Application of the Multicultural Social Justice Counseling Competencies Framework for Counseling Survivors of Sex Trafficking
Cheri Mays, PhD, LPC-S | September 20 | 1:45-2:45 pm
Topic: Direct Service, Conceptual | Knowledge Level: Intermediate
In 2021, there were reported 10,571 likely victims of sex trafficking in the United States (Polaris, 2021). Increasing numbers of individuals who have survived sex trafficking are seeking mental health treatment (Litam & Lam, 2021), yet no frameworks currently exist to guide counseling practice with this specific client population (Burt, 2019). That being said, the presenter believes that applying the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (MSJCC) framework (Ratts et al., 2015) is a way to focus on how a survivor’s culture and context shape their way of being and understanding. This framework has been used with theories, practices, and research. It reflects the privileged and marginalized statuses that mental health professionals and clients bring to the counseling relationship. Embedded within the developmental domains are what mental health professionals aspire to know about working with this population: attitudes and beliefs, knowledge, skills, and action. At the core of this framework is the belief that multiculturalism and social justice should be at the center of counseling. By highlighting the intersection of identities and the dynamics of power, privilege, and oppression that influence the counseling relationship, mental health professionals identify best practice ways to counsel their clients as well as how best to intervene for their clients from a social justice perspective. By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to integrate the MSJCC framework into their mental health practices.
Presentation Objectives:
· Explain the MSJCC framework
· Illustrate the awareness, knowledge, skills, and action within each developmental domain to counsel individuals who have survived sex trafficking
· Educate attendees on how to implement within their mental health practices the MSJCC framework to counsel individuals who have survived sex trafficking