Cultural Diversity/Cultural
Competency
More Than We Can See
Each person is representative
of a mixture of “cultures and
experiences”…
SAMHSA, Office of Minority Health, and Health Resources and Administration, Quality Health Services for
Hispanics: The Cultural Competency Component, 2001.
What is Cultural Competency
• "Cultural Competency is the ability of
individuals and systems to respond
respectfully and effectively to people of all
cultures, classes, races, ethnic
backgrounds and religions in a manner
that recognizes, affirms, and values the
cultural differences and similarities and
the worth of individuals, families, and
communities and protects and
preserves the dignity of each."
In other words…………
Treat all people
with respect!
What is a culture?
Culture is a definition highly misunderstood and misused, thus the need for an
explanation: Culture refers to the following Ways of Life, including but not
limited to:
• Language : the oldest human institution and the most sophisticated
•
•
•
•
•
•
medium of expression.
Arts & Sciences : the most advanced and refined forms of human
expression.
Thought : the ways in which people perceive, interpret, and understand
the world around them.
Spirituality : the value system transmitted through generations for the
inner well-being of human beings, expressed through language and
actions.
Social activity : the shared pursuits within a cultural community,
demonstrated in a variety of festivities and life-celebrating events.
Interaction : the social aspects of human contact, including the give-andtake of socialization, negotiation, protocol, and conventions.
All of the above collectively define the meaning of Culture.
• We need to examine our own cultural
values and evaluate their interpersonal
strengths and weaknesses.
• We also need to recognize that differences
in language, age, culture, socio economic
status, political and religious beliefs,
sexual orientation, and life experience add
challenging dimensions to the dynamics of
cross cultural interactions.
What OTHER types of cultures do we
recognize on a more subtle level?
CAN YOU NAME
SOME?
• Drugs
• Alcohol
• Single mother
• Victim of Abuse
• Persons with mental health challenges
• People with little or no money
• People with lots of money
• Homeless
• Jobless
• Education
• Social status
• Job / lack of job
• Religion
• Possessions
• Politics
• Gender
• Gender Preference
• Music
• Ageism
• Have you ever been the subject
of a negative reaction based only
on your membership in a group?
• How about a positive reaction for
the same reason?
• Why do people have negative
stereotypes about others?
Views Are Like Icebergs
• Just as 90% of an iceberg is out of sight,
very little can be determined about a
person based on their appearance.
Stereotypes are opinions based on their
appearance.
Labels Help us to Identify
• Knowing the contents of a can without
•
looking inside.
Labels and People:
– How are labels used to describe
people?
– How often does this occur?
What is Diversity?
• Diversity refers to all the ways that
individuals are unique and differ from one
another.
• Diversity can’t be narrowly defined. It’s
simply embracing and celebrating the
differences we all embody.
Diversity Involves:
Recognizing
Attracting
people of all backgrounds
Recognizing
Creating
our unique differences
how attitudes affect us all
an environment where all can
succeed
Acting
to promote diversity
Elements of Diversity
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ethnicity
• Income
• Education
• Marital Status
Race
• Religious Beliefs
Age
Gender
Physical Ability
Sexual Orientation
Physical
Characteristics
• Geographic Location
• Parental Status
• Personality Type
Dimensions of Diversity
• Primary dimensions are aspects of ourselves that
we cannot change. They are things people know
about us before we even open our mouths,
because they are physically visible (except sexual
orientation). When people feel they are being
stereotyped based on primary dimension, they
can be very sensitive about it.
• Secondary dimensions are elements we have
some power to change. People are less sensitive
about secondary dimensions. We also have the
choice of whether to disclose this information or
not; we can conceal these characteristics.
