Cultural responsiveness starts by recognizing your own culture, circumstances, and background. These influence all your thoughts and actions. They tell you “right from wrong” in behavior. They influence your comfort in various situations. They limit your view of situations, if not recognized, actively explored, and managed.
What work have you done to explore your own cultural values and beliefs through continued education or other structured learning? This is an essential step to understanding how the most important differences in between people are often hidden or unconscious. By knowing your own culture, you will become more skilled at recognizing potential cultural difference between you and others. You will be less likely to ask people to “explain” their culture to you. You will be more likely to notice and explore differences skillfully.
Write down at least one thing you plan to do to raise your awareness or increase your skill in this area in the next six months.
Cultural responsiveness is enhanced by having a broader understanding of other’s perceptions of the world. Formal exposure for the purpose of learning how to be more culturally responsive will ensure a more well-rounded experience. It will help you learn more deeply and avoid stereo-typing. You may also consider volunteering at culturally specific organizations. Exposure through food, festivals, film, memoirs, music, comedy, or arts of any form can be enjoyable, interesting and enlightening. What do you plan to do in the next six months to expand your awareness in this area?
Write down at least one thing you plan to do to raise your awareness or increase your skill in this area in the next six months.
All communities are diverse. This diversity may include ethic, linguistic, racial, and heritage differences. It may include various stages of immigration. It may include diversity in life experiences based on other things such as:
Many individuals experience inequities when it comes to access to mental and chemical health services. Many with access find the type of help offered does not fit their cultural needs. In addition, many have other life concerns that make it more challenging to benefit from services as usual. Keep in mind that intersectionality of these different identities yields an experience that may be different than any one attribute.
Consider your geographic area of practice and your personal experiences. Given the needs of your community where do you need to learn more in order to be more skillful in meeting people’s needs?
Write down at least one thing you plan to do to raise your awareness or increase your skill in this area in the next six months.
Organizations have cultures just as other groups do. And, as with individuals, organizations are mostly unconscious of their own cultures unless they take steps to make it explicit. What has your organization done to explore and make explicit aspects of their own culture? How have you participated in this? What could you do next to improve the capacity of your organization in this area?
Write down at least one thing you plan to do to raise your awareness or increase your skill in this area in the next six months.
Even if professionals and organizations are culturally responsive people from many groups will still not be able to benefit due to other aspects of their lives. There are other broader issues as well. Some of these are about specific systems. Some are about more global inequities in our societies. These are often known as the social determinants of health. Many people in Minnesota who experience health inequities live in poverty. They may have limited access to healthy foods, safe environments, or stability in housing. They may be exposed to environmental toxins and crime at higher rates. They may be less able to find stable work with decent pay or benefits. Other systems such as education and justice may be biased toward them. It’s important to consider the impact of community as a whole, when reflecting on the success of mental and chemical health services. In what ways are you or your affiliated organizations connected to larger system issues?
Write down at least one thing you plan to do to raise your awareness or increase your skill in this area in the next six months.