A recent study in the Journal of Black Psychology highlights the continued need for cultural competency. Chu and colleagues (2016) define cultural competency as the clinician: having cultural awareness of how their own values and beliefs impact their perceptions of the client, having knowledge of the clients background and worldview, and having the skills to provide treatment in a culturally sensitive manner. According to the authors, David Goode-Cross, Ph.D. and Karen Grim, Ph.D. (2016), Black therapists reported that they occasionally feel that their formal training on working with Black clients appeared limited. The study reports that decades of research have noted challenges therapists experience when working with Black clients such as over-identification with the client, judgment or rejection by the client, and the clients’ reactions to perceived differences based on socioeconomic status (Goode-Cross & Grim, 2016). Although the study specifically discusses Black therapist, those who are non-Black may also have significant challenges connecting with clients who are not of the same ethnic group. Given the diversity of the United States, it is paramount that clinicians have training in cultural competency to improve their treatment with their clients. Numerous studies have demonstrated that when a clinician is culturally sensitive, clients have greater benefits and treatment efficacy is enhanced. Furthermore, many mental health professions including the American Psychological Association have ethical guidelines that require clinicians to have training and skills in diversity and cultural competency. Common themes when working with African American clients:
Portions of this blog were previously published on Psychology Today by Dr. Erlanger Turner, Ph.D.
0 Comments
Excerpt from an article (Famous Gospel Artist Shares the Secret He Hid from the Church) posted 2/17/16 on http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews
In the living room of his suburban Maryland home on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., he told CBN's John Jessup that he started dealing with depression when he was around 30 years old. The feeling of being overwhelmed increased after a series of tragedies that landed him in what he described as a "deep, dark well." Those included the deaths of several close friends and learning in his adult years that the man he called "dad" from childhood, was not his biological father. "All of that was going on at the same time, and I just had to talk to somebody," he explained. He approached a minister from his church, who was also a licensed clinical psychologist. "After seeing me a while she said, 'Richard, you're 100 percent clinically depressed,'" Smallwood recalled. The talks helped, but he remained in the dark hole. Click here to read the article
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mental illness refers to having a mental health disorder that involves sustained, abnormal alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior associated with distress and impaired functioning. Having a mental heath disorder is a serious concern and is just as important as maintaining your physical health. Mental illness also makes it more difficult to manage chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, asthma, epilepsy, and cancer (CDC, 2015).
Although mental illness and psychological difficulties impact all racial and ethnic groups, Whites are more like to utilize treatment to improve their difficulties. Recent data reports that in the past year, outpatient mental health services were most frequently used by White adults (7.8 percent), and American Indian or Alaska Native adults (7.7 percent), followed by Black (4.7 percent), Hispanic (3.8 percent), and Asian (2.5 percent) adults (SAMHSA, 2015). One of the biggest factors related to seeking psychological treatment is structural barriers and negative attitudes such as stigma. Service cost or lack of insurance coverage was the most frequently cited reason for not using mental health services across all racial/ethnic groups (SAMHSA, 2015). Additionally, the belief that use of mental health services would not help was the least frequently cited reason for not using mental health services across all racial/ ethnic groups (SAMHSA, 2015). In my own research, I have found that among racial and ethnic groups, stigma and concerns about privacy are some of the most important factors that hinder the use of services among these groups (Turner, Jensen-Doss, & Heffer, 2015). To improve the use of services efforts must be made to address the stigma around seeking services. One of the ways to decrease stigma is to better understand the benefits of seeking services. In a previous blog (https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-race-good-health/201503/5-signs-seeking-help-may-benefit-you), I discuss 5 signs for when to seek mental health services. These signs may help you decide whether you or someone close to you may benefit from talking to a psychologist or mental health professional.
Copyright 2015 Erlanger A. Turner, Ph.D. Follow me on Twitter @DrEarlTurner for daily post on psychology, mental health, and parenting. Feel free to Like my Facebook page. Read my Psychology Today blog https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-race-good-health/
Reference:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015). Mental Illness Surveillance Among Adults in the United States. Retrieved May 2015 from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/su6003a1.htm?s_cid=su6003a1_w Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2015). Racial/ Ethnic Differences in Mental Health Service Use among Adults. HHS Publication No. SMA-15-4906. Rockville, MD. Turner, E.A., Jensen-Doss, A., & Heffer, R. (2015, April). Ethnicity as a moderator of how parents’ attitudes and perceived stigma influence intentions to seek child mental health services. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. Advance online publication |
AuthorDr. Turner is a licensed psychologist with expertise in behavioral pediatrics, child mental health, disruptive behavior disorders, and minority mental health. He is also certified as a National Register Health Service Psychologist. Archives
May 2017
Categories
All
|