NMTP Newsletter Volume 3, Number 2, November, 1999
Index
Differences in the Occupational
Choice Process of African American Women Attending Predominantly Black
vs. Predominantly White Universities - Don
Elligan, Ph.D.and Tracey Lewis,
M.A Learning, Teaching, Mentoring, Surviving: NMTP's Conversation Hour at APA - Alice LoCicero CMTP Family Therapy Faculty Present Panel at APA Teaching from a Multicultural Stance: An Invitation to Discussion - Reflections on Ethical Practice: What are Students Learning in Internships/Fieldwork? - Alice LoCicero
We wish Herb Joseph well as he assumes his new duties with the D.C. Commission on Mental Health Services. Herbert Joseph, Ph.D., M.P.H., guided CMTP steadily, and mobilized network activists to incorporate NMTP. We are fortunate that Kermit Crawford, Ph.D., has stepped forward as CMTP Director Ad Interim this year. Kermit, a well-known and highly regarded alumnus, will provide strong leadership as CMTP participates in organizational change within Boston Medical Center and the Boston University Division of Psychiatry. As NMTP President, I serve on the Selection Committee for a permanent Director. The Division of Psychiatry, in order for its Chair to select from a group of qualified applicants, has upgraded the position from its original posting (see the current notice in this issue). I am encouraged by the process, which reveals mutual respect and collaboration among representatives from the CMTP network and the Division. As CMTP enters the 21st Century, the Program can look forward to expanding its mission to incorporate culturally competent research as well as clinical training. At our September Board meeting, Catherine Wong and I were re-elected Treasurer and President, respectively. Roxana Llerena-Quinn is our new Vice-President, and Guy Seymour our Clerk. The May Board election marked a milestone in NMTP history, as the last self-appointed terms of the incorporators expired. All Board members have been elected by the membership. Another milestone arrives in 2000, when the IRS rules on our permanent status as a tax-exempt organization. Over last year, we continued to develop infrastructure needed for orderly operation. The Membership Committee, co-chaired by Dyanne London and Leon Nicks with the able assistance of Alicia Lucksted, got renewal notices out in time and developed internal procedures, preparing the way to develop recruitment strategies. NMTP has 81 members in good standing. Our newsletter is mailed to 386 informal network members, from among whom we hope to recruit many more NMTP members. In response to expressed concerns, the Committee developed a confidential process for adjusting dues to people’s financial circumstances. If you need to apply for an adjustment, please send a note with a copy of the membership form to NMTP, marked “Attention, Membership Committee.” We are pulling our financial apparatus into shape with the able assistance of Michael Dixon, a member of the Finance/Fundraising Committee whom the Board has asked to serve as Bursar in support of the Treasurer’s functions. We are still an all-volunteer organization, relying on the labor of Board members, Alicia Lucksted on the Membership Committee, Alice LoCicero and Terri Betts on the Newsletter Committee, and Michael Dixon on the Finance/Fundraising Committee. In order to conduct a wider range of meaningful activities, we need more volunteers. In order to have more volunteers, we need to offer a wider range of meaningful activities. With our small supply of voluntary labor, and our small treasury, we recognize the need to prepare carefully any major growth initiatives. After preliminary conversations with an organizational consultant who shares our progressive social vision, we are currently seeking a benefactor for funds to hire the consultant to guide us through a strategic planning process. Although we have not mustered the volunteers necessary to staff our ambitiously designed Consultation and Education Bureau, we do have a couple of irons in the C&E fire. Aware of NMTP’s goal of establishing a consultation and education service, a couple of NMTP members have taken the initiative to negotiate with nonprofit and governmental agencies for consultation contracts. The first of these came through recently when NMTP signed a contract with The Behavioral Healthcare Network of Massachusetts to provide culturally competent training for home-based family stabilization teams. I encourage you to make use of the NMTP listserve. Although the original list was set up with the email addresses of NMTP members, it is an open list, and anyone can join. The listserve works better the more people join and make use of it. Anyone can post to it, and their messages are read by everyone on the list. It can help you fill or find a job, get help with literature searches, mobilize people around an issue, etc. I was recently hired as a consultant to help a state agency with a particularly challenging case which required a high degree of collaboration among state agencies unaccustomed to working together. I posted a request on the NMTP listserve for access to someone sufficiently well-placed in state government to guide me through the administrative labyrinth. Within a day, I had a personal introduction from a mutually trusted colleague to a state administrator who not only showed me the ropes, but intervened effectively on behalf of the client, making things happen which were otherwise practically impossible. It was gratifying to put this access to privilege at the disposal of clients who were otherwise marginalized by racism, class, and stigmatization by mental illness. Please sign on to the listserve yourself, and encourage your colleagues interested in culturally competent practice to do so as well. Look in this issue for instructions to sign on.
