Experiential Activities for Teaching Multicultural Competence in Counseling

This practical resource is intended for faculty teaching beginning and advanced multicultural counseling courses or other core classes who want to infuse issues of cultural diversity into the classroom. It contains 121 engaging and thought-provoking activities on a wide variety of multicultural topics such as defining diversity; barriers to effective cross-cultural counseling; cultural communication styles; identity development; oppression and discrimination; becoming a culturally skilled counselor; family counseling; and counseling specific cultural groups-which includes consideration of race, sexual orientation, age, ability, spirituality, and socioeconomic status. All activities are tied to the core content areas of the 2009 CACREP Standards, making this a perfect tool for the clinical training of counseling students. A CD-ROM with exercise handouts accompanies the spiral bound book for ease of copying and distribution in the classroom.

Dr. Pope passed away in January 2023.

Joseph S. Pangelinan, MS, NCC, LPC, is a doctoral student in the Division of Counseling and Family Therapy at the University of Missouri—Saint Louis. He was born and raised on Chuuk Island in the Micronesian region of the Pacific Ocean. In 1990, he completed his undergraduate studies at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. After working in the field for two years, he matriculated in the counseling program at Southeast Missouri State University. While at Southeast Missouri State University, he completed all of his practicum and field experience hours at the Center for Health and Counseling, where he emphasized work with minority populations and international students. For his capstone master’s thesis project, he did a comparative study on the psychological help-seeking behaviors of students from the United States and Turkey.

Upon graduation with a master’s degree in counseling, Joe accepted a position with Bootheel Counseling Services in rural southeast Missouri, where he helped develop, market, and implement the Missouri Access/Crisis Response System. This effort involved working with

individuals who are marginalized and not able to access mental health services because of geographic isolation, physical limitations, poverty, and social stigma.

In 1999, Joe moved to the Cottonwood Residential Treatment Center, a Missouri Department of Mental Health facility, to continue his work with children and adolescents who had been identified as mentally disordered or ill by the state. Three years later, Joe accepted a position at Logos School, where he remains.

In his current position, Joe works as a counselor and director of behavior intervention and field education. He provides individual and group counseling with student-clients who have been diagnosed with an emotional and often a learning disability. He also does treatment planning and consultation on difficult cases with teachers, parents, school districts, and other therapists. He trains and provides supervision to social work and counseling interns on best counseling practices with the students who have been identified with emotional and learning disabilities.

Joe has taught graduate counseling courses and presented programs at the local, regional, and national levels on multicultural issues, career development, crisis intervention, school counseling foundations, counseling practicum, and counseling field experience. He is a regular speaker on issues of cultural diversity at schools throughout the Saint Louis metropolitan region.

Angela D. Coker, PhD, LPC, NCC, is an assistant professor of counseling and family therapy at the University of Missouri—St. Louis. She is a licensed professional counselor in the state of Missouri and a national certified counselor. Born and raised in New York City, she received her BA in liberal arts from Brooklyn College, her MS in counselor education from the University of Wyoming, and her PhD in educational psychology and counseling from the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Dr. Coker has been teaching counselor education classes for over 10 years. She specializes in multicultural counseling, consultation, and advocacy. She is the author of several peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters that address the intersections of race, gender, and class issues in counseling. Her particular area of research and clinical interest is in exploring the emotional and psychological needs of African American women. Her scholarly endeavors include an exploration of African American women’s body image satisfaction, mental health perceptions and usage of counseling services, academic attainment, and workplace experiences. Dr. Coker has examined the developmental concerns and challenges of African American adolescent girls. She has also published on the importance of developing cultural competencies when conducting research with African American study participants.

Central to her academic inquiry is the question, How can counselor education and supervision be used to expand multicultural awareness, knowledge, and social advocacy? Dr. Coker is an active member of the ACA, Counselors for Social Justice, the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, and Chi Sigma Iota. She is a community activist who has conducted numerous community outreach initiatives in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Her most recent outreach project included working with young homeless mothers.