Multicultural counseling competencies research: A 20-year content analysis

The authors conducted a 20-year content analysis of the entire field of empirical research on the multicultural counseling competencies (D. W. Sue et al., 1982). They conducted an exhaustive search for empirical research articles using PSYCInfo, as well as complete reviews of the past 20 years of several journals (e.g., Journal of Counseling Psychology, The Counseling Psychologist, Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, Journal of Counseling and Development, Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, Professional Psychology: Research and Practice). They identified 75 articles reporting findings based on 81 different samples. Findings include (a) descriptive data regarding the designs, methodologies, and sample characteristics of studies; (b) major topics and themes of the multicultural counseling competencies empirical research literature; and (c) leading contributors. A brief analysis of major findings and gaps in the literature is provided, and the authors make recommendations for further research.