Differences in the Occupational Choice Process of African American Women Attending Predominantly Black vs. Predominantly White UniversitiesDon Elligan,
Ph.D. Boston University, Tracey Lewis, M.A. Syracuse University The following research was funded in part by a minority research grant from the New Jersey Psychological Association Foundation. The majority
of studies addressing variables related to occupational choice have
not considered the importance of race and ethnicity (McNair and Brown,
1983). Furthermore, there have been few studies (Westbrook & Sanford,
1991; Herr & Cramer, 1984; Dillard, 1980) that have investigated
career development in African Americans. Hence, the results of studies
done on occupational choice have little utility or generalizabiltiy
to minorities because they have been excluded from the samples. Historically there has been a shortage of research conducted that focuses on issues related to occupational choice of African American women. These issues are important because occupational choice is related to social economic status and life satisfaction. Furthermore, occupational choice is the primary vehicle through which many African American women can obtain economic and political freedom and transcend the pervasive difficulties and social paralysis associated with poverty. Since African American women suffer from the double discrimination of racism and sexism occupational upward mobility may be especially difficult, which suggests that more attention in research should be devoted to understanding and resolving the challenges this group faces with respect to career planning. Fleming (1984) has shown that African American women attending predominantly White universities tend to develop a more masculine sex role identity as compared to their counterparts attending predominantly Black universities. Likewise, Betz, Haesacker, & Shuttleworth, (1990) have shown that gender role has a significant impact on the occupational choice process of women. Considering the latter findings the present study attempted to determine if there are differences in occupational choices of African American women at universities with different racial demographics. Black vs. White Universities Fleming (1983) suggested that one distinct difference between the experience of African American women at a Black college versus African American women at a White college is the number of African American men. There are many more African American males at predominantly Black colleges, which affords African American women at Black colleges a more normal social life. Tidball (1976) has found that the presence of male peers at a White college was negatively related to the level of post-college accomplishment for females. If the same is true at predominantly Black colleges the presence of African American men may interfere with aspects of their achievement potential (Fleming, 1983). Fleming (1984) reports results that the adverse conditions of predominantly White colleges are more likely to encourage self reliance and assertiveness, characteristics reminiscent of the "matriarchal" image. In contrast, the supportive conditions of predominantly Black schools are more likely to encourage social passivity that may interfere with potential academic gains at Black colleges. Racism and Occupational Choice Race relations have played a central role in the development of American history and continue to play one of the most influential roles in the oppression of people of color today. However, to date few studies have addressed the relationship between race or ethnicity and occupational choice. A 20 year retrospective study revealed that investigations on the effects of racial and ethnic factors on career development have not been conducted or integrated within developing theoretical frameworks (Hackett, Lent, & Greenhaus 1991). Richards (1987) suggested that racism has limited the occupational opportunities afforded people of color in general, and African American women in particular. As Richards (1987) has reported, African Americans are over represented in low status social service occupations and under represented in technical and managerial occupations. Elligan (1995) found similar results in a study conducted at a historically Black university, in which African American female students were over represented in the social and conventional categories of the Vocational Preference Inventory. Gender Role Identity and Occupational Choice Fouand and Kammer (1989) found that sex role orientation had a significant impact on women who chose traditional occupations. Likewise, Tinsley, Kass. Moreland, and Harren (1983) found that sex role attitudes as determined by the Bem Sex Role Inventory were related to the occupational choice of female undergraduate students. Similar results were obtained by Fouand & Kammer (1989) with a sample of 128 White graduate students. Moreland, Harren. Krimsky -Montague, & Tinsley (1979) found an interactive effect between sex and sex role. They found that androgynous women were more advanced than other women in their career planning. Similarly, both androgynous and masculine men were more advanced than feminine typed and undifferentiated types of males in career decision. Gender and Occupational Choice Sexism has had far reaching effects on the occupational