INTRODUCTION

The Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology (CMTP), at Boston Medical Center and the Boston University School of Medicine, hosts an APA-accredited clinical internship program. This program formally began at Boston City Hospital (BCH) in 1972 as the Minority Training Program in Clinical and Community Psychology under the leadership of Dr. Guy O. Seymour, a Black psychologist of Guyanese descent. The program's primary mission has always been and remains focused on training multicultural oriented psychologists to work with inner-city, low income and racially/ethnically diverse populations. 85% have been individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups. The number of Interns accepted into the program has varied over the years, averaging about 7 trainees annually since its inception.

CMTP is housed in the Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center (DSCFMHC) on the campus of and affiliated with Boston Medical Center (formerly Boston City Hospital) and the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) Division of Psychiatry. Located in the heart of the inner city, bordered by the Roxbury, Dorchester, South Boston, and South End neighborhoods of Boston. Boston Medical Center (BMC) serves as the gateway to health care and mental health care for many urban, low-income, and ethnic minority groups.

TRAINING GOAL AND OBJECTIVES

The goal of CMTP is to provide the highest standard of training to Interns in the culturally competent practice of professional psychology. The primary objectives of the CMTP training program are: (1) to provide Interns with supervised experiences in traditional psychological techniques appropriately modified for working cross-culturally with socially, economically and politically disadvantaged clients; (2) to increase Interns' sensitivity to aspects of behavior associated with cross-cultural and transcultural experiences which are involved in mental health, mental illness and recovery; (3) to heighten Interns' awareness and integration of their own racial and ethnic identities and how these impact interactions with clients; (4) to provide sufficient structure to ensure that Interns achieve the highest levels of proficiency in those skills traditionally associated with the profession of psychology and enough flexibility to ensure that they have the opportunity to mature professionally without distorting their basic values and personal identities; and, (5) to train Interns in the culturally competent practice of professional psychology consistent with the APA practitioner-scientist model.