Multicultural Training and Awareness Among Sport Psychology Practitioners

in Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology

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Rena M.G. CurveyDepartment of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, The University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

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Shannon C. WhiteDepartment of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA

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Emily A. MurphyDepartment of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, The University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

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Travis R. ScheadlerCollege of Social Work, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

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Myles T. EnglisDepartment of Kinesiology and Health Promotion, The University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

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Laura L. PhelpsDepartment of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, The University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

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Candice N. HargonsDepartment of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, The University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/jcsp.2021-0046
Keywords:
cultural humility; multicultural competence; practice and training; qualitative methodology
First Published Online:
22 Mar 2022
In Print:
Volume 16: Issue 4
Page Range:
349–367
Restricted access

Guided by an interpretivist–constructivist paradigm and phenomenological framework, this study explored sport psychology professionals’ lived experiences to better understand their multicultural training and competence within the field of sport psychology. Twelve sport psychology professionals participated in semistructured interviews from March 2020 to May 2020. The following four themes emerged: (a) a call to reform training programs, (b) a shift from multicultural competence to cultural humility, (c) professional and ethical responsibilities of sport psychology practitioners, and (d) reflexive practice and culturally sensitive interventions. Study findings support expanding multicultural training for students of sport psychology graduate programs and suggest that sport psychology professionals have an ethical responsibility to be culturally aware. Further study findings and clinical implications are discussed.

Curvey (rmgo228@uky.edu) is corresponding author, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8808-2922.

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Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology

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