choice process of women. Some of the more recent research on gender and occupational choice has focused on women's relatively low level of vocational achievement and the limited range of occupations that women have traditionally pursued (Betz, et al. 1990). Since women have frequently chosen occupations from a relatively small range of traditionally female career options (e.g. teaching, nursing, social work, or clerical work) they have had a tendency to limit their occupational choices (Arnold, 1987; Arnold & Denny, 1984). Holland (1985) has proposed that gender typing of occupations is the most stable factor influencing people in limiting their considerations of careers. Shaffer and Johnson (1980) have identified several feminist groups which have alleged that stereotyping by gender tends to cast women into a subordinate social status, which causes them to be perceived as less ambitious than men. This perception can contribute to women being denied certain rights and privileges such as equal pay for equal work. Gender and gender role identity are two other factors which have been implicated in the occupational choice process. However, these factors have not been investigated with respect to how they affect the occupational choice process of African American women. With the latter research in mind the following hypotheses were investigated: Hypotheses 1) African American females attending a predominantly White university will make occupational choices that are gender inconsistent more often than African American females enrolled in a predominantly Black university. African American females enrolled in a predominantly Black university will make occupational choices that are gender consistent more often than African American females enrolled in a predominantly White university. Gender Role Identity Hypotheses 2) African American female students attending a predominantly White university will measure higher on masculine traits in comparison to African American female students attending a predominantly Black university. Likewise, African American females enrolled in a predominantly Black university will measure higher on feminine traits in comparison to African American female students attending a predominantly White university. 3) African American females attending both predominantly Black and White Universities with high levels of masculine characteristics will make occupational choices of higher status than females who measure high on feminine characteristics. MethodSubjects Subjects for this Study consisted of 91 African American female students from Fisk University, a historically Black liberal arts university in Nashville, TN. and 74 African American female Students from East Carolina University, a predominantly White university in Greenville, NC. The students from both universities were sampled from a variety of required classes to ensure a representative cross section of different majors and therefore occupational choices. Both Fisk University and East Carolina University have comparable academic ratings and SA T requirements (Fiske,1985). ProcedureAfter signing the consent form each subject was given the Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI)(Holland, 1985), a questionnaire of occupational choice, the Bem Sex Role Inventory, one of two vignettes randomly assigned to one of two conditions, and the Racial Identity Attitude Scale (RIAS). The order in which the scales where administered was not counterbalanced. ResultsBlack females attending ECU made occupational choices that were gender inconsistent more often than Black females enrolled at Fisk University. African American females attending ECU measured higher on masculine traits than African American females attending Fisk University. African American females attending Fisk University measured higher on feminine traits than African American females attending Fisk University. African American females from both Fisk University and ECU with high levels of masculine characteristics did not make occupational choices of higher status than females who measured higher on feminine characteristics. Hypothesis number three was not confirmed. DiscussionThis study predicted and confirmed that African American women attending a predominantly White university made occupational choices that were gender inconsistent more often than African American women enrolled in a predominantly Black university. African American women enrolled in a Predominantly Black university made occupational choices that were gender consistent more often than African American women enrolled in a predominantly White university. These results indirectly support Fleming's (1984)
findings which suggest that African American women attending predominantly
White universities tend to develop more masculine characteristics as
a result of attending a predominantly White university as compared to
African American women attending a predominantly Black university. Since African American women attending a predominantly White university
have been found to develop more masculine characteristics as an indirect
result of their educational training
it was expected that these women would be more likely to make occupational
choice that are male dominated. As mentioned
earlier, university settings can be considered a microcosm of society.
