Our Commitment to Diversity

As a training facility we strongly embrace the ethical imperatives that guide the identity development of psychologists, in particular the mandate to be culturally sensitive professionals and to engage in culture-centered practices.

We strive to create an environment of support and belonging with our internship training as well as our work with clients, and with each other. We will strive to honor and respect the uniqueness of each intern while also challenging them and helping them grow as therapists and future psychologists. Our Diversity Statement below captures our vision for who we want to be:

Diversity Vision Statement

“As a center we are committed to engaging in a journey of multicultural competency. We seek growth in our understanding of diversity as it relates to both the Baylor community and the global community. Our commitment extends not only outward in service but inward, as we each pursue awareness of our own experience of diversity.

As a center we share core values that promote and celebrate diversity. An expression of these values is evident in our respect, empathy, compassion, and acceptance of all people. We pride ourselves on providing services in the areas of clinical treatment, outreach and prevention, consultation, liaison, training and education. We envision our values, as they relate to multicultural competency, to be visible in all the ways in which we interact with Baylor and the Waco community, as well as, our day to day functioning within the walls of the Baylor University Counseling Center.

As a center we strive not only to increase awareness of diversity issues such as oppression and discrimination, but also to foster reconciliation as we affirm movement towards healing. We believe the spirit of the Christian faith embraces the spirit of multiculturalism: both emerging from the spirit of love. In being compelled by love, we show hospitality, dignity, and humility in our work with all people and in our interactions with one another.”

Training Philosophy

We believe each person exists at many intersections: culture, identity, contextual factors, experience, and more. We both strive to be well informed about these intersecting identities, and believe that cultivating cultural humility is a prerequisite to intercultural effectiveness and loving interactions across difference. We believe that all counseling is multicultural counseling, and being an effective counselor requires attention to the culture and identities present in the therapy space. We are therefore committed to and pursue ongoing intercultural effectiveness with an attitude of humility, curiosity, and respect.

We also recognize that this intercultural work takes place on many levels and in many directions. It is present in our work with clients, our interactions with colleagues, our trainee-trainer relationships, and our existence within institutional structures and cultures. Each of us has a pivotal role in tending the relationships and interactions through which culture is present.

We Serve a Diverse Public

We ascribe to APA’s position statement “Preparing Professional Psychologists to Serve a Diverse Public: A Core Requirement in Doctoral Education and Training” (See App. E).

We train interns to be well-rounded professional psychologists with the competencies to serve clients representing different forms of diversity. In providing this training, we commit ourselves to creating a supportive training environment that allows for self-exploration and the development of cognitive flexibility.

Interns training in our center are expected to develop competencies to effectively serve diverse populations, including clients whose identity, beliefs, worldview, or cultural background may create personal conflict with that of the intern.

We believe that in working through these conflicts interns will have the opportunity to grow and obtain valuable skills and experiences that will enhance their development as clinicians. Supervision is encouraged as a useful tool to obtain support during challenging times of growth.