Case studies in assessment of international students

THE GROWING DIVERSITY of the U.S. Catholic Church has resulted in greater diversity among those applying for membership in U.S. religious communities. At Saint Luke Institute, we’ve been assessing religious life applicants for 30 years and have been working with religious communities to assess candidates born outside the U.S. for many years. 

Our protocol relies on a multidisciplinary team approach comprised of two psychologists and one trained spiritual director. This collaborative approach captures plentiful data, integrates different perspectives, and provides the individual with a rich, positive experience. To learn more about the Saint Luke Institute Candidate Assessment Protocol, please visit our website at SLI.org/CAP.

Assessment of candidates from non-U.S. cultures must be approached with flexibility, patience, and an appreciation for the multitude of ways that a different cultural background influences an English-language assessment normed on Western culture. 

In our experience, there are three vital considerations for assessing a candidate born in another country:

1. A more extensive interview
2. Additional psychological testing measures that have research validating their use with non-native English speakers.
3. Integration of the interview and test data into specific recommendations for the candidate’s long-term success. 

EXTENSIVE INTERVIEWING     Because psychological testing is normed on a particular population, clinicians performing these tests should allow sufficient time in the interview process to address general cultural norms and understandings. They also need to explore the unique culture of Catholicism in the person’s country of origin, which will shape the candidate’s understanding and expectations of Catholicism in the United States. Another critical topic that needs to be explored in interviews is the candidate’s immigration status. With regularity, candidates are disclosing and describing highly stressful experiences navigating the challenges of securing visas, completing residency documents, and communicating with government/legal officials. Psychologically, these experiences often generate feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, and insecurity. Open dialogue about this topic within the context of the psychological assessment is important in validating and normalizing the stress associated with this process and better understanding how the individual has coped with these very real challenges.  

PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING     We recommend that psychological testing be included in the candidate assessment process, regardless of the client’s ethnicity. A standard battery of psychological tests includes a measure of intelligence accompanied by personality testing. Language inevitably plays a significant role in the value of the data gathered from psychological testing. The validity of some tests can be compromised by the individual’s ability to understand and respond accurately to questions.

For candidates from another country, it can be helpful to incorporate additional measures that are less dependent on language comprehension, such as the Thematic Apperception Test or House-Tree-Person Drawings, in addition to commonly used personality measures, such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Third Edition (MMPI-III).

Saint Luke Institute’s cross-cultural evaluations also include a cultural adaptability measure to help predict the candidate’s ability to adapt and thrive in a new culture. These instruments, coupled with strong interview data, help paint a more accurate picture of the candidate’s readiness for successful service and community life in a new culture.

INTEGRATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS     Psychological assessment of candidates often focuses heavily on “screening” to identify major behavioral or mental health issues. However, accompanying an individual throughout the discernment and formation experience requires more than a simple screening for mental illness. A comprehensive psychological report will include specific recommendations based on the candidate’s personal history, psychological makeup, spiritual life, and approach to relationships, giving the candidate and community insight into the candidate’s vocation and highlighting areas of strength and vulnerability. In a cross-cultural assessment, these recommendations will be uniquely tailored to the candidate’s needs and will also be informed by the key cultural considerations identified during the testing and interview process. Finally, recommendations should be written with both the applicant and formators in mind.

The following case studies are a compilation of clinical experiences gathered by Saint Luke Institute clinical staff. All identifying information has been changed to ensure client confidentiality.

Linh, 32, priest candidate from Vietnam 

Born and raised in rural Vietnam, Linh attended a high school and college seminary four hours from his home. Linh initially studied to be a priest in his local diocese but ultimately decided to enter into formation with the religious community staffing the seminary. After taking final vows, Linh returned to his studies to pursue ordination. Because of the missionary charism of Linh’s community, congregation leaders had formed a new relationship with a diocese in the United States and asked Linh to serve in parish ministry there for a period of five years. That diocese asked Linh to undergo a psychological assessment before his assignment.

At that time, Linh had been in the United States for six months. He was initially assigned to a parish with a large Vietnamese community, assisting the pastor in sacramental ministry while attending immersion English classes. His next anticipated assignment was as an associate pastor in a larger, more diverse parish.

The assessment team’s review of the psychological testing highlighted trends common among international applicants. First, intellectual testing results placed Linh in the average range. Our team speculated that this was an underestimate of his cognitive abilities, given that most intellectual measures were normed on a United States English-speaking population. The psychological tests administered included the MMPI-III and two other personality measures (Rorschach Inkblot Test and Thematic Apperception Test). The MMPI-III results suggested marginal validity and the need to interpret them with caution. 

This profile of “marginal validity” on the MMPI-III is a typical finding among international applicants, as some test statements are challenging to translate, and the phrasing is largely informed by American culture. The two projective measures depended less on verbal communication and provided more relevant data. These results indicated Linh was experiencing mild distress and would benefit from developing additional coping skills; he is very conscientious and highly achievement-oriented; he values service to others and places great emphasis on relationships; and he has a healthy approach to conflict.

