Core competencies for combatting crisis: Fusing ethics, cultural competence, and cognitive flexibility in counseling

The fictional lives of Dr. Smith, Ruby, George, and his clients have all been overturned by the Covid-19 crisis. With each having to continue to fulfill their professional responsibility to an institution, to students, to supervisees, and to clients, they have little time to make the appropriate transitions into the world of telehealth, in conjunction with practicing self-care to maintain their own anxieties over the global pandemic. This necessitates a consideration of three core competencies – ethical practice, multicultural competence, and cognitive flexibility. Their unique individual commitment to these three competencies is discussed on a practical and applicable level. Additionally, these rapid changes have led to an assessment and report of where current research is deficient.