Background & Purpose: This presentation will describe and analyze two critical incidents that emerged during participant observation of behavioral health teams in the PRIME (Partners Reaching to Improve Multicultural Effectiveness) model of diversity training. It will show how qualitative research methods can illuminate how such incidents emerge, re-surface, and are managed by instructors and participants.

Methods: In the course of participant observation of two sequences of nine 2-day sessions over 9 months, the authors identified two incidents, one in each series, which they considered critical, based on the emotions that were aroused. The first, “The Red Dress,” concerned the garb of an African American client; the other, “The Passion,” had to do with the film of the same name. The principal data sources were fieldnotes taken at the sessions and log entries written by the participants throughout training that referred to these incidents. In addition, we viewed videotapes taken during sessions in which the incidents emerged. Using these resources, the authors recreated the incidents and their impact on participants over time. To enhance rigor, we member checked our descriptions and analyses with training staff who were present during the training.

Results: Both critical incidents occurred during the second 2-day training session. The incident during PRIME 1 illuminated participants' differing ideas about racial stereotypes and their discomfort with each other's diversity. The incident in PRIME 2 highlighted the different views on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ among participants representing Jews and diverse Christians. During the first incident, one participant accused another of making a discriminatory judgment of an African American client and others took various positions in relation to this interaction. Some time was spent processing this by the two facilitators and then the group disbanded for the month. In the next few sessions following this incident, the group withdrew emotionally and avoided raising sensitive issues. Subsequently, feelings about race resurfaced in relation to a role play in the training and were reworked in a new exercise on coping, “Standing in the Face of Discrimination.” The second critical incident was characterized by heightened emotion during and immediately after the event, extensive processing by one facilitator, and closure. The issue did not resurface after that. The training staff told the researchers that they regretted that these incidents occurred so early in the training, before adequate trust had developed. Differences in the courses of these incidents are attributed to the salience of race in American society (incident one) and the ways in which the facilitators handled these two events.

Implications: Critical incidents occurring in the context of diversity training arouse deep emotions about race and religion. Trust must be established in order that participants are willing to risk being open. Facilitators must be able to manage heightened emotions effectively or conflict is likely to go underground. The method of analyzing critical incidents described here can be used to analyze social work-client interactions and group work interactions as well as diversity training.