Creating Cultural Competence: An Outreach Immersion Experience In Southern Africa

Abstract

With disasters on the rise, counselors need to increase their cultural awareness, knowledge, and skills to work with affected communities. This study reports outcomes of a four-week immersion experience in southern Africa with six counselor-trainees. Data sources for this qualitative study were: daily journals and demographic forms. Outcomes suggest that sustained contact with community residents and daily supervision experiences served to improve cultural awareness. Recommendations include pushing through students\u27 resistance using a non-linear dynamic model of transformation. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC