Abstract
With disasters on the rise, counselors need to increase their cultural awareness, knowledge, and skills to work with affected communities. This study reports outcomes of a four-week immersion experience in southern Africa with six counselor-trainees. Data sources for this qualitative study were: daily journals and demographic forms. Outcomes suggest that sustained contact with community residents and daily supervision experiences served to improve cultural awareness. Recommendations include pushing through students’ resistance using a non-linear dynamic model of transformation.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arredondo, P., Toporek, R., Brown, S. P., Sanchez, J., Locke, D. C., Sanchez, J., et al. (1996). Operationalization of the multicultural counseling competencies. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 24, 42–78.
Barker, D. (2004). The scholarship of engagement: A Taxonomy of five emerging practices. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 9(2), 123–136.
Boyer, E. (1996). The scholarship of engagement. Journal of Public Service and Outreach, 1, 11–20.
Campbell, C., & MacPhail, C. (2002). Peer education, gender, and the development of critical consciousness: participatory HIV prevention by South African youth. Social Science & Medicine, 55, 331–345.
Coles, J. E. (2004). Africare and the HIV/AIDS Strategy for Africa. The Harvard Journal of African American Public Policy, 10, 65–69.
Constantine, M. G. (2002). Racism attitudes, white racial identity attitudes, and multicultural competence in school counselor trainees. Counseling Education and Supervision, 41, 162–174.
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs [CACREP]. (2009). 2009 CACREP Standards. Alexandria, VA: Author. Retrieved from http://www.cacrep.org/2009standards.html.
D’Andrea, M. (2005). Continuing the cultural liberation and transformation of counseling psychology. The Counseling Psychologist, 33, 524–537.
Dass-Brailsford, P. (2007). A practical approach to trauma: Empowering interventions. Los Angeles: Sage.
Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Continuum.
Fullan, M. (2009). Leadership and the six secrets of change. Presentation at the University of Florida College of Education Distinguished Lecture Series in Gainesville, FL.
Goodman, R., & West-Olatunji, C. (2009a). Cultural competency and disaster response. Journal of Counseling and Development, 87, 458–465.
Goodman, R. D., & West-Olatunji, C. (2009b). Engaging students in outreach as an extension of advocacy to achieve praxis. Journal for Civic Commitment, 12. Retrieved from http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/other/engagement/Journal/Issue12/Goodman.shtml.
Guha-Sapir, D., Hargitt, D., & Hoyois, P. (2004). Thirty years of natural disasters 1974–2003: The numbers. Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgique: Presses universitaires de Louvain.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. (2009). World disasters report—Early warning, early action. Satigny/Vernier, Switzerland: ATAR Roto Presse.
Ivey, A. E., & Collins, N. M. (2003). Social justice: A long-term challenge for counseling psychology. The Counseling Psychologist, 31, 290–298.
Kennedy, A. (2006). When disaster strikes. Counseling Today, 49. Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/Publications/CounselingTodayArticles.aspx?AGuid=ac05b686-1d9d-4330-a4b9-84782203eb76.
Kennedy, H. (2010, January 5). Haiti earthquake: Port-au-Prince rocked by 7.0 quake; buildings collapse, hundreds feared dead. New York Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/01/12/2010-01-12_hospital_collapses_panic_in_the_streets_as_powerful_quake_rocks_haiti.html.
King, J. E., & Mitchell, C. A. (1995). Black mothers to sons: Juxtaposing African American literature with social practice. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.
Kurpius, D. J., & Rozecki, T. (1992). Outreach, advocacy, and consultation: A framework for prevention and intervention. Elementary School Guidance and Counseling, 26, 76–89.
Ministry of Health (2001). National health manpower plan for Botswana, 1997–2003. Gaborone, Africa: Author.
National Board for Certified Counselors International [NBCC-I]. (2007). Mental health facilitator (MHF). Retrieved July 13, 2007 from http://www.nbccinternational.org/mhf.
Schielke, H. J., Fishman, J. L., Osatuke, K., & Stiles, W. B. (2009). Creative consensus on interpretations of qualitative data: The Ward method. Psychotherapy Research, 19(4), 558–565. doi:10.1080/10503300802621180.
Seloilwe, E. S. (2006). Experiences and demands of families with mentally ill people at home in Botswana. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 38, 262–268.
Tillman, L. C. (2002). Culturally sensitive research approaches: An African-American perspective. Educational Researcher, 31, 3–12.
United Nations Human Settlements Programme [UN-HABITAT]. (2007). Enhancing urban safety and security; Global report on human settlements 2007. London: Earthscan Publications.
United States Agency for International Development [USAID]. (2008). USAID from the American people: HIV/AIDS health profile, Southern Africa Region. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/aids/Countries/africa/saregional.html.
Vera, E. M., & Speight, S. L. (2003). Multicultural Competence, Social Justice, and Counseling Psychology: Expanding Our Roles. The Counseling Psychologist, 31, 253–271.
Vera, E., Daly, B., Gonzales, R., Morgan, M., & Thakral, C. (2006). Prevention and outreach with underserved populations: Building multisystemic youth development programs for urban youth. In R. L. Toporek, L. H. Gerstein, N. A. Fouad, G. Roysircar, & T. Israel (Eds.), Handbook for social justice in counseling psychology: Leadership, vision, and action (pp. 86–99). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Watts, R. J., Griffith, D. M., & Abdul-Adil, J. (1999). Sociopolitical development as an antidote for oppression: Theory and action. American Journal of Community Psychology, 27, 255–261.
West-Olatunji, C. A. (2005). Incidents in the lives of Harriet Jacobs—a reader’s theatre: Disseminating the outcomes of research on the Black experience in the academy. In J. King (Ed.), Black education: A transformative research and action agenda for the new century (pp. 329–340). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
West-Olatunji, C. (2010). If not now, when? Social justice, advocacy, and counselor education. Professional Issues in Counseling, 42, 1–11.
West-Olatunji, C., & St Juste, S. (2010). Podcast HT016- Stress and Haitian Americans, After the Earthquake. American Counseling Association Podcast Series: Hot Topics (HT) 2010. Podcast retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/Counselors/TP/PodcastsHome/CT2. aspx#16.
World Health Organization [WHO]. (2007). WHO country cooperation strategy: Botswana 2003–2007. World Health Organization Africa Regional Office. Geneva, Switzerland: Author.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
West-Olatunji, C., Goodman, R.D., Mehta, S. et al. Creating Cultural Competence: An Outreach Immersion Experience in Southern Africa. Int J Adv Counselling 33, 335–346 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-011-9138-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-011-9138-0