Broaching Attitudes and Behaviors of Mental Health Professionals: The Influence of Training Model and Scope of Practice

Clinical broaching refers to a therapist’s willingness to initiate skillful conversations about sensitive racial, ethnic, and cultural concerns (REC) with their clients. One hundred fifty-five (155) mental health professionals (MHPs), including counselors, social workers, and psychologists, completed the self-report Broaching Attitudes and Behaviors Survey (BABS). While each professional training program has prescriptive ethical principles that dictate the value of addressing clients’ REC concerns, counselors and social workers in our study reported greater willingness and clinical skill in doing so than psychologists. Based on these findings, we discuss training implications and propose strategies to help novice professionals develop culturally competent broaching skills.