International Students in Supervision: Issues and Recommendations. Johanna Nilsson

Transcription

1 International Students in Supervision: Issues and Recommendations Johanna Nilsson University of Missouri-Kansas City Division of Counseling and Educational Psychology Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Boston, 2008

2 Purpose of Presentation Provide information about: international students in the United States issues that can occur in supervision with international students provide recommendations

3 International Student Data International students are foreign-born students who attend U.S. colleges and universities and who are not permanent residents, immigrants, or refugees. 582,984 international students in the United States 2006/2007 Country of origin 48% from five Asian countries India, China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan Other countries in the top 20 group Germany, Nepal, Kenya, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Brazil (Institute of International Education, 2005; 2007)

4 International Student Data Of the international students: 45% of international students are graduate students As a group, they make up 12% of U.S. graduate enrollment About 8,300 international students are enrolled in the academic field of psychology (Institute of International Education, 2005; 2007). 8.2% of students in counseling psychology APA accredited programs

5 International Students Acculturation Culture of origin Length of time in the United States Language ability of host language Academic adjustment Social and emotional adjustment 76% of international doctoral level students have previous degree in the United States (Nilsson & Anderson, 2004) (e.g., Sodowsky & Plake, 1992; Mori, 2000; Poyrazli et al., 2002)

6 Supervision, Data: Counseling self-efficacy acculturation prejudice supervisory working alliance Supervisory working alliance prejudice preference/ability speaking English (Nilsson & Anderson, 2004; Nilsson, 2007)

7 Supervision, Data: Role Ambiguity acculturation prejudice greater preference/ability speaking English Multicultural discussion in supervision acculturation perception of supervisor as expert, trustworthy and expert satisfaction of supervision supervisee s perception of supervisor as sensitive to diversity issues. (Nilsson & Anderson, 2004; Nilsson & Dodds, 2006)

8 Remember Recommendations language barriers and cultural differences therapy and supervision are based on westernized traditions and values Setting the stage for supervision Clearly express the expectations for supervision: Supervisor s role Supervisee s role with supervisor and clients contextual expectations expectation of performance and consequences Involve the supervisee in this discussion Supervision contract

9 Recommendations Supervisory working alliance Show interest in supervisee s cultural background Share pieces of own cultural journey Show openness and curiosity, express your own struggles (Killian, 2001) Multicultural Discussions Allows for the building of an alliance Allow for learning: of own cultural identity of the U.S. culture Be a cultural mentor (Nilsson & Wang, in press)

10 Recommendations Learn about your international supervisee What training and experience did they have before coming to the United States What are their future plans 57% planned to return home (Nilsson & Anderson, 2004) Preparations for returning home Enjoy the process Challenging Rewarding Rich in learning

11 References Institute of International Education. (2005). Open doors: Report on international educational exchange. New York: Author. Institute of International Education. (2007). Open doors: Report on international educational exchange. New York: Author. Killian, K. D. (2001). Differences making a difference: Cross-cultural interactions. Counseling Psychologist, 29, Mori, S. (2000). Addressing the mental health concerns of international students. Journal of Counseling and Development, 78, Nilsson, J. E. (in press). International students in supervision: Course self-efficacy, stress, and cultural discussions in supervision. Clinical Supervisor. Nilsson, J. E., & Anderson, A. Z. (2004). Supervising international students: The role of acculturation, role ambiguity, and multicultural discussions. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 35, Nilsson, J. E., & Dodds, A. K. (2006). A pilot phase in the development of the International Student Supervision Scale. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 34, Nilsson, J. E., & Wang, D. C. (in press). Supervising international students in counseling and psychology training programs. In A. K, Hess, K.D. Hess, & T. H. Hess (Eds.), Psychotherapy supervision: Theory, research and practice (2 nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Poyrazli, S., Arbona, C., Nora, A., McPherson, R., & Pisecco, S. (2002). Relation between assertiveness, academic self-efficacy, and social adjustment among international graduate students. Journal of College Student Development, 43, Sodowsky, G. R., Lai, E. W. M., & Plake, B. S. (1991). Moderating effects of sociocultural variables on acculturation attitudes of Hispanics and Asian Americans. Journal of Counseling and Development, 70,