The spiritual and psychosocial interviews revealed additional helpful data. Linh was positive about his assignment but concerned that he was not yet as familiar with mainstream U.S. culture as he had hoped after spending six months in an insulated parish community. This finding was important to highlight for the diocese: while his assignment to a parish with individuals from his home country initially made sense in terms of easing his transition to the United States, he felt isolated from his new culture and anxious about acquiring the skills and knowledge to serve in an American Catholic parish. Linh also reported feeling overwhelmed and fatigued by having to manage the intensity of language classes in addition to parish responsibilities and disclosed that he had recently been notified that the processing of his religious worker visa had been delayed.  

The evaluation team offered Linh and his vocation director recommendations based on interview and psychological testing data. Some sample recommendations:

•    Linh could benefit from short-term individual psychotherapy to continue to process his transition to the United States. The team recommended he address some of the issues identified during the assessment process, including sadness over separation from his religious community and the stress regarding his visa status. Linh acknowledged that the stigma associated with mental health treatment in his country of origin made him somewhat resistant to therapy, but he also indicated he needed increased support while separated from his community.
•    Linh was encouraged to communicate with the diocesan vocation director and vicar for priests about his ongoing needs for community and opportunities to engage in presbyteral functions, as well as find practical ways to stay connected to his family and friends in Vietnam.  In addition, the team encouraged the diocese to set aside time to explore how they could more tangibly support Linh in securing his visa, as it is a current source of stress for him.  
•    The team recommended that Linh begin working with a spiritual director for longer-term support and as an additional way to ensure ongoing spiritual growth.

Louisa, 38, sister candidate from the from from the Philippines

Louisa, born and raised in the Philippines, studied accounting and worked alongside her father for many years. In her 30s, upon her mother’s death and her father’s retirement, she decided to join her siblings, who had previously relocated to the United States. Upon arriving in the U.S., Louisa secured full-time employment in an accounting firm and was free to explore her desire to join religious life, which she had been unable to pursue until then, as she had been caring for her mother.  

At the time of her assessment, Louisa had been living and working in the United States for four years. During that time, she began connecting with various religious communities in the region. She entered into dialogue with one religious community for approximately three months, but the community was in transition and eventually suspended accepting new member applications.

Louisa was very disappointed and stopped discerning for a period of six months. However, over time, she realized her desire to pursue religious life was still present, and she returned to active discernment. At the time of evaluation, she had been in regular contact for a year with the religious community to which she was applying. The impressions of the vocation director were largely positive, but she expressed two concerns: 

1) the challenge of Louisa being so geographically distant from her aging father, and 2) her difficulty with speaking directly about concerns and struggles. 

When concerns arose, rather than expressing them directly to the vocation director, Louisa tended to speak to other sisters about her displeasure. This supplemental data was integrated into the evaluation and discussed during interviews with Louisa.

When the team reviewed the psychological testing results, intellectual testing results suggested high average cognitive abilities commensurate with her early education and professional success in the Philippines and the United States. Psychological testing results from the MMPI-III revealed some difficulties accurately translating the questions, which is common in foreign-born applicants, even with strong language skills and lengthy residence in the United States. Other data from the psychological testing reflected Louisa’s difficulty establishing trust with others; her discomfort revealing more vulnerable or tender feelings; her desire for structure and discomfort with ambivalent situations; and the presence of underlying feelings of anger or resentment.

In the psychosocial and spiritual interviews, Louisa disclosed fears about the possibility of the community closing, identifying this as a significant source of anxiety and insecurity despite repeated assurances from the vocation director. In addition, Louisa was able to speak about being raised in an authoritarian culture where respect for elders was great; she expressed some anxiety about expressing concerns directly to the vocation director because of this. Louisa also relayed fears that her formation obligations would negatively impact her availability to her aging father, who still lived in the Philippines. Finally, she disclosed a history of sexual abuse that occurred when she was a young child, perpetrated by an older male cousin. She tearfully described this experience and how it had impacted her comfort level with males and affected her desire for romantic relationships.

The evaluation team offered Louisa and her vocation director a variety of recommendations based on the interview and psychological testing data. Some sample recommendations:

•     Louisa would benefit from developing her interpersonal confidence. For instance, she might identify and talk about anger more directly, tolerate inevitable discomfort in community relationships, learn how to establish trust within relationships, and take healthy interpersonal risks. Because some of these areas of growth could be related to residual effects of the sexual abuse trauma, the assessment team recommended that Louisa engage in individual therapy to revisit the trauma and develop interpersonal relationship skills. Because Louisa was not in active psychological distress and there was no history of mental health struggles, the recommended therapy could take place before entering into formation or during formation.
•   The team highlighted Louisa’s strong connection to her father and encouraged intentional dialogue between Louisa and community leadership about her expectations for nurturing her connection with her father in light of her formation obligations.
•    The team recommended that she speak more directly and candidly about her experiences of religious life. Signs of health would be sharing both her positive and more difficult experiences of formation. An indicator of concern would be when those in leadership only heard about things that were going well and saw ongoing evidence that she was sharing frustrations with other sisters.

