Abstract

Using the consensual qualitative research method, this study explored the experiences of graduate students majoring in counseling psychology with their multicultural counseling training. The purpose of this study was to gain insight on how multicultural training promotes development and challenges during training. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 counseling psychology majors who had completed graduate level multicultural counseling training. Four domains, 14 categories and 22 sub-categories emerged. The ‘experiences that facilitated growth’ domain included ‘understanding the reality of minorities,’ and ‘learning multiculturalism through interaction’ categories. The ‘challenges and coping’ domain included ‘challenges due to personal history,’ ‘clash of beliefs,’ ‘challenges regarding implementation,’ and ‘coping with clash of beliefs’ categories. The ‘growth’ domain included ‘continuing interest,’ ‘improvement of awareness & knowledge,’ ‘need for multicultural approach’ categories. Finally, the ‘suggestions for future course’ domain included categories regarding course feedback. Implications of the findings, study limitations and further research directions were discussed.