Secondary Dimensions of
Diversity
Work
Background
Income
Parental
Status
Geographic
Location
Sexual
Orientation
Race
Ethnicity
Gender
Education
Age
Physical
Qualities
Marital
Status
Military
Experience
Religious Beliefs
Primary Dimensions of Diversity
Loden and
Rosener 1991
If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of
precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios
remaining the same, it would look like this. There would
be:
– 61 Asians
– 12 Europeans
– 14 from the Western
Hemisphere, both north
and south
– 13 Africans
– 50 would be female
– 50 would be male
– 74 would be nonwhite
– 26 would be white
– 67 would be non-Christian
– 33 would be Christian
– 89 would be heterosexual
– 6 people would possess 59%
of the entire world's wealth
and all 6 would be from the
United States
– 80 would live in substandard
housing
– 14 would be unable to read
– 33 would die of famine
– 1 would be near death;
– 1 would be near birth
– 7 would have a college
education
– 8 would own a computer
– 11 would be homosexual
Approaches to
Diversity
The
Golden Rule
–1960s, assimilation, “stop
treating people badly”
Right
the Wrongs
–1970s, affirmative action,
created “us versus them”
Value
Differences
–Year 2000 and beyond,
diversity is an asset
PREJUDICE
Generalized attitude
towards members of
a group.
STEREOTYPE
Generalized belief
about members of
a group.
Behaviors directed
DISCRIMINATION
towards people on
the basis of their
group membership.
SAMHSA, Office of Minority Health, and Health Resources and Administration, Quality Health Services for
Hispanics: The Cultural Competency Component, 2001.
Labeling = Stereotype, Prejudice, &
Discrimination
• Categorizing can be dangerous. Labels can
become too rigid and when there is no
room for growth the label becomes
stifling, both for the individuals who are
labeled and for the category itself.
• This leads to Stereotypes, Prejudice, &
Discrimination.
SAMHSA, Office of Minority Health, and Health Resources and Administration, Quality Health Services for
Hispanics: The Cultural Competency Component, 2001.
Primary Characteristics:
Qualities We Are Born With
•
•
•
•
•
􀂄
􀂄
􀂄
􀂄
􀂄
Gender
Eye Color
Hair Color
Race
Birth Defects
Secondary Characteristics:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Religion
Educational Level
Parental Status
Geographic Location
Socioeconomic Status
Sexual Identity
Prejudice, Stereotype, & Discrimination
• Negative prejudices stem from:
– Social learning
– Threats
• Is being prejudiced against one group
the same as being prejudiced against
another group?
– E.g., Do people who have prejudices against
women and homosexuals have those
prejudices for the same reason?
SAMHSA, Office of Minority Health, and Health Resources and Administration, Quality Health Services for
Hispanics: The Cultural Competency Component, 2001.
Prejudice, Stereotype, &
Discrimination
• Prejudice is learned.
• If we become prejudiced against groups
because they threaten us, perhaps groups
that trigger certain threats will also trigger
certain prejudices and certain reactions.
Reducing Prejudice, Stereotypes, &
Discrimination
What can we do to reduce the existence or
expression of prejudice, stereotyping, and
discrimination?
Self-Fulfilling Prophecies
•
A false belief that leads to its own fulfillment:
1. Perceiver develops false belief about a target
2. Perceiver treats target in a manner consistent with
false belief
3. Target responds to the treatment in such a way as
to confirm the originally false belief
Two Types of Self Fulfilling
Prophecies (SFP’s)
• Positive SFPs:
1.Perceiver overestimates target’s ability
1.Perceiver treats target consistent with that
overly positive belief
2.Target responds by confirming the overly
positive belief
• Negative SFPs:
1.Perceiver underestimates target’s ability
2.Perceiver treats target consistent with that
overly negative belief
3.Target responds by confirming the overly
negative belief
Danger of First Impressions
• We make decisions about people every
day
• Our first impressions can:
– Influence our working relationships
– Be affected by stereotypes of which we are
not aware
How
are our first impressions
of others formed?
Forming Perceptions
• Through our life, experiences teach us
about our place in a group or society
• We tend to be:
– Be raised in groups just like us
– Gravitate to similar people
– Be uncomfortable with differences
Forming Perceptions (con’t)
• We mistakenly believe that:
– All people like us on the surface are
similar in all other ways
– All people who are unlike us on surface are
different in all other ways
• We view others through lens of group
stereotype
• Why do we need to understand how perceptions
are formed?
