Development of the Multicultural and Social Justice Competencies (MCSJC) Scale for Career Development Practitioners

Sandra Collins; Nancy Arthur; Mary McMahon; Suzie Bisson

Authors

Sandra Collins Athabasca University
Nancy Arthur University of Calgary
Mary McMahon The University of Queensland
Suzie Bisson University of Calgary

Keywords:

Multicultural, social justice, competenices, scale, MCSJC, career, career development, practitioners

Abstract

Career practitioners are increasingly called to engage in social justice action with or on behalf of their clients. However, there is a dearth of well-researched information on the kinds of competencies required of career practitioners to support a social justice agenda. The multicultural counselling competencies commonly referenced in the literature are limited in their application to career practice, social justice actions, and the complex interface of gender, ethnicity,
sexual orientation, age, ability, socioeconomic status, and religion. The measures that have been developed to assess multicultural competency, therefore,
share these limitations as well as other conceptual challenges. This study focuses specifically on the creation of a tool for assessing the multicultural counselling and social justice competencies of career practitioners, based on current theoretical, research, and applied practice knowledge and a deliberate emphasis on social justice. Development and testing of the Multicultural Counselling and Social Justice Competencies scale are detailed.

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