Multicultural competence: Criteria and case examples

How do you as a professional psychologist know if you are competent to trea t clients whose cultural origins and values differ from your own? What awar eness, knowledge, and skills do you need? With whom should you consult? Whe n should you refer? Adopting an idiographic, inclusive approach, the author s identify 12 minimal multicultural competencies for practice and illustrat e their usefulness through 3 case examples. Suggestions for how professiona l psychologists can augment and evaluate their own multicultural competenci es are offered as well as implications for professional psychology educator s.