Multicultural Counseling Competencies: Individual and Organizational Development

Multicultural Counseling Competencies is a state-of-the-art book integrating the literature and work on multicultural counseling competencies. It draws out implications for individual, professional, and institutional development by identifying the characteristics related to culturally competent mental health care. As such, it has relevance for practitioners who will increasingly encounter client populations who differ from them in terms of race, culture, and ethnicity; it suggests how the mental health profession needs to alter its practices to fit the needs of the culturally different in our society; and it advocates changes in mental health policy, programs, and organization. In a very systematic manner, the text provides a working definition of "multiculturalism" from which counselors, therapists, and social workers can ground their awareness, knowledge, and skills. It presents a new concept called "ethnocentric monoculturalism" and traces how it has inundated our society and the mental health professions. Written by leaders in the field of multicultural counseling, Multicultural Counseling Competencies is a landmark volume in clinical and counseling psychology, educational psychology, gender studies, nursing, social work, psychology, health services, interpersonal violence, and ethnic studies.

Robert T. Carter, Ph.D. is Professor of Psychology and Education, Chair of the Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, and Director of training of the Counseling Psychology Program at Teachers College, Columbia university. Dr. Carter is known internationally for his work on Black and White racial identity. He has published in the areas of psychotherapy processes and outcome, career development, cultural values, racial identity issues, educational achievements and equality in education through the lens of racial identity. He has been retained to consult as organizational, legal and educational issues associated with race and diversity. Dr. Carter also is the Conference Director for a national conference known as the Teachers College Winter Roundtable on Cross-Cultural Psychology and Education

Dr. Robert T. Carter, Ph.D. authored The Influence of Race and Racial Identity in Psychotherapy: Towards a Racially Inclusive Model (John Wiley & Sons; 1995); co-edited with Chalmer E. Thompson Racial Identity Theory: Applications for Individuals, Groups and Organizations (Lawrence Erlbaum, 1997); co-authored with D. Sue, J.M.Casas, M.J. Fouad, A. Levy, M. Jensen, LaFromboise, J. Manese, J. Ponterotto, and J. Vasques-Natall Multicultural Counseling Competencies: Individual Professional and Organizational Development (Sage Publication, 1998); and is series editor for the Discussions from the Roundtable- The Counseling Psychologists and the Roundtable Book Series on Multicultural Psychology and Education (Sage publications). He is co-editor for the special issue of the Teachers College Record on Multicultural Education (Spring 2000).

Dr. Carter is also a legal consultant. He works with organizations and individuals on such issues as organizational development , teacher training, desegregation, racial discrimination, cross cultural adoption, and biracial custody. He is Fellow in the American Psychological Association (Div. 17, Counseling Psychology, and 45, Society for the Study of Ethnic Minority Issues) and former Chair of the Fellowship Committee for Division 17. He has also served on the editorial boards of The Counseling Psychologist, Journal of Counseling and Development, Journal of Counseling Psychology and Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development.

J. Manuel Casas is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has published extensively on sociocultural, psychological, and contextual factors that negatively affect ethnic/racial populations including immigrants. He counteracts the negativity of these factors by directing attention to resiliency factors that can help these populations lead sound and healthy lives. His work has been widely cited both within and outside of the United States. 

Nadya A. Fouad, PhD, ABPP, is the Mary and Ted Kellner Endowed Chair of Educational Psychology and a University Distinguished Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She received her Ph.D in Counseling Psychology from the University of Minnesota in 1984. Her primary areas of interest are career development and career choices of women and of racial and ethnic minorities; cross-cultural vocational assessment; interest measurement; cross-cultural counseling; race and ethnicity, and competencies in training.  Dr. Fouad is the editor of the Journal of Vocational Behavior.  She is a past editor of the Counseling Psychologist, and has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Vocational Behavior, Journal of Career Assessment, Journal of Counseling Psychology, and Career Development Quarterly. She currently serves on the National Academy of Engineering’s Workforce Development Workgroup.  Dr. Fouad is past president of The Society of Counseling Psychology (17) of the American Psychological Association, past chair of the Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs, past chair of the Board of Educational Affairs of the American Psychological Association, and is past Chair of the APA Ethics Committee.   She is the 2017 recipient of the Leona Tyler Award for Lifetime of Achievement in Counseling Psychology, the 2014 Society of Vocational Psychology Distinguished Achievement Award, the 2013 Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2010 Paul Nelson Award, the 2009 APA Award for Distinguished Contributions to Education and Training, the 2009 Janet E. Helms Award for Mentoring & Scholarship, and the 2003 APA Division 17 John Holland Award for Outstanding Achievement in Career and Personality Research.

Allen E. Ivey received his counseling doctorate from Harvard University and is distinguished Emeritus Professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Courtesy Professor, Counselor Education, University of South Florida, Tampa. He is past-President and Fellow of the Society for Counseling Psychology of the American Psychological Association, APA’s Society for the Study of Ethnic and Minority Psychology, the Asian-American Psychological Association, and the American Counseling Association. He has received many awards throughout his career and has authored over 40 books and 200 articles and chapters. His works have been translated into 23 languages. His recent work has focused on applying Developmental Counseling and Therapy and neuroscience to the analysis and treatment of severe psychological distress.

Joseph G. Ponterotto, PhD, is a Professor of Counseling Psychology at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education, Lincoln Center Campus. His specialty areas are multicultural psychology, qualitative research methods, and psychobiography.  He is author of book-length psychobiographies on Bobby Fischer and John F. Kennedy, Jr. (Charles C Thomas,Publisher, 2012 & 2019), and the recently published The Psychobiographer’s Handbook: A Practical Guide to Research and Ethics (American Psychological Association, 2025). He also co-edited Beyond WEIRD: Psychobiography in Times of Transcultural and Transdisciplinary Perspectives (Springer, 2023) and is the author of nearly 30 psychobiography-focused journal articles.