Social justice, leadership and multi-cultural competency amongst applied psychology trainees

Abstract

This article discusses the notion that it is important for applied psychology trainees to have a deep awareness and knowledge about their own and other peoples’ cultures. It is argued that this is essential not only in terms of their competence in working with clients, but also in terms of their development as future leaders and champions for social justice. There is a brief review of current accreditation standards in relation to this area, and suggestions in the literature for developing multi-cultural competency (MC) are discussed. Finally, suggestions are made as to how the profession could make further advances in relation to the MC of trainees.