Hello my name is Michael D’Andrea, I’m the executive director of the National Institute for Multicultural Competence, the NIMC. The NIMC was formulated after the 1993 convention that was hosted by the American Counseling Association (ACA) in Atlanta, Georgia. At that time, numerous advocates for multicultural competence came together to talk about the barriers that existed at that time in terms of promoting multicultural competence and social justice ideals into the work that counselors do. At that time, there were several members that helped formulate the NIMC they included Derald Wing Sue, Patricia Arredondo, Thomas Parham, Mary Bradford Ivey, Allen Ivey, Donald C. Luck, Judy Daniels, and myself.

 

Since that time the NIMC as advocated for many types of organizational changes in the ACA and in the American Psychological Association (APA) as well as through consultation efforts in universities across the United States. All of these efforts were designed to help promote and foster multicultural competence among administrators, counselor educators, psychology trainers, and students in programs around the country as well as out professional associations. In 1999, the NIMC went through an organizational change with looking at new strategic plans. Shortly thereafter we expanded to almost 500 members, students and professional around the country, who joined together in promoting multicultural competence and social justice ideals in the mental health professions.

 

We welcome you to consider becoming a free member in the NIMC; the membership is at no cost to yourself. You can contact us by accessing the website that you are now viewing. This is yet another innovation of the NIMC with the help of Mr. Brian Kajiyama and Ms. Elizabeth Foster, graduate  students in the department of counselor education at the university of Hawai'i. We have been able to put together what we believe is an innovative and valuable resource for you. You will note that the resources that are contained on the website are specifically designed to increase your understanding and to help you acquire a broad range of competencies that will enable you to work more effectively, more respectfully, and more ethically with persons from diverse cultural and racial backgrounds in your professional practices.

 

We’re very excited about the broad range of new initiatives the NIMC is undertaking and again we welcome you to learn more about the NIMC and consider joining us as a family that strives to work together to help transform our profession and our individual capabilities to promote the dignity and development of persons from diverse backgrounds.

 

Thank you for your consideration and aloha.