Cultural Assessment Tools in Counseling

Increasing diversity in communities has led to a greater awareness of the need for muliticultural sensitivity and communication skills, particularly in the counseling and mental health fields. A number of cultural assessment tools have been created to help counseling professionals assess and improve cultural sensitivity when working with clients from diverse backgrounds. These include self-assessments, multicultural skills inventories, and simulated sessions with culturally diverse clients.

Cultural Issues In Counseling

• Counselors and other professionals in the behavioral health fields must work with an increasingly diverse client base which can include recent immigrants, longterm residents and short-term visitors whose cultural values, perspectives and behaviors differ significantly from their own. Communication difficulties, cultural issues affecting the acceptance of treatment plans, and differences in non-verbal communication can all affect the successful outcome of counseling. For these reasons, a number of tools have been created to help counseling professionals assess and improve their cultural awareness skills.

Self Assessments and Profiles

• Numerous assessment tools are based on self-reporting, in which respondents are asked to rate or discuss their knowledge of cultural issues and skills in a variety of multicultural settings. These assessments, such as the Multicultural Counseling Competence and Training Survey (MCCTS) and the Personal Cultural Inventory (PCI) allow counseling professionals to evaluate their present state of knowledge and identify areas for future improvement in their interactions with clients.

Multicultural Skills Inventories

• Some assessment tools consist of identifying skill areas such as communicative competence and appropriate terminology. Respondents can test their current knowledge in selected areas, and identify areas for improvement. With formats ranging from multiple choice to open-ended questions, multicultural skills inventories such as the Multicultural Counseling Inventory (MCI) provide a guide for increasing cultural sensitivity in client interactions. These tools can also be used in other areas of case management such as child welfare and migrant resettlement.

Simulations

• Used largely in training settings but also as a way to improve skills on the job, assessment tools can also make use of simulated, or in some cases, actual meetings with clients as a basis for assessing a counselor's multicultural skills. Either videotaped or observed, the session can be discussed as a springboard for identifying problem areas and planning strategies for improvement. As a part of the Cross Cultural Counseling Inventory (CCCI) and other tools, simulations and other "real-world" interactions can help to improve counselors' cultural sensitivity in interactions with culturally diverse clients.