Commitment to Individual and Cultural Diversity Competency Training

Introduction

Our program utilizes competency and standards based training and requires participants to demonstrate proficiency in all required competencies and standards of their respective mental health professions, inclusive of the individual and cultural diversity competency (Accreditation Standard II.A.2.c.). Individual and cultural diversity competence is vital to all parts of counselor development and competence. It is incorporated into all areas of supervision, training seminars, evaluations, and professional activities (Accreditation Standard II.C & D.).

National organizations in the mental health field have made ethical code and accreditation standards that reflect the importance of working with a diverse public. The state of Florida’s Laws and Rules governing eligibility for licensure require adherence to the accreditation standards and code of ethics listed below.

Accreditation Standards

CACREP Standards

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) standards (https://www.cacrep.org/for-programs/2016-cacrep-standards/) include regulations regarding diversity and advocacy training.

Section 1, The Learning Environment
Section 2, Professional Counseling Identity
Section 3, Professional Practice
Section 6, Doctoral Standards for Counselor Education and Supervision

APA Standards

The American Psychological Association (APA) Standards of Accreditation for Health Service Psychology (https://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/standards-of-accreditation.pdf) include specific regulations regarding individual and cultural diversity training.

APA Competency Benchmarks

1. Individual and Cultural Diversity

2A. Self as Shaped by Individual and Cultural Diversity

(e.g., cultural, individual, and role differences, including those based on age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socioeconomic status) and Context
READINESS FOR PRACTICUM	READINESS FOR INTERNSHIP	READINESS FOR ENTRY TO PRACTICE
Demonstrates knowledge, awareness, and understanding of one’s own dimensions of diversity and attitudes towards diverse others	Monitors and applies knowledge of self as a cultural being in assessment, treatment, and consultation	Independently monitors and applies knowledge of self as a cultural being in assessment, treatment, and consultation

2B. Others as Shaped by Individual and Cultural Diversity and Context

2C. Self as Shaped by Individual and Cultural Diversity

READINESS FOR PRACTICUM	READINESS FOR INTERNSHIP	READINESS FOR ENTRY TO PRACTICE
Demonstrates knowledge, awareness, and understanding of interactions between self and diverse others	Applies knowledge of the role of culture in interactions in assessment, treatment, and consultation of diverse others	Independently monitors and applies knowledge of diversity in others as cultural beings in assessment, treatment, and consultation

2D. Applications based on Individual and Cultural Context

READINESS FOR PRACTICUM	READINESS FOR INTERNSHIP	READINESS FOR ENTRY TO PRACTICE
Demonstrates basic knowledge of and sensitivity to the scientific, theoretical, and contextual issues related to ICD (as defined by APA policy) as they apply to professional psychology. Understands the need to consider ICD issues in all aspects of professional psychology work (e.g., assessment, treatment, research, relationships with colleagues)	Applies knowledge, sensitivity, and understanding regarding ICD issues to work effectively with diverse others in assessment, treatment, and consultation	Applies knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding dimensions of diversity to professional work

Code of Ethics

The American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics includes, but is not limited to, the following statements:

A.4.b. Personal Values

A.11.b. Values Within Termination and Referral

Counselors refrain from referring prospective and current clients based solely on the counselor’s personally held values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Counselors respect the diversity of clients and seek training in areas in which they are at risk of imposing their values onto clients, especially when the counselor’s values are inconsistent with the client’s goals or are discriminatory in nature.

C.2.a. Boundaries of Competence

Counselors practice only within the boundaries of their competence, based on their education, training, supervised experience, state and national professional credentials, and appropriate professional experience. Whereas multicultural counseling competency is required across all counseling specialties, counselors gain knowledge, personal awareness, sensitivity, dispositions, and skills pertinent to being a culturally competent counselor in working with a diverse client population.

C.5. Nondiscrimination

See the ACA Code of Ethics at https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf

The National Association of Social Works (NASW) Code of Ethics includes, but is not limited to, the following statements:

1.05 Cultural Competence and Social Diversity

(a) Social workers should understand culture and its function in human behavior and society, recognizing the strengths that exist in all cultures.

(b) Social workers should have a knowledge base of their clients’ cultures and be able to demonstrate competence in the provision of services that are sensitive to clients’ cultures and to differences among people and cultural groups.

(c) Social workers should obtain education about and seek to understand the nature of social diversity and oppression with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and mental or physical disability.

See Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers at https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English

The American Psychological Association (APA) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct includes, but is not limited to, the following statements:

Principle E: Respect for People's Rights and Dignity

Psychologists respect the dignity and worth of all people, and the rights of individuals to privacy, confidentiality, and self-determination. Psychologists are aware that special safeguards may be necessary to protect the rights and welfare of persons or communities whose vulnerabilities impair autonomous decision making. Psychologists are aware of and respect cultural, individual and role differences, including those based on age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language and socioeconomic status and consider these factors when working with members of such groups. Psychologists try to eliminate the effect on their work of biases based on those factors, and they do not knowingly participate in or condone activities of others based upon such prejudices.

See APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct at http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/

APA also makes the following statement:

Preparing Professional Psychologists to Serve a Diverse Public

Training Councils Values Diversity Statement

Several training agencies – the Association of Counseling Center Training Agencies (ACCTA), the Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs (CCPTP), and the Society for Counseling Psychology (SCP) created a statement to address diversity training.

Counseling Psychology Model Training Values Statement Addressing Diversity

Awareness, sensitivity and skills in working professionally with diverse individuals, groups and communities who represent various cultural and personal background and characteristics defined broadly and consistent with APA policy.
READINESS FOR PRACTICUM	READINESS FOR INTERNSHIP	READINESS FOR ENTRY TO PRACTICE