Contemporary Cultural Competence in Therapeutic Practice

“All relationships are cross-cultural relationships. We differ by our contexts, worldviews, and geographically situated socio-cultural experiences”

This training will help you develop awareness, knowledge, and skills in working relative to the client’s cultural context(s)*, identity, belief systems, worldviews, and conflicts of acculturation. This training will move you towards a deeper and more empathic understanding of clients’ difficulties relative to their lived cultural experiences. As research has shown that therapists’ awareness of their own cultural identity mediates client outcomes, this training will guide you through experiential exercises to help you reflect on your own cultural context(s), identity, worldview, and conflicts and develop skills in developing cross-cultural relationships. You will have the opportunity to apply your learning interactively and in small group sessions in preparation for therapeutic practice. 

This foundation training will form the basis for working in a socially conscious manner, such as with the effects of cultural normativity on self, when working with the identity, variation, and marginalisation experiences of clients.

*Cultural contexts such as geographical, social, group identities, national, group, family, work, and the psychological effects of displacement, movement, and acculturation within the dominant society

Overview

The training is structured into eight units, with discussions, exercises, case examples, and practical interventions and strategies provided throughout. There will be opportunities to ask questions, bring in your own experiences of practise, and gain insight from therapists with experience working with cultural competence and clients’ worldviews within therapeutic practice.

1. Contemporary cultural competence and definition
2. Cultural Concepts & Theories: Worldviews, differential cultural identity, acculturation, intersectionality, humility, relative working & impact on intersectional ‘diversity’ social groups
3. Exploring the dynamic of self, worldview, and our lived-in and historical culture(s)
4. Exploring client’s cultural contexts, heritage, national identities, and worldviews
5. Developing cross-cultural relationships and culturally relative working: roleplay reflection
6. Exploring client common cross-cultural conflicts
7. Group Case Study: Putting it together and working inside cultural, worldview, and individual contexts
8. Towards all-inclusive cultural and worldview competence: Next steps for self-development

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will:

• Understand the latest concepts in cultural competence and its universal relevence to all therapeutic work
• Understand and be able to explain various aspects of cultural and worldview competence, such as its scope, universal relevance to therapeutic work, dangers of working without cultural awareness, and associated psychological theories.
• Develop a deeper awareness of your own and other’s cultural identity and worldview, and their meaning and relevance to the relationship and anti-discrimination practice.
• Learn to develop narratives around your own and clients’ cultural context(s), psychological conflicts, and migration and acculturation challenges in preparation for therapeutic work.
• Be better equipped to assess and conceptualise aspects of culture and worldview as part of a client’s overall problem presentation.
• Develop strategies to build the relationship, broach cultural differences and intersecting social identities, and build cultural and worldview narratives.
• Learn common mistakes therapists make in working with diverse cultural groups which form (often invisible) barriers to the relationship and impact outcomes.
• Situate your learning and edge of development in working within a culturally informed manner.
• Be better equipped to assess and conceptualise cultural and worldview stress as part of a client’s overall problem presentation.
• Be better prepared to help clients manage potentially unsafe environments and incorporate anti-discrimination strategies within the room, as well as within service provision.