School Counselors and Multicultural Counseling Competencies: Are We as Competent as We Think We Are?

Abstract

We investigated the relationship between self-reported multicultural competence and social issues awareness among school counselors and raters’ assessment of multicultural orientation skills (cultural humility and cultural comfort) using a recorded mock counseling session. Results revealed a positive correlation between multicultural competence and cultural comfort. However, findings demonstrated overestimated self-reports of multicultural competence compared to raters’ assessment of cultural humility. We discuss overreliance on self-report of multicultural competence and address implications for further research.