Life Long Development of Intercultural Competency in Psychology and Human Services

Celinska, D. K. (Dorota)
Roosevelt University, Chicago

 

Submission type

Oral only

Scheduled

Room 107, 12-07-2019, 09:00 - 10:30

Keywords

intercultural competency, multilingual competency, intercultural training

Summary

This study stems from the need in the fields of psychology and human services to develop providers’ intercultural competencies and communication skills for effective provision of services to diverse populations. The study framework draws from the socio-linguistic assumptions of language being an integral part of culture that enables meaningful acquisition of intercultural competency. Data were collected via a survey to measure three distinct levels of multilingual competency and intercultural-linguistic professional competency. Responses were collected from 498 participants of diverse ethnicities, nationalities, levels of professional experience, gender, and age who represented the fields of mental health and school counseling, social work, psychology, and family services.

A series of statistical analyses revealed several significant findings. Overall, 62% of variance in intercultural-linguistic professional competency was explained by multilingual competency, with the strongest unique contribution from culturally-embedded bi/multilingualism. The results support the premise of embedding multilingual competency into the models of professional intercultural training. In particular, they suggest that intercultural-linguistic professional competency is, to a large degree, rooted in their culturally-embedded (meaningful) use of languages. However, even with culturally embedded use of language, professionals may need specialized and lifelong learning to apply their bi/multilingual skills to professional activities.

 

Auteurs