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.
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Have you ever searched the internet looking for information and resources to better understand your child's mental or physical health? If you're like most adults, you have sought the help of google or your favorite internet source to find information at your fingertips. A new website (http://infoaboutkids.org/), was recently developed to provide parents with information on common issues related to physical development in children and adolescents, emotional health and problems associated with thinking, and healthy relationships. According to a post by the American Psychological Association's Public Interest blog, InfoAboutKids.org is a new web-based clearinghouse created to disseminate the latest research and evidence-based guidance on raising a family and helping children. The site is designed for three major audiences (parents, educators and health professionals). You can read the full details here. You can visit http://infoaboutkids.org/ to get information on topics such as: autism, sleep, toilet training, anxiety, gender identity, and healthy peer relationships. 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 |
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
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