• If people respond well to you and appreciate
your work, how do you feel?
• When others avoid you because of negative
perceptions, how do you feel?
Exclusion Brings:
• Less interest in performing to full capacity
• Cultural life and traditions seem distinct
• Over sensitivity
Being Accepted Stimulates:
• Positive feelings
• A more productive and enjoyable
workplace
• So how do we get there?
• How do we appreciate others &
then communicate that
acceptance?
Keys to Working Well w/ Others
• Communicating openly
• Listening
• Establishing respect and
understanding
• Discussing issues as they arise
How can we respond to
differences in the workplace?
• Positively – I’ll embrace this challenge!
• Negatively – I’ll resist this. (No one can force me!)
• Indifferently – Whatever! No skin off my nose either
way… I treat everyone the same.
• Proactively – I need to learn about this before I
encounter it firsthand.
• Reactively – Uh oh! What should I do?
Anne Frank:
“We all live with the
objective of being happy;
our lives are all
different and yet the
same.”
In the workplace, we recognize co-worker’s/clients’ unique differences
while recognizing what they have in common: the human condition – this
“objective of being happy”.
Cultural Competence
requires that educators:
• have a defined set of values and principles, and demonstrate
behaviors, attitudes, policies and structures that enable them to
teach effectively cross-culturally.
• have the capacity to (1) value diversity, (2) conduct self-
assessment, (3) manage the dynamics of difference, (4) acquire and
institutionalize cultural knowledge and (5) adapt to diversity and the
cultural contexts of the communities they serve.
• incorporate the above in all aspects of policy making,
administration, practice, service delivery and involve systematically
consumers, key stakeholders and communities.
~National Center for Cultural Competence
From One End to the Other
• Poverty (Students do not have basic
•
•
school supplies, may experience
malnutrition, have limited to no travel
experiences)
Disability (Physical or academic –
challenges and limitations will be a
factor in the classroom.)
Abuse & Neglect (Negative
personal experiences can have
negative effects on learning.)
• Affluence (Students travel, own
•
•
• English as a Second Language
•
•
•
(Immigrant and refugee children face
challenges beyond language learning.)
Facing Prejudice (Whatever the
“differences” they may be negatively
perceived by others.)
books, computers, supplies, their own
study area, etc.)
Ability (Gifted and high ability
students require additional challenge
just as athletically gifted students seek
outlets for their talents.)
Nurturing Home Life (Students
are encouraged, praised, read to, etc.
in their homes.)
Multicultural (Students who have
had positive, cultural experiences have
greater insight and understanding.)
Fostering Acceptance (Teachers
must move beyond “tolerance” to
“acceptance” in modeling attitudes.)
…talent comes in all shapes and
sizes…
… and it also comes in all
different containers!
Not only can’t we judge a book by its cover, we
must recognize that some books have had their
covers torn off, some are written in a foreign
language, and some might contain ideas with
which we don’t agree.
Recognize, accommodate, and value ALL of
your co-workers/clients for what they represent
and what they have to offer. Be positive and
proactive in this endeavor.
Diffusion of Responsibility
“I used to ask myself, ‘Why doesn’t somebody do
something?!’ Then I realized I am somebody.”
-- Jane Wagner
SAMHSA, Office of Minority Health, and Health Resources and Administration, Quality Health Services for
Hispanics: The Cultural Competency Component, 2001.
Collusion Defined
Collusion is cooperation with others, knowingly
or unknowingly, to reinforce stereotypical
attitudes, prevailing behaviors, and norms
Types of collusion include:
• Silence
•Denial
•Active Participation
PARADIGMS
Paradigms establish the
rules and boundaries for the
way we see things.
SAMHSA, Office of Minority Health, and Health Resources and Administration, Quality Health Services for
Hispanics: The Cultural Competency Component, 2001.
PARADIGM SHIFT
• The next time you are in a
situation with some member
of an out-group, take 2
minutes to:
– Take their perspective.
