Multicultural Competence in Counseling Research: The Cornerstone of Scholarship

The profession of counseling values honoring diversity and promoting social justice. These core values pertain to all aspects of the counseling profession, including the production of scholarship. Given that all research affects and is affected by cultural dynamics, we posit that all research is multicultural research. Additionally, research is a system composed of multiple parties including researchers, participants, reviewers, and readers, each with unique cultural identities and norms. Therefore, whether acknowledged or not, dynamics of power, privilege, oppression, and culture permeate all aspects of counseling research. This article is dedicated to dismantling myths related to multicultural research; providing examples of high-quality, culturally responsive research; and detailing considerations for each step of the research process to promote multicultural competence and advocacy. We aim to help counseling researchers embrace their role as multicultural scholars and improve the quality and impact of culturally responsive research.