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This chapter examines the mandate for cultural competence and the advances in theory, organizational strategies, and practice techniques that are now available to guide agencies and clinicians in making progress toward making culturally competent services in community-based systems of care a reality. Advances in culturally informed organizational and practice theories have moved the mental health field closer to its professed goal of serving appropriately, and effectively, individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. However, there has been insufficient research that tests the effectiveness of culturally informed intervention strategies and techniques. There is also a need for epidemiological studies of the risk factors associated with minority status, differences in clinical presentation, cross-ethnicity prevalence rates, and differences in the use of mental health services, in order to develop more effective prevention and early-intervention programs.

This chapter defines intranational research as international research that studies a population from one country residing within another country, and uses literature from both countries to formulate the research problem and to interpret the data in deriving conclusions and implications. Issues regarding different aspects of the research process are discussed, including instrument construction, cultural competence, and linguistic equivalence. Two major strategies that can be used for intranational research are described: longitudinal research and participatory research. Critical thinking in deriving generalizations from intranational research is emphasized. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the barriers and incentives to intranational research.

This chapter focuses on culture, conflict, and conflict resolution. Social work actively engages culture in micro, meso, and macro settings. Social workers, especially those on the international front, should be competent in cross-cultural intervention and conflict resolution. The chapter is divided into two sections. The first addresses culture, culture in context, and cultural competence. The second focuses on conflict resolution, alternative dispute resolution, and the management of cultural conflict. There are many types of culture conflicts, such as interpersonal and community conflict, conflicts between subcultures, class conflict, and ethnic conflict. Social workers in multicultural societies and a globalized world need to be well versed in both principles and skills of mediation and conflict management. Conflict and culture are tools for social change: Conflict provides the impetus for change and culture adjusts to a more functional way of relating and adapting to the social environment.

This chapter explains the need for cultural competency in our growing diverse society. Noting that diversity is not limited to ethnic or racial domains, it defines diversity thoroughly and provide examples. It defines what is culturally competent research and what is not. The authors present a cultural competency continuum that shows at one end “cultural destructiveness” and at the other end “cultural proficiency.” The chapter concludes by identifying and discussing a 5-component framework for conducting culturally competent research: valuing diversity, conducting cultural self-assessment, managing the dynamics of difference, acquiring and integrating cultural knowledge, and adapting to diversity and cultural contexts.

Much of social work practice takes place with marginalized people, including new citizens, recent immigrants, and refugees. As a result of the changing world dynamic, social work education increasingly emphasizes preparation for professional practice with a diverse group of clients. Social workers understand how important cultural sensitivity is; indeed, one of the hallmarks of good social work practice is cultural competence. The challenge for all helping professionals, including social workers, is delivering services that respect the dignity of the individual while providing for the greater common good. This chapter presents the global and cross-cultural context of social work practice; the concepts of cultural competence, cultural encapsulation, and cultural efficacy; the case for the importance of culturally effective practice; and suggested practice principles.

An essential form of psychological literacy that is required in all psychology courses is an understanding of and ability to work with the many cultural groups that make up a given society. Psychology as a profession is part of a society that is shaped and directed by the history, values, norms and biases that characterise a cultural and temporal location in history. Therefore, this chapter argues that cultural competence should be the foundational lens through which all psychological knowledge is viewed. The chapter begins with a historical positioning of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within the context of colonisation and the ongoing consequences of disadvantaged derived from that. The chapter argues for the inclusion of cultural competence as a vehicle to overcoming social disadvantage and identifying the hidden barriers to equality. The chapter provides personal experiences both as students and educators, and discusses developments in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies in the psychology curriculum, with detailed descriptions of particular initiatives. While this chapter focuses on the Australian context, the issues raised are likely to be applicable to a global perspective.

This concluding chapter comments on the fit between social work and restorative justice. It examines five significant areas of overlap which are the strengths perspective and resilience, empowerment, well-being and healing, cultural competence, and social justice. Next the chapter examines ways to strengthen the fit between the two areas by focusing on the need for more interaction in the areas of practice skills, research, and systems change.

This chapter examines the current educational discourse on intercultural communication in China. It suggests that successful intercultural communication involves not only a person's linguistic competence but also his or her cultural competence and shows that learning the linguistic structure without attention to history and culture is one of the central problems in teaching English in the Chinese tertiary setting. It also provides recommendations on how teaching and training in tertiary education can be transformed and mobilized to enhance students' overall intercultural communication competence.

Universal aspects of early childhood development (ECD) are recognized globally, but cultural expectations of children’s competence vary widely across different domains, such as literacy and domestic responsibilities. The core challenge of ECD programs and policies is to integrate interventional goals with the biologically based developmental agendas of young children and the cultural expectations that shape their daily lives. This chapter presents a theoretical framework—the developmental niche—to help to clarify the issues involved in ECD across various cultural contexts, particularly in economically developing societies. We begin with a brief review of concept of culture as it applies to children and families, drawing from recent scholarship in psychology and anthropology. We then provide a description of the developmental niche as a framework for informing policy and improving program effectiveness. The final section illustrates the relevance of the developmental niche for ECD policy, using examples from several cultural regions.

This chapter discusses common but challenging situations that have been encountered in providing group treatment for domestic violence offenders. It focuses on the special characteristics of the domestic violence group and how to deal with difficult situations that might arise. It addresses the issue of the non-voluntary client and how to use non-confrontational questions to help clients focus on what they want. The issue of aggressive clients is discussed and the difficult challenge of substance abusers and group members who have DSM:IV diagnoses. The chapter also addresses issues working with clients from diverse ethno-racial backgrounds, and discusses how language and literacy barriers could be overcome. Finally, it offers tangible solutions to working with difficult clients.