– See if you can image how
they see the situation
differently from you and what
aspects they might be
concentrating on.
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY
• The ability to be open to learning about
and accepting of different cultural groups.
• “If we are aware of our biases, we can
correct them—as when driving a car that
drifts to the right, we steer left to go
where we intend."
-- Mahzarin Banaji
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, OPHS
National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care, March 2001
“By 2050,
the U.S. population is expected to increase by
50% and
•
minority groups will make up nearly half of the
population….
•
The population of older Americans is expected to
more than double.
•
One-quarter of all Americans will be of Hispanic
origin….
•
More women and people with disabilities will be
on the job.”
•
U.S. Department of Labor, Futurework: Trends and Challenges
for Work in the 21st Century. Washington, D.D. (Labor Day 1999).
“Treat others as they want to be treated”
Individual’s Path to Cultural Competency
•Learning is like a journey, in that, it is a
path that we follow.
• A model developed by David Hoopes,
gives us a model to cultural competency.
•His outline illustrates the development of
cultural competency in every one of us.
•Competency implies having the capacity
to function effectively.
•It will be interesting to see where, we as
individual, fit into this continuum.
Hoopes, David. 1979. “Intercultural Communication Concepts and the Psychology of Intercultural Experience,” in Margaret
Pusch, ed. Multicultural Education: A Cross-Cultural Training Approach. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press
PATH OF INTERCULTURAL
LEARNING
Multiculturation
Selective Adoption
Appreciation/Valuing
Acceptance/Respect
Understanding
Awareness
Ethnocentricity
Hoopes, David. 1979. “Intercultural Communication Concepts and the Psychology of Intercultural
Experience,” in Margaret Pusch, ed. Multicultural Education: A Cross-Cultural Training Approach.
Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press
Individual’s Path to Cultural
Competency
Ethnocentricity – This is a state of relying on our own,
and only our own, paradigms based on our cultural
heritage. We view the world through narrow filters, and
we will only accept information that fits our paradigms.
We resist and/or discard others.
Awareness – This is the point at which we begin to
realize that there are things that exist which fall outside
the realm of our cultural paradigms.
Understanding- This is the point at which we are not
only aware that there are things that fall outside our
cultural paradigms, but we see the reason for their
existence.
Hoopes, David. 1979. “Intercultural Communication Concepts and the Psychology of Intercultural
Experience,” in Margaret Pusch, ed. Multicultural Education: A Cross-Cultural Training Approach.
Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press
Individual’s Path to Cultural
Competency
Acceptance/Respect - This is when we begin allowing
those from other cultures to just be who they are, and
that it is OKAY for things to not always fit into our
paradigms.
Appreciation/Value- This is the point where we begin
seeing the worth in the things that fall outside our own
cultural paradigms.
Selective Adoption - This is the point at which, we
begin using things that were initially outside our own
cultural paradigms.
Multiculturation- This is when we have begun
integrating our lives with our experiences from a
variety of cultural experiences.
Hoopes, David. 1979. “Intercultural Communication Concepts and the Psychology of Intercultural
Experience,” in Margaret Pusch, ed. Multicultural Education: A Cross-Cultural Training Approach.
Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press
Civilizations should be measured by
"the degree of diversity attained
and the degree of unity retained."
— W.H. Auden, English poet (1907-1973)
Having respect for cultural differences, learning
basic characteristics of other cultures, can help
you avoid misunderstandings and offending
others unintentionally.
Many U.S. citizens still retain identification with
their own ethnic group and, consequently, may
have different needs and values from the
dominant group. For instance, researchers have
noted that minority groups have different
cultural values and biases concerning career and
family
Communication is an area that can be especially
challenging for those uninformed about cultural
differences. A simple nod of the head or smile may be
interpreted as something you had not intended.
For example, around the world a smile can relay many
emotions, not just happiness or pleasure as in the U.S.
