Search Results for: cultural

Multiculturalism and Cultural Diversity for Mental Health Specialists

Our world is becoming increasingly diverse, and mental health professionals need the skills to effectively serve a culturally diverse clientele. This course equips mental health specialists with the knowledge and tools to navigate the complexities of cultural competence in counseling. Participants will be encouraged to critically examine their own cultural backgrounds and explore how that impacts their interactions with others. Multiculturalism and Cultural Diversity for Mental Health Specialists is designed to promote culturally competent mental health services, ultimately leading to improved client outcomes and a more equitable healthcare system.

Here are the topics covered in the course material:

  • Define and differentiate between culture, cultural competence, individual cultural competence, and organizational cultural competence, race, ethnicity, racism, social diversity, enculturation, assimilation.
  • Apply cultural awareness models (Counselors' Cultural Competency Model (CCC), Cultural Humility, Transcultural Framework, and Social Justice models) to practice in child welfare settings.
  • Understand the importance of cultural competence, including the challenges faced and misconceptions surrounding cultural understanding.
  • Analyze the ethical considerations for culturally competent practice based on National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines.
  • Explore the impact of enculturation, assimilation, race disproportionality, and structural/institutionalized racism on mental health service delivery.
  • Analyze the influence of cultural context and factors on intervention strategies and communication styles, utilizing case studies relevant to social work and psychology.
  • Identify and explore personal biases through the lens of the “Ladder of Inference.”
  • Develop knowledge as the foundation of cultural competence, gaining strategies for working with families from diverse backgrounds.
  • Implement effective "Bias Busting" techniques, addressing intolerance in others and providing constructive feedback on intolerant behavior.
  • Establish behavioral expectations for culturally competent workers and identify the characteristics of culturally competent professional behavior.

CE Content Category: Cultural competence; Diversity; Law; Ethics;

Target audience: Psychologists, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, addiction counselors, nurses.

Asynchronous, distance learning. Non-interactive. Text format with recorded reading of the material.

This CE course is designated as beginner.

There is no known conflict of interest or commercial support.

Here are some of the possible limitations that could be inherent to the material, given its comprehensive nature:

  • It may not provide enough depth on specific cultural groups to be applicable to real-world counseling situations.
  • It may not adequately address the complexities of power, privilege, and oppression that can influence counseling interactions.
  • It may not provide sufficient guidance on how to develop culturally responsive counseling skills.

Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Assessment

In the audio portion of this course, Dr. Jeremy Sharp speaks with Dr. Byn Harris about:

  • What is culturally and linguistically responsive assessment?
  • What are some common cultural or linguistic ethical dilemmas that psychologists might stumble into when conducting assessment?
  • Why using a nonverbal intelligence measure isn’t always the answer
  • When to use an interpreter vs. conducting a bilingual assessment?
  • Considerations of writing culturally responsive reports
  • Resources for early career and more advanced clinicians

The text-only portion of this course includes SAMHSA's TIP 59, Improving Cultural Competence. The quick guide provided will assist professional care providers and administrators in understanding the role of culture in the delivery of mental and substance use disorder services.

TIP 59:
• Defines cultural competence, presents a rationale for pursuing it, and describes the process of becoming
culturally competent and responsive to client needs.
• Addresses the development of cultural awareness.
• Describes core competencies for counselors and other clinical staff.
• Provides guidelines for culturally responsive clinical services.
• Provides organizational strategies to promote the development and implementation of culturally
responsive practices.
• Provides a general introduction to each major racial and ethnic group, providing specific cultural
knowledge related to substance use and treatment.
• Explores the concept of “drug culture” and its role in substance use disorder treatment.

Interview conducted: Early 2019

CE Content Category: Cultural Competence; Assessment and Testing

Format: Asynchronous, distance learning. Non-interactive. Recorded audio with transcript.

Target audience: Psychologists, mental health counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists, addiction counselors, nurses, case managers.

This CE course is designated as beginner.

There is no known conflict of interest or commercial support.

Cultural Identity and the Testing Process

Dr. Bridget Rivera has had cultural identity on her radar since she was a child and saw her father deported from the US. In this interview, she talks with Dr. Jeremy Sharp about cultural identity, for both the clinician and the client, and how it shows up throughout the testing process. Here are just a few of the many things that they discuss:

  • Defining cultural identity and cultural humility for people of color and phenotypically white individuals
  • Ways to set up your office to be culturally considerate
  • Questions to ask in the intake to take culture into account
  • Examples of considering culture while interpreting test data
  • Tailoring recommendations through a lens of culture

Target audience:  Psychologists, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, social workers, addiction counselors, nurses

This CE program is designated as beginner.

Content Category: Culture Competence

There is no known conflict of interest or commercial support.

Format: Asynchronous, distance learning. Non-interactive. Recorded audio/video with transcript.

This interview was published in July of 2020

Cultural Competence in Assessment

In this timely interview, Dr. Sharp talks with Dr. Linda McGhee about cultural competence and assessment. Please note that this episode was recorded just after George Floyd’s murder, before the video was widely available and the protests began. As such, they do not discuss the events explicitly, though they do speak about a variety of related topics. Although they only just scratch the surface of a multi-layered, nuanced area of assessment, Dr. McGhee did a great job laying out a number of points to consider when working with clients of diverse backgrounds. She also shares some of her own stories and experiences, as well as resources for clinicians looking to build culturally responsive assessment skills.

Target audience:  Psychologists, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, social workers, addiction counselors, nurses

Format: Asynchronous, distance learning. Non-interactive. Recorded audio with transcript.

Content Category: Culture Competence; Testing/Assessment

This CE program is designated as intermediate.

There are no conflicts of interest or commercial support to disclose

This interview was published in June 2020.