From theory to evaluation to instruction: Toward an ideal cultural competency course in applied psychology

Abstract

Despite numerous definitional, conceptual, and empirical problems, the construct of cultural competence will not be going away anytime soon in applied psychology training. The content of cultural competence courses for training future psychologists is shaped from a combination of instructor preferences, student expectations/preferences, college/university/departmental needs, program accreditation guidelines/expectations, student course evaluations, and aspirational client outcomes. The chapter outlines an ideal course in cultural competence that allows for discipline-specific training, yet transcends specific disciplines by offering seven broad principles that are an outgrowth of insights gleaned from previous chapters in this text.