Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

In contrast to the number of training programs that have been developed to promote multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills, relatively few training programs exist to develop cross-national cultural competencies. This article describes an innovative combination of utilizing a semester-long preparatory seminar course where students are first introduced to the history and cultural context of Taiwan, and then engage in an intensive 12-day immersion program in Taiwan. Specifically, this article describes (a) our Cross-Cultural Immersion Program (CCIP), (b) a preparatory course designed to provide basic cultural information about Taiwan, and (c) a 12-day immersion experience model. Subsequently, learning outcomes are discussed within the major theoretical dimensions of the Cross-National Cultural Competence (CNCC) model, followed by a discussion of the pedagogical implications for training and research. Future educators must move our classrooms into the rich learning environments that cultural immersions provide.

Keywords

cross-cultural competency diversity training Cross-National Cultural Competence model cross-cultural immersion program multiculturalism international dimensions of diversity

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Abreu

J. M.

Chung

R. H. G.

Atkinson

D. R.

(2000). Multicultural counseling training: Past, present, and future directions. The Counseling Psychologist, 28, 641-656. doi:10.1177/0011000000285003

Anderson

P. H.

Lawton

Rexeisen

R. J.

Hubbard

A. C.

(2006). Short-term study abroad and intercultural sensitivity: A pilot study. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 30, 457-467. doi:10.1016/j.ijintrel.2005.10.004

Arnett

J. J.

(2008). The neglected 95%: Why American psychology needs to become less American. American Psychologist, 63, 602-614. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.63.7.602

Arredondo

Toporek

Brown

S. P.

Jones

Locke

D. C.

Sanchez

Stadler

(1996). Operationalization of the multicultural competencies. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 24, 42-78.

Bronfenbrenner

(1977). Toward an experimental ecology of human development. American Psychologist, 32, 513-531. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.32.7.513

Fernald

C. D.

(2001). A summer undergraduate psychology internship in Scotland. Teaching of Psychology, 28, 60-61.

Friedman

T. L.

(2005). The world is flat: A brief history of the twenty-first century. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

Gerstein

L. H.

Heppner

P. P.

Ægisdóttir

Leung

S. A.

Norsworthy

K. L.

(2009). Cross-cultural counseling: History, challenges, and rationale. In Gerstein

L. H.

Heppner

P. P.

Ægisdóttir

Leung

S. A.

Norsworthy

K. L.

(Eds.), International handbook of cross-cultural counseling (pp. 3-32). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Heppner

P. P.

(2006). The benefits and challenges of becoming cross-culturally competent counseling psychologists. The Counseling Psychologist, 34, 147-172.

10.

Heppner

P. P.

Leong

F. T. L.

Chiao

(2008). A growing internationalization of counseling psychology. In Brown

S. D.

Lent

R. W.

(Eds.), Handbook of counseling psychology (pp. 68-85). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley.

11.

Heppner

P. P.

Wang

K. T.

Heppner

M. J.

Wang

(2012). From cultural encapsulation to cultural competence: The cross-national cultural competence model. In Fouad

N. A.

Carter

J. A.

Subich

L. M.

(Eds.), APA handbook of counseling psychology, Vol. 2: Practice, interventions, and applications (pp. 433-471). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

12.

Heppner

P. P.

Ægisdóttir

Leung

S.-M. A.

Duan

Helms

J. E.

Gerstein

L. H.

Pedersen

P. B.

(2009.), The intersection of multicultural and cross- national movements in the United States: A complimentary role to promote culturally sensitive research, training, and practice. In Gerstein

L. H.

Heppner

P. P.

Ægisdóttir

Leung

S. A.

Norsworthy

K. L.

(Eds.), International handbook of cross-cultural counseling (pp. 33-52). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

13.

Marsella

A. J.

(1998). Toward a “global-community psychology”: Meeting the needs of a changing world. American Psychologist, 53, 1282-1291. doi:10.1037//0003-066X.53.12.1282

14.

Moodley

Gielen

U. P.

(Eds.). (2013). Handbook of counseling and psychotherapy in an international context. New York, NY: Routledge.

15.

Pedersen

P. B.

(1991). Multiculturalism as a generic approach to counseling. Journal of Counseling & Development, 70, 6-12. doi:10.1002/j.1556-6676.1991.tb01555.x

16.

Pedersen

P. J.

(2010). Assessing intercultural effectiveness outcomes in a year-long study abroad program. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 34, 70-80. doi:10.1016/j.ijintrel.2009.09.003

17.

Ponterotto

J. G.

(2008). Theoretical and empirical advances in multicultural counseling. In Brown

S. D.

Lent

R. W.

(Eds.), Handbook of counseling psychology (4th ed., pp. 121-140). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley.

18.

Wang

L.-F.

Heppner

P. P.

(2009). Cross-cultural collaboration: Developing cross-cultural competencies and yuan-fen. In Gerstein

L. H.

Heppner

P. P.

Ægisdóttir

Leung

S. A.

Norsworthy

K. L.

(Eds.), International handbook of counseling around the globe: Cultural assumptions and practices worldwide (pp. 141-154). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

19.

Yoon

Jung

Lee

R. M.

Felix-Mora

(2012). Validation of Social Connectedness in Mainstream Society and the Ethnic Community Scales. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 18, 64-73. doi:10.1037/a0026600

A Cross-Cultural Immersion Program

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References