One possible interpretation of the significant difference between the
two schools is that in a society which encourages sexism as a form of
social oppression, sexism will also manifest within academic settings
such as colleges and universities. At a predominantly Black university,
the traditional gender roles and sexist ideologies will be enforced
more for African American women than at a predominantly White university
because these effects are not mediated through race as they are at a
predominantly White university. At a predominantly Black university
there is greater racial homogeneity for African Americans and
a larger number of African American men present in comparison
to a predominantly White university. These factors allow for more traditional
ideologies of gender role differences to manifest which in effect perpetuate
sexist practices of oppressing women. Although at a predominately White
university a traditional sexist ideology also is present, White men
are the beneficiaries of this socially acceptable form of oppression.
Furthermore, in a predominately White environment racism serves as an
oppressive construct that prevents African American men from benefitting
from the patriarchal oppression of sexism. Likewise, there are fewer
African American men present at a predominately White university so
the traditional gender role identity for women does not have as strong
a psycho- logical influence on African American women. Another interpretation
of the results of the present study when viewed in conjunction with
Fleming's (1983) findings is that the interactions of racism, sexism,
social isolation, poor social support mechanisms, alienation, and the
absence of African American men at predominantly White universities
may work in concert to foster the development of characteristics
similar to traditional male gender role qualities in African American
women present in these academic environments. Gender Role Identity and Status of Occupational Choice African American women attending a predominantly White university were found to make gender inconsistent occupational choices more often than their counterparts attending a predominantly Black university. However, African American women from both university settings with high levels of masculine characteristics did not make occupational choices of higher status than those high on feminine characteristics. These results suggest that overall there was not a significant difference between the pay scale of occupations chosen between African American women high on masculine characteristics as compared to those high on feminine characteristics. These results are interesting when considered in conjunction with the findings mentioned above which suggest that African American women high on masculine characteristics are more likely to make male dominated occupational choices which are typically considered to have a higher pay scale. One interpretation of these findings is that women who make male dominated occupatonal choices are making choices which may be more socially acceptable because of the lower pay scale. This may be due to the pervasive sexism that exists in the academic and social environment of a university which creates a psychological push for African American women to make occupational choices that are more gender consistent. Furthermore, considering the glass ceiling effect discussed by Moore and Buttner (1997) there may be a sexist disparity between the amount of money these women make as compared to their male counterparts doing the same job. Implications of the Study The study was clinically important because it found how pervasive the oppression of sexism is on the occupational mobility of women. Women who choose male dominated occupations continued to select occupations with pay scales similar to female dominated occupations. This restricted range of pay scales could potentially have several clinical implications for African American women such as lowered self esteem, lowered self worth, depression, anxiety and or anger .Since African American women suffer from the double discrimination of racism and sexism, occupational upward mobility may be especially difficult, which suggests that more attention in research should be devoted to understanding and resolving some of the challenges this group faces with respect to career planning. Furthermore, when career counselors from predominantly black or white universities are confronted with helping African American women make occupational choices they should consider the findings of the present study and attempt to promote broader range of career considerations for their students. References
Betz, N. E. (1989). The null environment and women's career development. The Counseling Psychologist, 17, 136 –144. Betz, N. E., & Hackett, G. (1981). The relationship of career related self-efficacy expectations to perceived career options in college men and women. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 28, 399-41 0. Betz, N., Heesacker, R., & Shuttleworth, C. (1990). Moderators of the congruence and realism of major and occupational plans in college students: A replication and extension. Journal of Counseling Psychology 37, 3 269 -276. Dillard, J. (1980). Some unique career behavior characteristics of Blacks: career theories counseling practice, and research. Journal of Employment Counseling, 17,288 -298. Elligan, D. (1995). The Relationship of Personality and Gender to Occupational Choice of Black Female College Students. Psych Discourse, 26, 8, 16-18. Fiske, E.B. (1985). Selective guide to colleges. New York: Times Books. Fleming, J. (1983). Black women in black and white college environments: The making of a matriarch. Journal of Social Issues, 39, 341-54. Fleming, J. (1984). The impact of college environments on Black students. San Francisco, CA: Josey Bass. Hackett, G., Lent, R, & Greenhaus, J. (1991). Advances in vocational theory and research: A 20 -year retrospective. Journal ofVocational Behavior, 38, 3 -38. Harren, V. A, Kass, R.A., Tinsley, H. E. A, & Moreland,
J. R (1979). Influence of gender, sex role attitudes, and cognitive complexity on gender
dominant career choices. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 26,
227 -234. Moore, E. and
Buttner , H. ( 1997). Women Entrepreneurs: Moving beyond the Glass
Ceiling. Sage: New York Moreland, J.,
Harren, V., Krimsky -Montague, E., & Tinsley, H. (1979). Sex role
self concept and career decision making. Journal of Counseling Psychology,
26, (4), 329 -336. Richards, J.
