Multicultural Competence in Consumer Operated Services

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Multicultural Competencein Consumer Operated
Services

• Vetta L. Sanders Thompson
• University of Missouri - St. Louis

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Multicultural Competence

• Cultural Competence Is A Process.
• Components of Cultural Competence
• Skills
• Values
• Knowledge

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Critical Issues and Behaviors Affected By Culture

• Patterns of decision making
• Social interaction
• Patterns of handling emotions
• Definition of mental illness
• Theory of disease
• Roles, expectations, obligations, in relation to
  age, sex, class, kinship

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Multiculturalism

• Refers to
• ethnic
• racial
• refugee
• immigrant
• linguistic groups
• religious groups
• gender and sexual orientation
• able-bodiness
• socio-economic status

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What Is Cultural Competence?

• Willingness to adapt or adjust the way one works
  to take into consideration cultural differences
• Basic knowledge of a clients culture
• Understanding that culture affects the way
  people behave, communicate, and problem solve
• Awareness of own cultural values, awareness of
  and acceptance of cultural difference

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Characteristics of the Culturally Competent (Sue,
1998)

• Scientific Mindedness - hypothesis testing,
  creative data collection, decision making based
  on data.
• Dynamic Sizing - knowing when to generalize be
  inclusive when to individualize be exclusive.
• Culture Specific Expertise

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Credibility Based on Culture Specific Expertise
(Sue Sue, 1987)

• Ascribed Credibility - Education, Professional
  Status, Group Membership
• Achieved Credibility - Psychological Skill
• Problem Conceptualization
• Goals
• Intervention or Problem Resolution Strategies

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Credibility Contd

• Factors Affecting Problem Conceptualization and
  Goal Setting
• Immigration or Refugee Status
• Reason for Immigration
• Acculturation Stress Related to Acculturation
• Identity Issues and Concerns
• Religious Spiritual Beliefs
• Discriminatory Experiences
• Social Status
• Access to Adequate Resources

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Credibility Contd

• Factors Influencing Intervention
• Respect for the rights and roles of the consumer
• Values beliefs of the culture
• Community Institutions
• Environmental factors
• income
• employment status
• housing options
• transportation needs

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Basic Communication

• Language, Dialect, Slang
• Use of Interpreters
• Interpretation of Tests or Assessments
• Translation of Measures
• Differences in word, phrase meaning
• Communication impaired by factors not related to
  speech (non-verbal)
• Differences in relating style, etiquette
• Communication Contd
• Ability to initiate cultural dialogue in a
  respectful manner
• Openness to feedback, non-defensive

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Culture Treatment

• Cultural Fit between services provided and
  cultural beliefs and practices of clients and
  significant others important in
• reducing attrition
• attaining positive treatment outcome
• Caution There is diversity within ethnic groups
  that must be considered (socioeconomic
  background, urban/ rural, nationality).

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Facilitating Treatment Intervention

• Language affects the working alliance
• The use of interpreters assists, but cannot
  overcome issues of longer therapy time, loss of
  nuances, discomfort, erroneous translations.
• Use and awareness of community cultural
  resources.
• Explanation of therapy and therapist role (may be
  unfamiliar).

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Facilitating Treatment

• Psychoeducation for client family
• assists in knowledge of diagnosis, prognosis,
  symptoms
• reduces stigma
• Consider support for ethnic/culture specific
  support groups when requested or necessary (Bae
  Kung, 2000).

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References

• Arthur, T. E. (2000). Issues in culturally
  competent mental health services for people of
  color, Psychiatric Rehabilitation Skills, 4,
  426-447.
• Bae, S. W. Kung, W. W. (2000). Family
  Intervention for Asian Americans with a
  Schizophrenic Patient in the Family. American
  Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 70, 532-541.
• Basic Behavioral Science Task Force of the
  National Advisory Mental Health Council (1996).
  Basic behavioral science research for mental
  health Sociocultural and environmental
  processes. American Psychologist, 51, 722-731.
• Sue, S. (1998). In Search of Cultural Competence
  in Psychotherapy and Counseling. American
  Psychologist, 53, 440-448.
• Sue, D. Sue, S. (1987). Cultural factors in the
  clinical assessment of Asian Americans. Journal
  of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55,
  479-487.
• Thompson Sanders, V. L.. (1997, March/April).
  Psychological practices in a multicultural
  society.The Missouri Psychologist,11-13.