Multicultural Consultation: A Global Lens for Examining Cultural Factors in Consultation

What models and approaches can help consultants of all backgrounds consult effectively with the consultees and clients present in their diverse communities and schools? This chapter employs a global lens for examining cultural factors in the theory, research, and training of multicultural consultation. The goals are (a) to review new research that informs consultation within and across cultural contexts, (b) to examine two models that guide multicultural consultation conceptualization and education: the Multicultural School Consultation (MSC) framework (Ingraham, School Psychol Rev 29:320–343, 2000) and Consultant Learning and Development (CLAD) (Ingraham, Training and education of consultants: a global perspective. In: Hatzichristou C, Rosenfield S (eds) International handbook of consultation in educational settings. Routledge/Taylor & Francis, New York, pp 291–311, 2017c), and (c) to explore the application of this global lens through two real school consultation cases. New research is reviewed and discussed in relation to how it informs a global perspective of multicultural consultation, with attention to new literature on multicultural consultation, consultee-centered consultation, consultant education and supervision, and consultation frameworks for work with immigrant families. MSC provides the conceptualization and constructs that can guide multicultural consultation, and CLAD focuses on the processes of consultant learning and education. A global lens is applied to the analysis of two cases, demonstrating how the consultant navigated the salient similarities and differences. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future research, practice, training, and policy.