(1987). Psychosocial environments of black colleges: A theory based
assessment. Population and Environment, 9, (1),41 -53. TidbaIl, E. M (1976). Of men and research: The themes in American higher education including neither teaching nor women. Journal of Higher Education, 47, 373 -389. Westbrook, B., & Sanford, E. (1991). The validity of career maturity attitude measures among Black and White high school students. The Career Development Quarterly, 39, 199 -208. Tinsley, H., Kass, R., MoreJand, J., Barren, V. (1983). A longitudinal study of female college students’ occupational decision making. Vocational Guidance Quarterly; 32, 289 -102.
PositionBoston University School of Medicine is recruiting for a Director of its Center for Multicultural Training Program in Psychology (CMTP). The position is available immediately and we are interested in recruiting at the level of Associate-Full Professor. The position is located within the Division of Psychiatry at BUSM and its responsibilities include administrative duties, research and scholarship, teaching and supervision of predoctoral interns in an APA accredited training program in clinical psychology. Demonstrated research productivity, successful grantsmanship, experience in managing training programs in mental health, and a commitment to multicultural research and training in psychology are all criteria for selection. BUSM and Boston Medical Center, its affiliated teaching hospital, contain exciting academic training programs that are located in Boston's historic South End. Patient populations reflect the diversity of the inner city of Boston and the Division of Psychiatry has considerable research and clinical strengths in PTSD, violence, substance abuse, neuropsychology, and multicultural issues. The CMTP is a major component of the Division and has an unmatched record for training clinical psychologists to work with multicultural populations. Over 160 psychology interns have completed their predoctoral internship in the CMTP over the past 26 years. CMTP is supported by a national network of graduates and supervisors in the program, an invaluable resource for reaching the program's objectives. Salary and academic rank will be commensurate with experience. Strong leadership skills are necessary. Send cover letter and curriculum vitae to Janet Anderson, Ph.D. Chairperson CMTP Selection Committee, Dr. SCFMHC, Suite 912, 85 E. Newton Street, Boston, MA 02118. BUSM is an AA/equal opportunity employer.
Learning, Teaching, Mentoring, Surviving: NMTP's Conversation Hour at APANMTP sponsored both a conversation hour and a reception at APA in Boston this year. The conversation hour, hosted by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (Division 2) and titled "People of Color in Psychology: Learning, Teaching, Mentoring, Surviving" was initially inspired by a paper called "Why are Black Psychologists Leaving the Field?" written by NMTP member Merlin Langley and published in the NMTP Notes, November 1998. The "panel"-Herb
Joseph, Mabel Lam, Dyanne London and myself--minimized prepared comments
in light of the makeup of the attending group, almost exclusively NMTP
members. (David Trimble, Leon Nicks and Ana Gomez participated in the
conversation, along with panel members. The program chair of Division
2, Bill Addison, also participated in the first part of the conversation.)
The conversation began with happy recognition that this convention,
unlike earlier APA conventions, clearly contained, as one of its central
themes, strong acknowledgment of the contributions of people of color
in psychology. Support and acknowledgment began with the opening ceremonies.
