Multiculturalism and Diversity in Clinical Supervision: A Competency-Based Approach

Today's therapists work with diverse clients whose cultural values and attitudes differ in varying degrees from their own. Effective training and supervision are necessary to avoid and resolve conflicts. This practical guide presents a model for developing multicultural competence within supervision. The model emphasizes self-assessment to define the cultural niche of each member of the supervision triad (therapist, client, and supervisor). Both supervisor and supervisee maintain an attitude of cultural humility and "metacompetence" (knowing what you don't know) to better inform case conceptualization, diagnosis, and treatment. In-depth supervisory vignettes apply the model to a variety of cultural dimensions, including gender, ethnicity/race, immigration, socioeconomic status, disabilities, religion, and sexual orientation.