In Japan, people smile when they are sad, angry,
confused, and happy. Asians smile to show
disagreement, anger, confusion, and frustration. Some
people from Japan and Asia will not smile for official
photos, such as passport photos, because these are
considered serious occasions and they do not want to
look as if they are not taking the situation lightly.
• Eye contact varies around the world as
well. If a client will not look you in the
eye when speaking, do not take it as an
insult.
• Some people from Asia, Haiti, and some
Latin American cultures avoid eye contact
as a sign of respect.
• Talk slowly and clearly. It may sound
simplistic, but don’t shout at people if they
don’t understand why you are saying.
Restate the statement in a different way
or repeat it more slowly.
• When speaking, avoid using slang and
common idioms. Idioms, such as “in the
long run”, “no kidding”, or “barking up the
wrong tree”, can cause confusions for
non-native English speakers.
• Many cultures have difficulty saying “no” to a
request, and some may say “yes” when the
answer is really “no”. Carefully phrase questions
so that they can be answered positively. For
example, “What can I do to help you achieve
your goal?”
• Of course, clients should be referred to
services/providers that speak their language if
possible. Even though some clients may have
enough skills to speak English, they may be
more comfortable communicating emotions and
personal details of their life in their native
language.
Names & Titles
• People in the U.S. generally call each
other by their first names, but this is not
true of all cultures.
• Ask people how they would like to be
addressed. Make sure to call them by the
name they give you, not the U.S.
equivalent or nickname, unless they prefer
it.
• If you have difficulty saying their name,
ask for the correct pronunciation.
• Generalization research about a particular culture is only
one aspect of really understanding your client.
• It comes down to developing that one-on-one
relationship with all your clients so you are NOT
generalizing or stereotyping.
• Understanding the person sitting next to you means first
understanding how they got there.”
• When they talk about their experiences, they feel they are building
a relationship, and there is a trust that builds.
• Many minority groups (ethnic, gender, age, etc.) may feel they are
less likely to receive services because of prejudice against them.
They may be reluctant to seek help because they don’t believe
anyone will help them.
• Clients who belong to a racial or ethnic minority
may have partners who use their common
experiences with prejudice and understandable
fear of prejudice to discourage seeking services.
• They may suggest that they are “selling out” to
“the white man” by seeking help outside their
own community.
• Additionally, the client may be concerned about
encountering prejudice from staff, volunteers,
other clients, and the judicial system.
• Many times we tend to promote a “one-size-fitsall” solution based on our perceptions and do
not account for all of the important intersection
of race, culture, etc. One person is not
indicative of a whole race, age group, gender,
religion, etc.
• Keep in mind that there are sub-cultures within
a culture. Is the person you are speaking to
coming from a life of poverty? Middle class?
Wealth? Are they religious? Non-Religious? Etc.
All of these factors make a difference in how you
communicate with that person.
• Also, OUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES and
information from our families, friends, and
culture tend to form our perceptions of
another culture, when we really do not
have all the information.
Cultural Generalizations
very general …
Again, keep in mind
everyone is a unique
individual
Persons of Color
• Persons of color comprise highly varied
populations and make diverse choices in
coping, functioning and empowering
themselves.
• They are highly diverse with regard to
economic status, family structure,
occupations, and lifestyle.
• In addition, differences exist within the
same ethnic and racial group.
• An acculturated person of color is one who has chosen
•
•
•
to assimilate into while society and has rejected the
general attitudes, behavior, customs, and rituals of their
culture of origin.
A bicultural person of color has pride in his/her racial
and cultural identity and yet is comfortable operating in
the “white” world.
A culturally immersed person of color has openly
rejected white values, embracing the identity and
traditions of his/her cultural group.
A person of color with a traditional interpersonal style
usually has limited contact outside their community of
color, may be older or newly immigrated, and speaks
only the language of his/her traditional culture.
• Depending on a person’s place in the
acculturation process, the challenges
to helping him/her address their
problems vary.
• While there is a great diversity
among people of color, they all face
one common barrier…the racism in
our culture.
Racism and White Privilege ……
Alive and well
In a poll taken in 2007, only 6% of white
Americans believed that racism is still a
significant problem in this country.