Participants in the conversation hour also described specific convention
programs and presentation that had acknowledged and highlighted the
contributions of people of color. Alongside the recognition of the shift with this convention, our discussion included sobering accounts of ongoing experiences of psychologists of color, practicing, teaching, and learning. The realities of everyday professional life, including the hard work and stress of constantly being alert to issues of power and race affecting collegial relations, practice, teaching, etc., were highlighted in the conversation. In addition, there was acknowledgment of extremely complex situations involving professionals of color advocating for clients of color, in contexts where those with supervisory power are practicing, and expecting supervisees to practice, in ways that are at best naive and often racist. Although supervisors may not be consciously intentionally racist, they may be resistant to learning to use culturally appropriate measurement instruments and practices. The setting for the conversation was the hospitality suite of Division 2, a comfortable suite in the Westin Hotel. Our host, Division 2 program chair Bill Addison, expressed interest and enthusiasm for having NMTP submit a proposal for the 2000 APA in Washington, D.C. Those interested in working on such a proposal should call or email me, Alice LoCicero, at 617-573-8017 or alocicero@mediaone.net. My participation in the panel was focused on my efforts, as a white faculty member, to be an ally to students and colleagues of color The NMTP conversation forced me to recognize that the progress made in APA, though substantial, is at the same time minuscule in relation to the monumental nature of the problems of lack of culturally relevant knowledge, racism and oppression within the field (as well as outside the field). Substantive change is coming about very slowly. CMTP Family Therapy Faculty Present Panel at APAAt the APA Annual Conference, Gonzalo Bacigalupe, Ed.D., moderated a symposium, “Culturally Competent Family Therapy Training: Situating Training in a Social Justice Framework.” The panelists presented ideas reflecting the diversity of perspectives of our multicultural, multiracial team. David Trimble, Ph.D., at the time the sole team member not on the panel, serves as NMTP Notes reporter (we have since welcomed our newest team member, Andrea Canaan, LICSW). The CMTP Family Therapy Faculty strive to embody in our teaching practice our ideas of culturally competent family therapy as collaborative, accountable practice, informed by social constructionism and by our commitment to social justice. This space permits only the briefest highlights of a rich, two hour presentation. Readers are invited to correspond with the presenters to learn more. Roxana Llerena-Quinn, Ph.D., (roxquinn@aol.com) challenged conventional ideas of “diversity” with her critical analysis of six constructions of difference. These constructions of difference range from: (a)the obviously oppressive idea of difference as inferiority, through the pernicious ideas of (b)denial of difference, (c)difference as something that others have, and (d)“difference as profit” (i.e., attention to diversity by corporations competing for non-dominant group healthcare markets), to more respectful constructions of (e)difference as valuable, and (f)difference as relational. By examining for each construction its underlying assumptions, power effects, and effects on what and how we teach, Dr. Llerena-Quinn traced the emergence of the voices of marginalized people, recognition of the necessity to recognize and be accountable for power and privilege in relationships, and recognition that everyone benefits from richly contextualized awareness of the dialogical interdependence of a community of knowers. Jay King, Ph.D. (DrJTK@aol.com) challenged the idea of “color-blindness” by analogy, calling forth the obvious absurdity of the idea of “gender blindness.” Reviewing the history of efforts toward cultural competence, he was particularly critical of the community immersion model of training, noting that such efforts often were and are blind to issues of the power relations between trainees and community members. Successful training in cultural competence requires diversity of both faculty and students. Trainees, regardless of their race and ethnicity, all need to become more aware of their own cultures, their own ethnocentricity, and of how they perform them in relationships. With awareness of one’s own power position, one is better equipped to prevent further oppression, and can learn how to use one’s privilege to one’s clients’ advantage. The key to training in cultural competence is to know yourself and your impact on others, not to know “them” and “their” pathology. Jodie Kliman, Ph.D. (jkliman@world.std.com) discussed her work with the CMTP intern family therapy consultation group. Just as clients’ “local knowledge”can be more important than professionals’ “expert knowledge,” so can the life experiences of an intern of color be more important than a white consultant’s expertise in discussing clinical work with a client of color. When therapy is a collaborative enterprise, the therapist is accountable for addressing hierarchy and privilege as obstacles to partnership. Dr. Kliman collaborative, accountable practice in the consultation provides interns a model for their relationships with clients. Noting that moments of anxiety and confusion make her most vulnerable to falling back on her own privileges as a white professional, she recounted her practices of accountability when group trust is challenged by her own missteps. She described the group process involved when negotiating transparency in a diverse group with different cultural standards of comfort with self-disclosure.
