of connecting… In this

work they are more effective.” In her description of how she was affected by one

paraprofessional’s story, Sarah touched upon her new awareness:

I spoke with one woman who was rejected by her family after contracting HIV.

She had been alone for 12 years before finding this agency, but now she feels

accepted. One of my cohorts joked, “Every story ends the same, ‘…and then I

ended up here’”… After the staff members’ disclosure, I started to cry and so did

she… it was so touching to hear her express that she felt like she belonged and

was accepted… she has another family.

After exchanging knowledge and working within an agency, Sarah reported a deeper

understanding of an agency worker’s beliefs:

Later, we heard the staff jointly sing a song, Never Give Up. I began to

understand that there are variations in beliefs and values and that dancing and

singing is therapeutic and meaningful within this culture and in this context it

serves as a mechanism for resiliency. Somehow talking with this woman and

hearing that song made me view African music in a new way. It tuned me in to

the value of collectivism and I felt a sense of umoja [the spirit of togetherness]. I

understood how the staff can be there, day in–day out, many of them working for


free. By helping others, they help themselves, reflecting the African saying, ‘I am

because we are’. One para-professional commented, “‘Sometimes clients will say,

How much do I owe you?’ I tell them, ‘I see it in your face, I get paid in smiles.’”

Awareness also emerged in another one of Sarah’s entries describing an agency visit: One counselor there [Parent-Child Counseling Center] presented an extensive

case conceptualization of a young girl who was raped and contracted HIV. When

asked how she feels about her client, the counselor responded, ‘She is close to my

heart now.’ I thought to myself, ‘Shouldn’t we feel our clients' stories?’ I asked

another counselor at the site, ‘What is the most important thing to know about

your work?’ She replied, ‘The situation is complex.’ She comprehends where her

clients are coming from – their culture and sociopolitical context. I am so

impressed by how the counselors and para-professionals I’ve met here connect

with and understand their clients.

In addition to gaining new insight about herself and others, Sarah also reflected about her

own process during the MIE:

In the Western world, it seems we are experts, having all the answers. By reading,

immersing, and processing, I have been able to see from a different perspective.

It is more genuine when connecting to the client’s context instead of my own. By

coming to terms with my own wounds I hope to be able to facilitate a space for

clients to heal themselves... Immersion is a powerful way to see through a

different lens.


New Knowledge

Sarah reported acquiring new knowledge about what counseling looks like in other

contexts. Here she reflects on a particular project from Cape Town:

They were trained in nutrition, assessed the mothers’ to find the most

knowledgeable ones, provided further training and charged them to educate their

neighbors. This empowerment tweaked me; it is preventative, contrary to Western

ways where we frequently value reactionary methods, responding according to an

illness orientation.

She also discussed encountering preventative practices in the work done at Cape Peninsula,

University of Technology:

They have a regular HIV testing program and have periodic test drives. They

provide psycho-education so that individuals who are HIV positive can care for

themselves and those who are negative can take precautions. Their model is

preventative and aimed to better the community. Their training methods are

outstanding, they engage in peer mentoring, role plays, and their own immersions.

Immersion has also been known to foster critical thinking as exemplified in Sarah’s

reflection, which compared responding through a missionary lens verses a counseling

one:

On this immersion, I found strength and innovation. It felt very different from

what I experienced when I grew up and went on church mission trips. Here, as a

counseling student I saw those with vastly different lives and respected them for

their hearts and their heads. While there is good that can come out of missionary

work, after going on this trip and reading Paulo Friere, it seems that there are


other ways to interact which are more reciprocal and empowering. I didn’t go to

Africa to help people, I went there to learn.

Mentorship

Sarah reflected upon what the group facilitator said and did throughout her journal entries.

These thoughts ranged from recognizing how specific knowledge shared by the facilitator was

helpful:

She educated us on the three different kinds of women in Botswana. She

explained how their money (pula) was more than just currency. Pula literally

means water. This caused us to reflect on the meaning of water to them.

to making meaning of the facilitator’s actions: She led by example, gaining extensive knowledge of the cultural context

beforehand. Her awareness enabled her to connect in such a way that it seemed

that she was a cultural informant for us without being a part of their culture.

However, the facilitator’s role in mentoring Sarah along her journey is perhaps best

displayed in this reflection:

She tasked us to explore our own personal narrative – to understand our context

so that we could relate to each other. She encouraged us to be in the moment and

feel our own story through others. In fact, she told me that was my gift – to help

others feel as I shared.

Forever Changed

As Sarah reintegrated into her life in the US, she further reflected about how her life has

changed and become richer as a result of her MIE. Here her words speak to her development as

a clinician:


I found part of my personal narrative. Prior to my immersion in New Orleans and

now Africa, I thought that if I just learned the right technique, or the right way to

respond when a client said ‘X’ or ‘Y’, then I would be able to be a counselor and

do this work. But there is no right answer or perfect response. It’s about really

connecting with your client and understanding their context, cultural or otherwise,

so that you know how to work with that client in that moment. I’m sure there are

times for cookie-cutter interventions, but from what I saw on these trips was that

the times that were the most powerful, were the ones built on connection to that

person, place, and time.

She also developed new perspective on the nature of counseling and her worldviews

regarding the profession:

This South Africa immersion experience has heightened my awareness of the

Western view of monitoring and regulating mental health. I recently heard a

counselor educator state that counselors are individualistic in nature and keep

their doors shut; it’s about making their mark and achieving higher status. I

challenge myself to think more along the lines of ‘I am because we are’.

