Deliberate practice in multicultural therapy

Deliberate practice exercises provide trainees and students opportunities to develop a more multicultural, intersectional approach to psychotherapy and hone their own personal therapeutic style.   These exercises present role-playing scenarios in which two trainees act as a client and a clinician, switching back and forth under the guidance of a supervisor.

The clinician improvises appropriate and authentic responses to client statements organized into three difficulty levels—beginner, intermediate, and advanced—that reflect common client questions and concerns.   Each of the first 12 exercises focuses on a single skill, such as developing cultural self-awareness and cultural humility, exploring cultural implications and explanations of clients’ concerns, responding to resistance, and repairing culturally based ruptures in the working alliance.

A comprehensive mock therapy exercise follows in which these essential skills are brought together into a single multicultural therapy session.   Step-by-step instructions guide participants through the exercises, identify criteria for mastering each skill, and explain how to monitor and adjust difficulty.

Guidelines to help trainers and trainees get the most out of training are also provided.