Gonzalo Bacigalupe, Ed.D. (bacigalupe@umbsky.cc.umb.edu) explored power issues in supervising people who work with Latino clients. He described supervision as an “encounter of epistomologies,” which can become a genuine dialogue about the context of the supervision: What power does the supervisee hold; what power does the supervisor’s expertise hold? How does the dialogue address the ways that dominant culture confers validity to knowledge? What are the issues of ethical and legal accountability, for supervisor and supervisor? How can we reflect on the similarity of the challenges which confront both the Latino/a therapist and his/her clients? Dr. Bacigalupe proposed that supervisors address, from a critical stance, the demands for documentation from agencies and other larger systems . How can we transform writing which reifies and marginalizes clients into emancipatory writing that opens up the writing process so that it privileges client voice over clinical discourse? Hugo Kamya, LICSW, Ph.D. (hugo.kamya@bc.edu) spoke on the ethical issues involved in listening to spirituality in the therapeutic conversation. He cautioned that therapists’ “allergy to spirituality” can transmit unease about spiritual matters, potentially silencing conversation about this important domain of human experience. Cultural competence requires that we be open to spirituality as a process of integration at theoretical, practical, and personal levels. Dr. Kamya proposed that therapists pose ourselves questions, e.g., If you were to map out a spiritual journey or narrative for yourself, what would it look like? What are the consequences of not inquiring, giving permission for discussion, or expanding clients’ spiritual narratives? Do we maintain a neutral position on exploring people’s spiritual narratives, thereby remaining silent on the issue or rejecting the issue? What are the consequences of not inquiring, giving permission for discussion, or not expanding clients’ spiritual narratives? What new “foreign territories of the mind” do we need to examine here, or do we fear to get close to? In the lively dialogue that ensued, panelists and audience shared their experiences of teaching and learning cultural competence.
Teaching from a Multicultural Stance: An Invitation to DiscussionReflections on Ethical Practice:
What are Students Learning in Internships/Fieldwork? By Alice
LoCicero
Over the past years, I have supervised hundreds of trainees in psychology, social work, education and psychiatry. Some of this has been direct supervision of work with students or clients, and the rest has been as college or university liaison faculty, working with students who are doing fieldwork or internships. In this work I have often been confronted with situations in which clinic, hospital or school policy or staff encourage students to work in ways that are not optimally beneficial to clients. More often than I wish, I have been confronted with situations in which the clients' best interest has seemed not to count for much in decision-making. On rare occasions, I have been confronted with situations in which staff have encouraged students to work in ways that reflect institutional cynicism and denial of the shared humanity between provider and recipient of services. One of the most
disturbing, ominous, and seductive of these kinds of difficulties is
an often unspoken process of writing off clients for whom no recovery
or even improvement is anticipated. Because neither the write-off nor
the reasons for the write-off are articulated, they cannot be openly
discussed or subjected to scientific scrutiny. There is a kind of clinical
talk-a jargon of the trade-that students tend to imitate, that says,
in code, this patient is not worth much effort. Examples include clients
with serious diagnoses, those with difficult histories, those with prison
records, those with multiple problems that include poverty, and, it
appears to me, those of non-mainstream cultures. Because of prejudice,
and because of the inherent biases of diagnosticians, clinicians, law
enforcement officers and judges, people of color are disproportionately
represented in every one of those categories. I am wondering
if others in the network have witnessed similar situations,--of clients
being written off without scientific justification for hopelessness--and
invite others to share in ideas for helping students to avoid being
seduced by unspoken cynicism about clients.
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