Paper Title
Striving Towards Culturally Meaningful Multilingual Competency in Counseling And Human Services: A Case for Formal Training

Abstract
This study analyzes the relationships among three levels of bi/multilingual competence that were self-reported by 483 trainees and practitioners in the fields of psychology, counseling, social work, and family services. The results indicate that learning second/non-native language(s) in an academic environment does not correspond to self-perceived bilingual and/or culturally meaningful use of language. Further, self-identification as a bilingual professional does not necessarily imply culturally meaningful use of second/non-native language. The current results provide a guide for incorporating language training into preparation of human services professionals who work with linguistically diverse populations. Index Terms— bi(multilingual) competence, counseling, multilingual training, human services.