The section of the Multicultural Competencies (Sue, Arredondo & McDavis, 1992; Arredondo et al., 1996) devoted to “Counselor Awareness of Client’s Worldview” focuses on the development of culture specific knowledge. It is assumed that each client is an individual that participates in varying communities or cultures which subsequently influence that individual’s world view; literally, the way they view the world. The Competencies assert that culturally competent counseling recognizes the importance of a client’s world view and that greater knowledge of their cultural experience, supplementing client self-report, is beneficial.

As with each of the competency areas, the counselor is encouraged to examine her or his attitudes and beliefs, knowledge, and skills. Examples of each area are included below:

Attitudes and Beliefs of:
Own stereotypes and negative emotional reactions toward other racial and ethnic groups.

Knowlege about:
Life experiences, history, values, mores, beliefs of cultural groups with whom they work regarding wellness, life choices, and help seeking behavior.
Sociopolitical influences such as discrimination, immigration, etc. on the groups with whom they work.

Skills:
Developed based on relevant research regarding cultural groups, involvement with culturally diverse individuals outside counseling setting