Department/School
Psychology, Professional
Date of this version
2014
Document Type
Article
Abstract
The field of counseling psychology continues to see a perpetual underutilization of mental health resources by many cultural groups, including international populations. Underutilization of services is due, in part, to psychologists’ deficiency in cultural and international competency. International education—an experiential learning technique that involves cultural contact—has been proposed as an alternative method for training students to work effectively cross-culturally. The current article examines the effects of service learning embedded in a study abroad diversity course in Singapore. The course was designed for graduate counseling psychology students as an experiential vehicle for developing cultural competency and awareness of social justice issues through direct contact with diverse groups. Qualitative data are reviewed, and implications for training, such as integration of cross-cultural and social justice issues in counseling training programs, are discussed.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000014557499
Volume
42
Issue
8
Published in
The Counseling Psychologist
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Citation/Other Information
Smith, M., Jennings, L., & Lakhan, S. (2014). International education and service learning: Approaches toward cultural competency and social justice. The Counseling Psychologist, 42(8), 1188-1214. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000014557499