Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Counselor Education

Date of Defense

4-5-2018

Graduate Advisor

Mark Pope, Ed.D.

Co-Advisor

Susan Kashubeck-West, Ph.D.

Committee

Angela Coker, Ph.D.

Matthew Taylor, Ph.D.

Abstract

Cultural competence represents a central element of the professional practices exhibited by professional counselors and counselor educators (CACREP, 2016). Inconsistent with the place it holds in the field, cultural competence has been minimally studied among those responsible for gatekeeping, teaching, supervision, and research – faculty. Among variables relevant to measurable outcomes is ethnocultural empathy (EE), ideal as it is described as a combination of empathic thoughts, feelings, and behaviors toward others with whom you have differences in cultural identities and experiences (Wang et al., 2003). This study sought to add to the body of literature on the cross-racial interactions between counselor education faculty and the diverse students enrolled in counselor-training programs. Specifically, emphasis was placed on interactions between faculty who identify as White and African American college men, by assessing the moderating role of openness to diversity (OTD) and direct social contact (DSC) in the relationship between White Racial Identity Attitudes (WRIA) and Ethnocultural Empathy (EE) in a sample of (N = 131) White faculty. Both high levels of OTD and DSC were found to moderate this relationship at some White racial identity statuses, but not all. Two primary implications exist for this study relevant to the field of professional counseling and counselor education. The first is increased academic outcomes among African American male counselors-in-training due to reduced implicit bias communication. The second is pertinent additions to the training of counselor educators to work competently with African American men.

OCLC Number

1055764937

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