New Diversity

Question 1

What is cultural competence and what are its components?

Answer 1

awareness, knowledge and skills

1) Therapist is aware of own assumptions, values and biases
2) Understanding the worldview of culturally diverse clients (actively attempts)
3) Developing appropriate intervention strategies and techniques

Question 2

What role does the sociopolitical climate play in the manifestation, etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of psychological disturbances in socially devalued groups in our society?

Answer 2

• The culture/race in power or majority has the ability to define reality and enforce it by influencing and imposing their views on a a devalued group.
• Within this the DSM was created by the majority and identifies symptoms and disturbances according to what deviates from the majority culture.
• This practice can invalidate the personal experience of someone in a devalued group by labeling them deviant, denying them culturally appropriate care, and imposing dominant values.

Question 3

What is ethnocentric monoculturalism? How could it be a barrier in therapy?

Answer 3

• When values, assumptions, beliefs and practices of one society (dominant society) are structured in such as manner as to serve only that narrow population. Inherently biased against marginalized groups.
• This could become a barrier to therapy ….

Question 4

Name one type of microaggression and give an example of it

Answer 4

• Microassault: blatant attack intended to convey a discriminatory and biased sentiment
• Deliberately serving black customers last.

Question 5

What are culture bound values? How can it be a barrier in therapy? Give and example.

Answer 5

• Values that are held by a specific culture that includes verbal/emotional/behavioral expressiveness, who to address first when counseling a family, and communication patterns.
• This can be a barrier in therapy if the therapist is not aware of them and insults the family or has difficulty building trust and rapport with them because they are not honoring them.
• If a therapist addressed the mother first, when traditionally the father was the head of a household that should be addressed.

Question 6

What’s the difference between low-context and high-context communication? Give an example.

Answer 6

• LCC is more attention is given to the verbal message, HCC is more attention is given to the physical context or situation.
• Euro-Americans typically put more emphasis on the content, whereas African-Americans may put more emphasis on the physical context which leads some to believe that they are inarticulate or unintelligent.

Question 7

What is a problem with Empirically supported treatments? How do we determine what therapy treatment is best for the client?

Answer 7

• Empirically supported treatment often involves a specific treatment protocol for specific disorders using manuals and doesn’t take into account the cultural components or differences of both the client and therapist.
• We can determine what therapy would work best for a client by finding ones that incorporate diversity and the clients specific characteristics, read up-to-date research, while considering the influence of the client-therapist factors.

Question 8

What is indigenous healing?

Answer 8

Helping beliefs and practices that originate within the culture or society.

Question 9

Cross’s Black Identity Development Model

Answer 9

• -Pre-encountered stage: devalue own back culture and value white majority culture.
• -Encounter: the individual has an experience that challenges the views they have of themselves, and are no longer in denial of black
• -Immersion-emersion: They withdraw from white culture and immerse themselves in black culture
• -Internalization: start internalizing and showing their cultural identity
• -Internalization-commitment: partake in ways to change racism

Question 10

Hardiman’s White Racial Identity Development Model

Answer 10

• -Naivete stage: in early childhood when are unaware of importance of race and parents give mixed signals about it.
• -Acceptance stage: belief that everyone has an equal opportunity and those who fail are responsible.
• -Resistance stage: challenges assumptions of white superiority and denies discrimination.
• -Redefinition: introspection of their own biases and prejudices.
• -Internalization: forms a new social identity that includes social commitment.

Question 11

Article: Hansen (2006)

1) What did the respondents identify as most influential in the development of multicultural competence?
2) Name at least 3 areas “infrequently” practiced by the practitioners that surprised you?

Answer 11

1) Personal and professional experiences more so than guidelines and codes.
2) –Seek culture specific case consultation, –refer client to a more culturally qualified provider, –make a culture-specific diagnosis

Question 12

Article: Bartoli (2007)
1) Name 3 self-awareness exercises suggested to help psychotherapists evaluate their own strengths/weaknesses in attending to religious and spiritual concerns in therapy while in a peer supervision group

Answer 12

• -How have you ‘heard’ religion/spirituality being spoken about within the field of psychology. How does your therapeutic orientation address it?
• • Construct your own spiritual autobiography reflecting on your own orientation
• -Divide a large sheet of paper into three sections, ‘spiritual person’, ‘religious person’, and ‘mental health qualities’. Look at where they are the same or where they may conflict when working with clients and what could help with successful therapy.