Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Counselor Education and Supervision

Advisor

Mark Stauffer

Abstract

Counselors are integrating the Multicultural Orientation (MCO) framework and cultural humility practices to address limitations of cultural competency models for cross-cultural counseling. This hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative study explored the lived experiences of counselors using the MCO framework with clients with interpersonal trauma. The MCO conceptual framework guided the study. Seven licensed mental health counselors from community-based agencies in South Florida shared their experience through individual videoconference semi-structured interviews. Data were collected, transcribed, and analyzed using the hermeneutic circle to identify seven themes: (a) counselors’ identity as a guide, (b) counselors’ culture and background influence whether White or minority/multicultural, (c) being competent to implement the MCO framework, (d) a positive experience implementing the MCO framework to support interpersonal trauma processing with clients who have the same cultural background and with clients who have a different cultural background, (e) challenges of using the MCO framework based on counselors having minimal or no knowledge of the clients’ culture and background and language barriers, (f) perceived positive effects of MCO application on the therapeutic relationship and trauma processing, and (g) supporting the use of MCO with diverse populations. All participants positively perceived the MCO as improving the therapeutic relationship and trauma processing. Findings suggest the use of the MCO framework could promote social change through improvements to counselor cultural humility, cross-cultural counseling methodology, and acknowledgment in counseling of cultural differences in relation to interpersonal trauma.

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