In a poll a few years earlier 12% of white
Americans believed that is was possible
that Elvis was still alive.
African American
• More matriarchal family: oldest women is the leader;
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
however man is head of household (Immediate family)
Extended families (not necessarily blood relative)
Take care of their own problems
Mistrust of white system/conflicted loyalty
Religion important (especially the women)
If man can’t provide for family (drugs, etc) he is out of
the house; however if he reforms, he can come back
Many homes are in women’s name only
Women handle disciplining of children
Women handle money (buy his clothes, shop, bills)
• Women do not answer the door (men’s friends not
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
allowed in house unless husband is home)
Men do not open the mail
Touching and hugging common
Sundays – family meals
No disrespecting mothers
Will go to great lengths to take in children, parents, and
other relatives so they don’t have to access services
(nursing homes, counseling, foster care, etc.) Rather do
without than access services
Some cultures (i.e. Haitian, eye contact sign of
disrespect)
More accepting of individuality in children (gay, etc.)
Women taught that they must learn to support
themselves in case husband leaves
Hispanic
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Patriarchal family system
Extended families (usually blood relative)
Religion high priority
Counseling more common with religious leaders
Eye contact sign of disrespect
No support from family for accessing services outside
culture
Distrust of “white” system
More comfortable speaking in their own language when
they are discussing feelings and emotions
Sense of pride is paramount (men must provide for
families)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Women are more passive (can work, but preferred not)
Keep race pure
Son’s education more important than daughters
Men responsible for discipline of children
Mothers are sacred (especially for sons)
Celebrations, holidays, groups activities within culture,
highly important
• Dinner is family event
• Use of formal and informal language and addressing
people depending on relationship….others using familiar
tense of language disrespectful
• No familiar touching, expect with very close friends or
family….even within family…no touch of face….sign of
disrespect
Asian
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Extended family (usually blood relative)
Family’s goals more important than goals of the one
Unequal status between men and women
Contacting outside sources for help may bring “shame”
to family
Direct eye contact disrespectful
May smile when angered, confused, sad, etc. will appear
to be calm
Emotional control highly important
Assuming responsibility for problems considered virtuous
Socialized NOT to question authority
Native American (living on res)
• Mistrust of “white” system
• Use Medicine Man and follow traditional customs
•
•
•
•
•
(charms, etc.)
Little family support for those adults with problems
Clans still exist
Depending on subsidization, may not work
Traditions and celebrations highly prized
If traditional, do not understand counseling for “specific”
problem because we are one with nature and the
“problem” is just part of the process for now
Haitian
•
Haiti is 1st black independent country
• Poorest country in western hemisphere
• Group work (konbit)
• French/Kreyol – many will identify with French language
•
•
(elite in Haiti)
As a result children may underperform because of a
linguistic mismatch are misdiagnosed with having a
disability. In Haiti, most households consist of multiple
generations.
May identify as transnational (living a life that bridges
both countries).
• 80% Catholic / 20% Protestant (Voodoo)
• Patriarchal
• Men are breadwinners
• Men do not get involved with childcare
• Feel education is job of school
• May live with many women / maintain
more than one household
• Children w/disability
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
LGBTQ
Close knit group
Mistrust of systems created for heterosexual world
Must work/interact with homophobic society
Disclosing problems help foster myths about gay/lesbian
culture
Hypersensitivity to treatment in media/society
Secretive due to career, family, denial
Society accepts overt hostility and homophobia as
natural
The higher education/status….more accepted in
heterosexual society, more expected from gay/lesbian
community
Can be uncomfortable in discussions about personal life
Lesbian Utopia
Homosexuality (myth/perception…all about sex)
Problems/challenges can affect the way my family is
perceived
Elderly
• Internalized gender roles
• “Don’t air dirty laundry”
• Behaviors in the 40’s/50’s perceived as normal are now
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
stigmatized
More money/less likely to seek services
Seen and treated by a large part of society like children
or non-persons
Internalized abuse as “normal” relationship
May be more conservative with money
Not open to services ….. stigmatized
May have lack of self-esteem due to health
related/dependency issues
May be isolated
Youth
• Not believed because of age
• Dismissed – problems not important
• Lack of understanding of youth stressors
• Almost every activity that is for young
people is decided upon, developed,
assessed and redeveloped without young
people.
