Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Special Education, Counseling and Student Affairs / Christy Craft / In this study, I sought to determine how the multicultural competence scores of entry-level housing professionals were impacted by the demographic characteristics of race, gender, sexual orientation, years of experience, and graduate school diversity curricular content and experiences. Additionally, it was important to establish a baseline of knowledge related to multicultural competence for this particular population of entry-level housing professionals. I selected participants for this study from the 2016 membership directory of the Upper Midwest Region of the Association of College and University Housing Officers (UMR-ACUHO). I used quantitative data analysis methods to answer four research questions. I analyzed the first research question using ANOVA and post hoc tests for each of the demographic variables of race, gender, and sexual orientation. I found statistically significant differences in multicultural competence scores based on race and sexual orientation, while I found no differences by gender. The post hoc examinations revealed that for the various racial categories, there were no statistically significant differences by group. With regard to sexual orientation, I found that gay male participants had multicultural competence scores that were statistically significantly higher than their heterosexual/straight colleagues. I analyzed the third research question using linear regression in an attempt to determine if there was a relationship between years of experience and multicultural competence scores. There was no statistically significant relationship. The final two research questions used ANOVA and post hoc analyses to determine if there were differences in the multicultural competence scores of participants based on the diversity content in their graduate programs and their most impactful multicultural graduate school experiences. I found no statistical differences for either of those research questions.

Thesis advisor: Lisa A. Goodman / Those in poverty face myriad stressors, traumatic events, and ongoing hardships; and not surprisingly, struggle with a range of mental health issues. Yet, they are less likely to access mental health services than their middle-income counterparts, and when they do, they are more likely to drop out of treatment prematurely. Although researchers have found that when interventions are tailored to address poverty-related stressors outcomes are dramatically improved, the perspectives of those providing such treatment is rarely described. This qualitative descriptive study of twelve experienced psychologists working with clients in poverty aimed to fill this gap. The study explored the extent to which psychologists develop unique practices for working with low-income clients, as well as the personal and contextual factors that support or hinder these efforts. Findings can be distilled into three categories: Practices unique to working with low-income clients include strategies for addressing power dynamics, managing boundaries, and addressing external stressors as part of the therapeutic process. Therapist attributes key to working with low-income clients include possessing a values-based commitment to working with marginalized groups; possessing experience with, knowledge of, and empathy for the realities of living in poverty; possessing a high degree of self-awareness related to poverty; and possessing a willingness to be deeply affected by the work and cope with negative feelings. Contextual obstacles to working with low-income clients include agency-level and social service system-level challenges. Perhaps the most striking finding was participants' understanding of how conceptualizations of appropriate boundaries need to change in the context of work with this population. Many participants described, for example, giving food to their clients when they were hungry or giving them small amounts of money to help them take care of their most basic needs. The discussion section explores these findings in the context of ecological and feminist theoretical models and current research and describes the implications of the results for research, training, and practice. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

The United Kingdom (UK) is becoming increasingly diverse (Office for National Statistics, 2013). Educational psychologists in the UK will need to feel competent in providing services to an increasingly multicultural population. This research study used a mixed method, two-phase, sequential, explanatory study design to explore the self-perceived intercultural competence of UK educational psychologists and trainee educational psychologists (EP/Ts). The study also explored EP/Ts experiences of working with culturally diverse populations. The first phase of this research study used an online adapted version of the MCCTS-R (Holcomb-McCoy & Myers, 1999; Munoz, 2009), and the second phase built upon the first phase with follow-up semi-structured interviews, analysed using Braun & Clarke's (2006) thematic analysis. The results of this research study present a breadth and depth of information. EP/Ts generally perceived themselves to be competent to work cross-culturally with particular areas of competence including knowledge of assessment bias, poverty effects, and positive attitudes towards diverse cultures. EP/Ts also reported areas of lower competence including theories of racial/ethnic identity development, limited experiences of community work and limited knowledge of community resources. However, EP/Ts perceptions about development needs depended upon their awareness. The process of participating in the study raised awareness of gaps in knowledge and limitations in practice. The study concludes with a discussion of implications for the practice of EP/Ts.

This study examined the multicultural counseling competence among new residence life professionals by using the Multicultural Counseling Knowledge and Awareness Scale (MCKAS: Ponterotto, Gretchen, Utsey, Riger, & Austin, 2002) and a demographic questionnaire created by the researcher. Results included statistically significant positive relationships between participants’ completion of multicultural counseling graduate coursework and multicultural knowledge, quantity of field experiences and multicultural knowledge, and race and multicultural awareness. A negative relationship was discovered between the frequency of travel experiences outside country of birth and multicultural knowledge. Implications of these findings for field of Student Affairs and suggestions for future research are discussed.

