Introduction to 21st Century Counseling

Book excerpt: Introduction to 21st Century Counseling: A Multicultural and Social Justice Approach provides readers with an overview of the counseling discipline with emphasis on developing a culturally responsive practice rooted in social justice. Featuring chapters authored by seasoned experts and rising stars in the counseling profession, the text offers traditional information integrated with evidence-based techniques and practices based upon key multicultural and social justice competencies. Using a multicultural framework, the text dismantles commonly stigmatized statuses and identities by proposing that all individuals have intersectional identities. Through this unique lens, readers are prompted to intentionally challenge Westernized ideologies that are oppressive and may impede the development of a culturally responsive practice. The Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (MSJCC), as endorsed by the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the Association of Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD), are infused within each chapter, helping readers to develop the awareness, knowledge, skills, and practices necessary to successfully serve a myriad of diverse clients. Designed to help readers develop a compassionate and thoroughly modern practice, Introduction to 21st Century Counseling is ideal for graduate-level courses in counseling. It is also valuable for clinicians interested in refreshing their personal practice or increasing their multicultural and social justice competence.