Is Multicultural Counseling Competence Outdated or Underdeveloped, or in Need of Refinement? A Response to Ridley et al.

Abstract

This paper provides a response to Ridley et al.’s Major Contribution on the state of multicultural counseling competence (MCC) and their proposed refinement and extension of this construct. They pose the following multiprong question: “Is multicultural counseling competence becoming outdated and supplanted, or is it underdeveloped and in need of refinement?” We use this question to examine the MCC model that Ridley et al. have proposed in this Major Contribution. We summarize and critique each paper, and close with our own conclusions about the above question. We are concerned that the characteristics of the clinicians seem to be secondary to MCC. We also question the lack of focus on the sociopolitical context and the limited inclusion of diverse scholarship in creating a universal MCC model.