xiv, 134 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Recent mandates for increased multicultural competence training in a variety of fields have stimulated a growing need for reliable and valid multicultural competence assessment instruments. Existing instruments have demonstrated varying levels of reliability and validity in assessing multicultural knowledge, awareness, and skills and have been critiqued for limitations in scope, applicability, and ability to capture the developmental nature of multicultural competence. In an attempt to address limitations of existing measures, this study investigated an original measure of multicultural competence utilizing a stages of change framework. The stages of change model has been applied to many types of behavior change but not yet to the construct of multicultural competence. The participants in this study were undergraduate and graduate students in human services (assessed one time), graduate students in education (assessed before and after participation in a required diversity course), and student services professionals (assessed before and after participation in a multicultural training). Findings suggest that the proposed measure, the Multicultural Competence Stage of Change Scale (MCSCS), has a six factor structure corresponding to the five stages of change and one social acceptability factor. The reliability of the measure was adequate, with values of Cronbach's α above .70 for 4 out of 6 subscales and .82 for the full scale score. The validity of the MCSCS was demonstrated by significant correlations with the Multicultural Awareness, Knowledge, and Skills Scale, Counselor Edition, Revised. Results indicate that student affairs professionals scored significantly higher than education students on the Pre-Contemplation and Preparation subscales and that pre-test scores were significantly lower than post-test scores on the Pre-Contemplation, Contemplation, and Action subscales. This study provides evidence that the MCSCS is a promising measure of multicultural competence stage of change. A discussion of the findings includes strengths of the MCSCS, limitations of this study, future research directions, recommended measure revisions, and applications of the MCSCS to clinical and vocational settings. / Committee in charge: Dr. Ellen McWhirter, Chair; Dr. Krista Chronister; Dr. Joseph Stevens; Dr. Mia Tuan

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Early termination and low retention of clients is a common problem in counseling, with between 65%-80% of clients terminating treatment before the 10th session (Garfield, 1994; Lambert, 2013). Researchers (Lampropoulous, Schneider, & Spengler, 2009; Owen, Smith, & Rodolfa, 2009) have found that predictors of early termination include client age, race, socioeconomic status, and level of perceived distress. Furthermore, racial and ethnic minorities underutilize mental health services and have low retention when engaged in services, highlighting the need for counseling professionals to empirically explore factors that may be contributing to client engagement of the counseling process. Exploration of multicultural competence and working alliances may increase understanding of the therapeutic factors that influence client outcomes. The purpose of this research study was to investigate relationships between multicultural competence, working alliance, and client outcomes as perceived by counselors-in-training and their clients (N = 191; n = 72 counselors'-in-training, n = 119 clients). The Tripartite Model of Multicultural Counseling (Arredondo et al., 1996) was used as the primary theoretical framework in which the study is grounded. This investigation explored clients' perceptions of their counselors'-in-training ' multicultural competence as measured by the Cross-Cultural Counseling Inventory ([CCCI-R]; LaFromboise, Coleman, & Hernandez, 1991), the working alliance as measured by the Working Alliance Inventory- Short Revision ([WAI-S]; Horvath & Greenberg, 1989; Tracey & Kovocivic, 1989) and prediction on client outcome as measured by the Outcome Questionnaire 45.2 ([OQ 45.2]; Lambert & Burlingame, 1996), after controlling for social desirability (as measured by the (Social Desirability Scale-Short Form [SDS; Reynolds,1982]). This investigation also examined if there were any differences in clients' and counselors'-in-training perceptions on multicultural competence (as measured by the CCCI-R) or the working alliance (as measured by the WAI-S). Results from the investigation indicated that counselors'-in-training perceptions of their multicultural competence was a predictor of client outcomes. However, counselors'-in-training perceptions of the working alliance or clients' perceptions of their counselors'-in-training multicultural competence and the working alliance were not predictors of client outcomes. Positive relationships between clients' and counselors'-in-training perceptions of counselors'-in-training multicultural competence and the working alliance were found. The results of this investigation contribute to a gap in the counseling literature on multicultural competence, the working alliance, and client outcomes. A review of the literature on the constructs of interest, research methodology, data analysis, results and implications are discussed.

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The purpose of this descriptive multiple case study was to explore how counselors implement multicultural and social justice counseling competencies (MSJCC) when providing therapy to Black, Indigenous, and Womxn of Color. This study was informed by critical theory and intersectionality theory to capture the complex dynamics of identity and power through semi-structured interviewing, observations of archived counseling sessions, review of archived client case records, and administration of the Multicultural Awareness, Knowledge, and Skills Survey–Counselor Edition–Revised (MAKSS-CE-R), and the Social Justice Scale (SJS). The six doctoral student co-researchers provided rich portrayals of their experiences implementing the MSJCC, the role of identity, and the impact of power relations. Data revealed one overarching theme (the omnipresence of cultural humility), five themes (learning is a process, it starts with me: the catalyst of self-awareness, this is my identity, understanding clients in context: attending to power and intersectionality, and social justice is awareness: advocacy is intentional and active), and eight corresponding subthemes. Co-researchers provided insight into their experiences of barriers, oppression, resilience, and advocacy. Implications and conclusions from this research provide recommendations for mental health counselors, education programs, and research.