What is Culture: The Depth of Diversity
Psychology Department, University of Maryland Global Campus
What is Culture: The Depth of Diversity
“Among other goals, they were intended to sensitize White mental health professionals to the
unique cultural distinctiveness of male clients on the basis of membership in four visible
minority groups,” (Sue, Zane, Nagayama-Hall & Berger; 2009, page 7).
“We would prefer to see their demise in order to foster the recognition that client needs should
not be assumed to be based upon group membership alone, but rather on the unique constellation
of individual client characteristics, including but not limited to cultural distinctiveness, (Sue,
Zane, Nagayama-Hall & Berger; 2009, page 7).
I grew up in a predominately Black neighborhood. The few friends I had with different
cultural backgrounds grew up in the same area, so I was always able to relate to them because
regardless of their cultural identity, we were all immersed in Black culture. I never had to relate
to or try to understand someone from a different culture until I entered the military. Even then,
like most people, I gravitated towards people with my same background and created a friend
group that reflected what I was most comfortable with; the kind of people I grew up with. The
lesson I learned from the above quotes, that I did not understand until I became a supervisor, is
that to effectively counsel someone, you must be able to understand and relate to people from all
backgrounds with a myriad of characteristics that go far beyond race and ethnic background.
The four visible minority groups mentioned above are African Americans, Hispanics,
American Indians and Asian Americans. The reason I chose the two quotes listed above is
because I agree that cultural competence is a failure if it only involves these four minority
Psychology Department, University of Maryland Global Campus
What is Culture: The Depth of Diversity
“Among other goals, they were intended to sensitize White mental health professionals to the
unique cultural distinctiveness of male clients on the basis of membership in four visible
minority groups,” (Sue, Zane, Nagayama-Hall & Berger; 2009, page 7).
“We would prefer to see their demise in order to foster the recognition that client needs should
not be assumed to be based upon group membership alone, but rather on the unique constellation
of individual client characteristics, including but not limited to cultural distinctiveness, (Sue,
Zane, Nagayama-Hall & Berger; 2009, page 7).
I grew up in a predominately Black neighborhood. The few friends I had with different
cultural backgrounds grew up in the same area, so I was always able to relate to them because
regardless of their cultural identity, we were all immersed in Black culture. I never had to relate
to or try to understand someone from a different culture until I entered the military. Even then,
like most people, I gravitated towards people with my same background and created a friend
group that reflected what I was most comfortable with; the kind of people I grew up with. The
lesson I learned from the above quotes, that I did not understand until I became a supervisor, is
that to effectively counsel someone, you must be able to understand and relate to people from all
backgrounds with a myriad of characteristics that go far beyond race and ethnic background.
The four visible minority groups mentioned above are African Americans, Hispanics,
American Indians and Asian Americans. The reason I chose the two quotes listed above is
because I agree that cultural competence is a failure if it only involves these four minority