Juan, 27, priest candidate from Argentina

Juan, born and raised in Argentina, entered a religious community at the age of 22, upon completing his university studies. During formation, Juan fell in love with a woman and discerned out of religious life. He was involved in a romantic relationship for two years and considered marriage, but the relationship eventually dissolved. Upon ending this romantic relationship, Juan relocated to the United States with hopes of returning to school and becoming a teacher. 

Upon arriving in the United States, Juan found it difficult to enroll in school, as transferring from an international university was somewhat complicated. During this time, he also had trouble finding steady employment, so he began working in the parish he had recently joined. Juan became increasingly engaged with the parish community and felt his call to religious life returning. A priest from a local religious community had been assigned to his parish, and Juan began a dialogue with him about a return to religious life. The priest began engaging in spiritual direction with Juan and connected him to the community’s vocation director. After a year of discernment, Juan presented himself to the community for acceptance and was asked to participate in a psychological assessment as part of his application.

When the team reviewed the psychological testing results, intellectual testing suggested low average cognitive abilities. Given that Juan spoke positively about his academic performance in university, it is more likely that his cognitive functioning fell somewhere in the average range. On the MMPI-III, Juan elected not to answer several questions; this impacted the validity of the assessment and raised some concern among the evaluation team. Conversation revealed that he struggled significantly with some of the wording and had difficulty comprehending the statements. As a result, and for fear of acknowledging something that was untrue, he did not respond to certain statements. The psychological testing data gathered from other personality measures indicated that he possesses a strong desire to please others; his view of self and identity are often rooted in how others see him; he struggles to reveal what he perceives to be difficult or painful feelings, such as anger; and he has strong fears of being hurt or rejected in interpersonal relationships.

Juan presented for the assessment with enthusiasm, professing a sincere desire to move forward in his religious vocation. He spoke about how lost he had felt following the end of the romantic relationship and how, for the first time in years, he felt at peace with where God was calling him. Juan denied any lingering desires for marriage or children, despite having some difficulty communicating the reasons for the end of his relationship. Juan also struggled at times to verbalize his motivations for his vocation, other than finally finding peace after feeling lost. This lack of clarity was a concern for the team, especially given that when asked about his plans, should religious life not be a good fit, Juan was unable to articulate a “plan B.” Juan reported that the majority of his family, including his parents, still live in Argentina and feel immense pride at his vocation and desire to serve the church.

During the interview process, Juan disclosed that in the year since his relocation to the United States, he had accumulated approximately $20,000 of credit card debt. A portion of this debt was a result of the obligation he felt to continue offering financial support to family members still living in Argentina. He was nervous about disclosing this, as he had not spoken about it candidly with the community. The team affirmed his willingness to come forward with this information and highlighted the importance of transparency with the community.

The evaluation team offered Juan and his vocation director a variety of sample recommendations based on the interview and psychological testing data:

•   Because of the omission of important information from his initial application, there was concern about Juan entering formation immediately, especially given that he also struggled to verbalize a clear understanding of his motivations for entering, apart from a desire for escape and a sense of security or safety in religious life.
•    The evaluation team encouraged Juan and the vocation director to develop these benchmarks for continued discernment over six months:

1. Maintain full-time employment during the time of discernment.
2. Engage in regular spiritual direction with a trained director (preferably Spanish-speaking) experienced with cross-cultural, vocationally-minded directees.
3. Continue discerning his vocation with trusted peers and his spiritual director to further clarify his motivations for entering into formation.
4. Establish a financial plan to help decrease his financial debt.
5. Engage in an ongoing discussion with his vocation director about ways to support his family’s financial needs.

•    The vocation director was encouraged to meet with Juan at the end of the six-month period to determine whether he had made sufficient progress towards his goals and was ready to enter into formation with a clearer understanding of his motivations and expectations for community life.

Our multicultural candidates, in pursuit of their vocation, face the challenges of acculturation and ministering in a different culture alongside the growing stressors associated with immigration in the United States. As a result, an ethical and helpful assessment of men and women from other cultures requires a sensitive, culturally adaptable approach. 

We encourage vocation directors to press for accurate, integrated, and comprehensive assessments to guide their accompaniment and support of international candidates. Candidates and communities will benefit when assessments are valid, practical, and culturally competent. 

Emily R. Cash holds a doctoral degree in clinical psychology and is the director of Saint Luke Center, a ministry of Saint Luke Institute, located in Louisville, Kentucky.  She also serves as the director of the Candidate Assessment Program for the Institute. She has been with the Saint Luke Institute since 2006.