CULTURAL COMPETENCY FOR ALL CLASSES
Meeting with Diversity and Different Cultures in Our Day-to-Day Lives Correct Answer: Just because we
may know people of different ethnicities, races, and religions does not mean we understand their
culture.
Eating different food and listening to different music does not equal understanding a different culture.
Avoid transferring your own values onto other people.
Cultural Diversity in the US Correct Answer: --America is the most diverse country in the world.
--A mix of cultures, religions, and sexual orientations
--Other diversities include people with physical disabilities, people with mental health issues, people
who are homeless, people who are poor, people with HIV, people over the age of 65.
--Our world is diverse
The Need for Cultural Competence Correct Answer: Clients from diverse cultures are:
--Frequently misunderstood.
--Often misdiagnosed.
--Have the impact of negative social forces minimized by the helper.
--Find the helping relationship less helpful.
--Seek mental health services at lower rates.
--Terminate helping relationships earlier.
Helper Incompetence Correct Answer: Helper incompetence stems from the following viewpoints:
1. The melting pot myth
2. Incongruent expectations about the helping relationship
3. Not understanding the negative impact of social forces
4. Ethnocentric world view
5. Ignorance of one's own racist attitudes and prejudices
6. Not understanding cultural differences is the expression of symptomatology
7. Unreliability of assessment and research procedures
8. Institutional racism
Culturally Competent Helping Correct Answer: --Is ready and willing to examine the life of the client
--Is ready and willing to learn about the uniqueness of the client's culture
--Makes the effort to find the necessary skills to work with a client from a different culture
--Keeps goals consistent with the life experience of the client
--Knows which skills are universally helpful and which are culturally specific
--Understands three identities: individual, group, and universal
--Determines if the client has an individualistic perspective or a collective perspective
Social Justice Work Correct Answer: Purpose of Social Justice Work
To broaden culturally competent helping by including a wide range of activities that affect the client's
broader system. This ultimately creates a better life for the client.
, Advocacy Competencies
Acting with the client, community, and public
Client empowerment
Community collaboration
Public information
Acting on behalf of the client, community, and public
Client advocacy
Systems advocacy
Social/political advocacy
DEFINITIONS IMPORT TO CULTURAL DIVERSITY Correct Answer: Culture — Expressed through common
values, habits, norms of behavior, symbols, artifacts, language, and customs
Prejudice — judging a person or a group based on preconceived notions about the group
Stereotypes — rigidly held beliefs that most or all members of a group share certain characteristics,
behaviors, or beliefs
Racism — a specific belief that one race is superior to another
Discrimination — an active behavior that results in differential treatment of individuals within specific
ethnic or cultural groups.
Micro-aggression — a subtle type of discrimination that is conscious or unconscious and includes brief,
subtle, and common putdowns or indignities directed toward individuals from diverse cultures.
Ethnicity — A group of people who share a common ancestry, which may include specific cultural and
social patterns such as a similar language, values, religion, foods, and artistic expressions (not based on
genetics)
Minority — Any person or group of people who are being singled out due to their cultural or physical
characteristics and are being systematically oppressed by those individuals who are in a position of
power. Because of negative connotations, the term nondominant groups is often used.
Power Differentials: Real or perceived power disparities between people
Religion — an organized or unified set of practices and beliefs that have moral underpinnings and define
a group's way of understanding the world.
Race — Traditionally defined as permanent physical differences as perceived by an external authority.
Used to be based on genetics; now issue is clouded and unclear, so better to avoid this term
Spirituality — Residing in a person, not a group. Defines the person's understanding of self, self in
relationship to others, and self in relationship to a self-defined higher power or lack thereof.
Sexism — discrimination or stigmatization of another due to his or her gender
Heterosexism — (formerly known as homophobia) discrimination, denigration, or stigmatization of a
person for nonheterosexual behaviors
Meeting with Diversity and Different Cultures in Our Day-to-Day Lives Correct Answer: Just because we
may know people of different ethnicities, races, and religions does not mean we understand their
culture.
Eating different food and listening to different music does not equal understanding a different culture.
Avoid transferring your own values onto other people.
Cultural Diversity in the US Correct Answer: --America is the most diverse country in the world.
--A mix of cultures, religions, and sexual orientations
--Other diversities include people with physical disabilities, people with mental health issues, people
who are homeless, people who are poor, people with HIV, people over the age of 65.
--Our world is diverse
The Need for Cultural Competence Correct Answer: Clients from diverse cultures are:
--Frequently misunderstood.
--Often misdiagnosed.
--Have the impact of negative social forces minimized by the helper.
--Find the helping relationship less helpful.
--Seek mental health services at lower rates.
--Terminate helping relationships earlier.
Helper Incompetence Correct Answer: Helper incompetence stems from the following viewpoints:
1. The melting pot myth
2. Incongruent expectations about the helping relationship
3. Not understanding the negative impact of social forces
4. Ethnocentric world view
5. Ignorance of one's own racist attitudes and prejudices
6. Not understanding cultural differences is the expression of symptomatology
7. Unreliability of assessment and research procedures
8. Institutional racism
Culturally Competent Helping Correct Answer: --Is ready and willing to examine the life of the client
--Is ready and willing to learn about the uniqueness of the client's culture
--Makes the effort to find the necessary skills to work with a client from a different culture
--Keeps goals consistent with the life experience of the client
--Knows which skills are universally helpful and which are culturally specific
--Understands three identities: individual, group, and universal
--Determines if the client has an individualistic perspective or a collective perspective
Social Justice Work Correct Answer: Purpose of Social Justice Work
To broaden culturally competent helping by including a wide range of activities that affect the client's
broader system. This ultimately creates a better life for the client.
, Advocacy Competencies
Acting with the client, community, and public
Client empowerment
Community collaboration
Public information
Acting on behalf of the client, community, and public
Client advocacy
Systems advocacy
Social/political advocacy
DEFINITIONS IMPORT TO CULTURAL DIVERSITY Correct Answer: Culture — Expressed through common
values, habits, norms of behavior, symbols, artifacts, language, and customs
Prejudice — judging a person or a group based on preconceived notions about the group
Stereotypes — rigidly held beliefs that most or all members of a group share certain characteristics,
behaviors, or beliefs
Racism — a specific belief that one race is superior to another
Discrimination — an active behavior that results in differential treatment of individuals within specific
ethnic or cultural groups.
Micro-aggression — a subtle type of discrimination that is conscious or unconscious and includes brief,
subtle, and common putdowns or indignities directed toward individuals from diverse cultures.
Ethnicity — A group of people who share a common ancestry, which may include specific cultural and
social patterns such as a similar language, values, religion, foods, and artistic expressions (not based on
genetics)
Minority — Any person or group of people who are being singled out due to their cultural or physical
characteristics and are being systematically oppressed by those individuals who are in a position of
power. Because of negative connotations, the term nondominant groups is often used.
Power Differentials: Real or perceived power disparities between people
Religion — an organized or unified set of practices and beliefs that have moral underpinnings and define
a group's way of understanding the world.
Race — Traditionally defined as permanent physical differences as perceived by an external authority.
Used to be based on genetics; now issue is clouded and unclear, so better to avoid this term
Spirituality — Residing in a person, not a group. Defines the person's understanding of self, self in
relationship to others, and self in relationship to a self-defined higher power or lack thereof.
Sexism — discrimination or stigmatization of another due to his or her gender
Heterosexism — (formerly known as homophobia) discrimination, denigration, or stigmatization of a
person for nonheterosexual behaviors