The concluding chapter summarizes the key issues related to culturally competent research in social work. It highlights the current challenges of culturally competent social work research including the cultural assumptions and beliefs of the researcher; the various conceptualizations of cultural competence by the social work profession; the growing and increasing complexity of our society; and the fact that culture is dynamic, fluid, and evolving—all of which are further impacted by globalization. Albeit challenging, the social work profession is making inroads toward cultural competence. The chapter also describes useful indicators that benchmark culturally competent research.

This chapter discusses seven key, cross-cutting themes related to obesity that have direct implications for social work: community participation, assets of marginalized communities, program evaluation, social justice and obesity, schools as part of the community, the role of social work, and cultural competence. These seven cross-cutting themes provide valuable insights for those in social work and other helping professions as they strive to gain an in-depth understanding of the rewards and challenges associated with having communities play an instrumental role in efforts to reduce and prevent excessive weight in urban communities of color. The chapter also considers the interconnectedness of values, theory, and field examples, the implications for social work practice, and the appropriateness of employing a social justice lens.

This chapter provides training for the leaders of the Taking Charge group curriculum and is meant to enhance the practice manual in Chapter 3 and the training on effective group leadership in Chapter 4. The chapter covers essential knowledge and useful practice skills for making the Taking Charge groups culturally relevant for diverse participants. In particular, it covers the cultural significance of language and dialect, rituals and activities, icons and metaphors, values, roles, and foods that represent home. Practice examples illustrate the importance of each of these elements, and how they make the groups culturally competent and effective with adolescent mothers from diverse cultural backgrounds.

This chapter examines the role of country of origin in relation to psychiatric admission status in Ireland. Data presented in this chapter demonstrate that schizophrenia is a particular problem in individuals born outside Ireland and living in Dublin’s inner-city, and that this is associated with involuntary admission under the Mental Health Act 2001. The chapter also shows much lower levels of voluntary admissions. The chapter argues that these differences in patterns of help-seeking should be considered in future planning exercises in Ireland’s mental health services. In particular, increased emphasis on the cultural competence of health care-providers would be a good first step in recognising and addressing the differing health needs and practices of individuals from different ethnic groups and cultural backgrounds.

This chapter seeks to define certain qualities important to the early development of a practitioner of psychotherapy, a calling in which no single dimension viewed in isolation can determine the fullness of preparedness and excellence. The chapter proceeds from a generally interpersonal perspective to include cross-disciplinary observations in regard to: inborn and acquired traits, the importance of conscious and unconscious motivation, psychological-mindedness, resilience and the dynamics of positive and negative experience, language affinity, communication skills, empathy and altruism. The chapter notes the wealth of narrative and personally revelatory material, as well as the paucity of controlled studies and near absence of longitudinal work on the critical topic of suitability for psychotherapeutic practice. Particular emphasis is placed on qualities that inform cross-cultural competence. This emerging issue is viewed as a major challenge given the relative homogeneity of the profession and the rapidly growing diversity of its clientele.

The purpose of this chapter is to propose and illustrate an integrative framework that can be used to guide participatory action research that aims to develop palliative care programs within long term care (LTC) homes for elderly people. The framework consists of participatory action research (PAR) as an overarching approach, capacity development model, and, four practice principles: cultural competence, empowerment, relational ethics, and partnerships. Based on five years of experience conducting PAR with LTC homes in Ontario, Canada, the authors offer this framework as a resource to guide the work of other researchers and long term care homes who wish to develop palliative care programs. Further, the authors believe that our framework could apply to any research focusing on palliative care capacity development in a defined community or organization.

The making of a psychotherapist remains incomplete without clinical experience. Clinical experience offers an opportunity, viscerally, emotionally, and cognitively, to understand the process of psychotherapy. The process of psychotherapy refers to all that is involved in the interpersonal transactions between therapist and patient. This chapter describes how, through various clinical experiences, beginning therapists learn to master six functions that constitute the basis of the practice of psychotherapy. These six functions include: (1) monitoring the framework of therapy (2) evolving a realistic professional ego-ideal (3) exploring vs. acting and explaining (4) containing and metabolizing intense affect (5) modifying psychological dogma and (6) managing boundaries and dealing with difference. Clinical challenges discussed include: Missed and cancelled sessions and late and unpaid bills; working with the suicidal patient; dealing with requests for immediate therapist action; unilateral termination; erotic transference; treatment of psychotic patients; and counter-transference in handling ethical and cultural issues.

Cross-cultural competence (3C) is one 21st century skill that employers have deemed important for employees to develop prior to entering the workforce. Despite the relevance of 3C to pre-professional populations, however, research in this area has primarily focused on the influence of 3C as it pertains to professional populations, such as expatriates and the military, for whom cross-cultural performance plays a critical role. Similarly, research exploring the development of 3C has been directed almost exclusively toward validating the effectiveness of interventions, many of which are implemented only after individuals are hired. The aim of this chapter is to address this gap in the cross-cultural literature by exploring how 3C may be developed in individuals prior to their entering the workforce. This chapter presents four 3C-relevant skills and discusses how the development of these skills may be facilitated in children and adolescents via activities or strategies that are readily incorporated into classroom curricula.