Discrimination against Young People in Language
• “Act your age.”
• “Children should be seen and not heard.”
• “What do you know, you’re just a kid!”
• “Do as I say, not as I do.”
• “You’ll understand it someday, just you wait.”
Discrimination against Young People in School Students are forced by law to
attend schools that may not be effective
• Classroom learning relies on adults as sole-holders of knowledge
• Decisions about students, including learning topics, activities, punishments,
budgeting and teaching methods are routinely made without students
• Adults routinely grade students without giving equal weight to students’
perspectives on their own academic achievement
• Double-standards in treatment, including when the belief that when
teachers yell at students, they are controlling classrooms; when students
yell at teachers, they are creating unsafe learning environments
• Discrimination against Young People in Communities
•
People under 18-years-old are virtual non-citizens
without the right to vote or any tangible political
representation and minimal influence
Community problem-solving that routinely neglects
youth members
• Local laws that target youth, including anti-cruising and
•
anti-graffiti laws
Media bias against youth that alternatively portrays
youth as apathetic super-predators who are obese, stuck
on computers, gang members.
Mental Health
• Mental health issues can be a symptom of abuse and/or
•
•
impede the individual’s ability to understand or reach out
for help.
An individual with mental health issues may also be
using medication and/or substances that may make
understanding their situation or our efforts to help
difficult.
Individuals with mental health issues may not report this
because of our society’s stigma, fear and lack of
education on mental illness.
Substance Abuse/Addiction
• Addiction is recognized by the American Medical
•
•
Association as a disease.
Addicted/substance abusing individuals may be reluctant
to seek help due to our society’s stigma about addiction
and past experiences in trying to receive services.
Individuals with drug/alcohol issues may be using for a
variety of reasons.
– Addiction
– Coping strategies for pain, fear, etc.
– Problem solving tool in their culture of origin
(family…friends,)
• These are some very basic cultural generalities.
• They are not indicative of the entire culture, or
of specific individuals living within that culture.
• In other words, regardless of what culture we
come from, we are all still individuals with our
own beliefs and actions that may support or split
away from what our general culture believes and
their behavioral norms.
WHAT CAN I DO?
• The most appropriate way to begin with any client is to
have some understating of their particular culture, then
ask “How can I help you achieve your goals”.
• Establishing rapport with each individual client is
different based on not only the cultural “rules”, but also
asking the client about themselves as individuals within
that culture.
Ask permission
• Show interest in the client’s culture when
•
•
•
establishing rapport.
Ask if it is appropriate to ask questions
Ask how they would like to be addressed (Ms.,
Miss, Mr., etc.)
When questioning about domestic violence,
explain WHAT confidentiality means.
Culturally competent service
providers
• Are aware of how their own cultural
•
•
backgrounds, experiences, attitudes, values and
biases influence psychological processes.
Have a clear and explicit knowledge and
understanding of general characteristics of
cultures they work with.
Respect client’s religious and/or spiritual beliefs,
and values, because they affect how they see
the WORLD, psychosocial functioning and
expressions of distress.
Cultural Diversity, More Than We Can See
• I acknowledge receiving from Abuse Counseling and Treatment, Inc.
Cultural Diversity, More Than We Can See, and I have read and
understand the information set forth in the PowerPoint presentation.
• I understand it is my responsibility to bring questions to the Chief Executive
Officer, supervisor or Community Education Coordinator if I do not
understand or need clarification of any of this information.
• By signing this, I am verifying I have received and understand the Cultural
Diversity, More Than We Can See. I will receive a Certificate of Training
for 2 hours.
• Employee’s Signature: ________________________________________
• Employee printed name: ______________________________
• Date: __________________