Sarah’s final journal entry summarizes how this MIE has become a part of her journey

along the MCC continuum:

I have learned that multiculturally competent counselors recognize the importance

of culture to clients and the therapeutic relationship. They respect diversity and

serve as advocates, ensuring that services are accessible and equitable. Gaining

MCC not only helps us connect with individuals who have a different worldview,

but also cultivates collaboration with the community. My journey towards


cultural competence is just beginning; it is the most significant journey I’ve ever

attempted – it involves growing into the counselor I want to be.

Discussion

Researchers (Chung & Bemack, 2002; Ishii et al., 2009; Pope-Davis et al., 1997) have

argued the positive benefits of immersion experiences in developing MCC of counselor-trainees.

However, immersion experiences vary dramatically in terms of implementing the critical

components originally outlined by Pope-Davis and colleagues (1997). While these components

are argued to facilitate the acquisition of MCC in many CI studies, (Alexander et al., 2005;

Canfield et al., 2009; DeRicco & Sciarra, 2005; Goodman & West-Olatunji, 2008, 2009; Mehta

& Cashwell, 2012; West-Olatunji et al., 2011), there is a lack of knowledge about how these

components mature the MCC of counselor trainees. This study provided the first known in-

depth narrative of the impact of a MIE, along with both peer mentoring and hierarchical

mentoring, on the journey of one counselor-trainee. All four of the critical MIE components

were incorporated in this particular CI experience and will be considered here along with the

impact of mentorship.

The pre-deployment training that preceded this immersion may have proven valuable to

Sarah’s understanding of the socio-political-historical context of the local population and armed

her with strategies to cope with the stress of being outside her own comfort zone as the literature

suggests (Allen & Young, 1997; DeRicco & Sciarra, 2005). However, any such impact was not

explicitly apparent in her journal, although it may be inferred that knowledge precipitated

awareness in several entries. In situ trainings by supervisors did seem useful, to Sarah which

supports Chung and Bemak’s (2002) conclusions about the importance of a knowledgeable

facilitator/supervisor to the success of an MIE.


There is no consensus about what ‘sustained’ time in the field is for a MIE, though it is

reasonable to consider that longer immersions can provide for more breadth and depth of

experience. Ishii and colleagues (2009) found stereotypes in trainees’ journals that immersed for

one week, and asserted that trainees need longer to move from ethnocentric thinking to more

cultural relativistic views. Similarly, West-Olatunji (2011) and West-Olatunji and Goodman

(2012) posited that trainees need at least a few weeks to struggle through any resistance towards

accepting ethnorelative perspectives in order to fully experience being the ‘other’. No such

resistant behavior was noted in Sarah’s analyzed journals. Several of her entries, however,

record her reflection on patterns that were likely observable only by having multiple

opportunities across a long-form immersion. Her reflections on both how local healers connect

with their clients and on the model of preventative care integrate many experiences that were

scheduled over the span of this three-week MIE.

The presented case study supports previous arguments regarding the importance to a MIE

of interacting with local peoples and forming genuine relationships while immersed (Alexander

et al., 2005; Canfield et al., 2009; Kambutu & Nganga, 2008). Sarah’s journal was replete with

emotional reflections and moments of recognized connection with all people, but the passages

that stood out as most indicative of increased awareness and MCC were those in which she

described interacting with the locals. Her experience of being an ‘other’ and observing her peers

being ‘other’ (Gillin & Young, 2009) afforded her new knowledge about how groups define and

view themselves. Noticeably, the interactions that spurred new perspective towards her identity

as a multiculturally competent counselor were spawned in the midst of extended interaction with

cultural ‘others’. Her words point to how those deeply genuine connections were some of the

most impactful parts of her MIE to Africa.


The journal entries support the existing literature by chronicling how an MIE that

incorporated the critical components resulted in statements from a counselor-trainee which

indicate her growing MCC. Further, this case study demonstrates that the emotional impact of

an immersion (and empathic connection through shared experiences) can for some trainees be a

dominant developmental catalyst, which aligns with the argument that MCC growth is fostered

through affective processes in addition to cognitive ones (Chung & Bemak, 2002; Sue et al.,

1992). For Sarah, an academic understanding of oppressed South Africans’ experiences was

disconnected from her awareness until her supervisor provided a safe space to acknowledge what

that knowledge ‘felt like.’ That particular memory, as with many others from the examined

journal, took place during group process and peer interactions, where the parallel (or dissimilar)

paths of Sarah’s peers fueled further reflection. This case study supports research (Goodman et

al., 2008; 2009, West-Olatunji, 2011) that both hierarchical and peer mentorship can be

instrumental in making an immersion experience into an awareness triggering opportunity,

opening the door for further MCC development.

Future Research

The use of MIEs is en vogue as a training strategy in counselor training, but many

questions remain about how to most effectively use this pedagogy. In this case study, the

knowledge and awareness domains of MCC were readily apparent in journal excerpts, but future

research might explore how a MIE can mature MCC skills. More generally, future studies could

explore which MIE aspects enhance specific domains of trainees’ MCC. There may also be

overlap among the MIE critical components, as this study suggested that prolonged time in the

field afforded the ability for greater depth of relationships with culturally diverse others. The


counseling field may benefit from further research into quantifying the role (and overlap) of

these components by developing a way to measure the impact of a MIE on a counselor trainee.

The role of mentoring was central to the discussion of this particular MIE, and it is

apparent that there is room for more research into this topic. How do mentors/supervisors

prepare for conducting successful MIE trainings for their students/supervisees? How useful is

immersing in clinical settings or contexts to developing MCC in trainees? It is noteworthy that

in this case study, the memorable, awareness-inducing aspects of Sarah’s Africa immersion were

often connected to clinical components (e.g visiting agencies or working with paraprofessionals).

It would advance the MIE literature if researchers comprehensively examined what aspects of

mentorship (or clinical supervision) during MIEs enhance the MCC development of trainees.


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