STRATEGY FOR DEVELOPING STUDENTS' MULTICULTURAL COMPETENCY THROUGH RELATIONAL CULTURAL THERAPY TRAINING

This study aims to measure the effectiveness of relational cultural therapy in improving the competence of multicultural students, especially in guidance and counseling study program students as prospective BK/counselor teachers who will provide services to clients who have different cultural backgrounds. The phenomenon found in the field in previous studies in the lecture process for Guidance and Counseling students in counseling skills training, students have difficulty in applying differentiated counseling skills that focus on multicultural skills. This study uses a quantitative type with a pretest-posttest group design plan. The instruments used are the results of the plan and synthesis through the development of aspects of multicultural awareness. The subjects of this study were 40 students of the Faculty of FKIP UMSU who needed to receive the latest multicultural competency training. The analysis used was product moment correlation and produced a correlation coefficient of 0.981 which concluded that rational cultural therapy training significantly increased students' multicultural competence.Future research is encouraged to delve into community guidance and counseling that shape collective identity.