Professional Counselors Self-Perceived Multicultural Counseling Competency Practicing in Rural, Suburban, and Urban Communities

The purpose of this study was to examine counselor's self- perceived multicultural counseling competency (MCC) between counselors working in rural, suburban and urban communities across the Commonwealth of Virginia. The study compared professional counselors' perceptions of their own multicultural counseling competence based on the counselor's geographic area of origin, current geographic practice setting, and counselors' intersections of identities to better understand counselor MCC as it relates to cultural diversity. Sample data was collected through professional counseling organizations in Virginia. Participants completed a demographic survey as well as the Multicultural Awareness Knowledge Skills Survey-Counselor Edition-Revised (MAKSS-CE-R) to measure self-perceived MCC. Results indicate that there was no difference in self-perceived MCC among professional counselors in Virginia based on their practice location or area of origin (i.e. hometown). However, counselor's identified race/ethnicity were predictor's of self-perceived MCC. Findings suggest that training programs may be providing adequate opportunities for counselors to develop MCC. Allowing innovative approaches through technology, consultation, and adherence to the ACA Code of Ethics (2014) could be sufficient in counselor MCC regardless of geographic practice location.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Counselor Education

Department dc:contributor.department

Education, Community College

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2019

Author dc:creator

• Mabry, Challen Marie

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Farmer, Laura Boyd

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Welfare, Laura E.
• Kniola, David J.
• Bodenhorn, Nancy E.

• multicultural counseling competency
• intersectional feminist lens
• professional counselors
• rural and urban practice settings

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:19567

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/89365