Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Important concepts of diversity in social work
Important concepts of diversity in social work
Important concepts of diversity in social work
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Important concepts of diversity in social work
The film “Cultural Humility in Community-based Participatory Research and Education,” has helped me to comprehend the differences between cultural humility and cultural competency. By understanding the differences, I am now able to understand the principles and practices of cultural humility. Along with understanding cultural humility, I have become aware of its benefits when it comes to working with people of diverse populations. I also learned how community-based participatory research and education can be beneficial in becoming culturally humble as a social worker. The film was very concise in helping me understand what cultural humility is. I have come to the understanding that cultural humility has many different meanings to different …show more content…
This particular research involves the people in a community that are being affected by a particular problem (Chavez, 2005). I was able to see the authenticity of this research when the film brought up the issues that face the people in Chinatown. The researchers were able to incorporate the community into their research, because they realized that their experiences are all different and important. The researchers also realized that this method was a great way to comply with cultural humility (Chavez, 2005). Through this section of the film, I began to see the real world implications of applying cultural humility and how it can help a community. I also realized that it is important to incorporate the experiences of others in the …show more content…
I now understand that the main difference between cultural humility and cultural competency, is that cultural humility is when one is able to understand the experiences of other as well as your own. It is knowing that we are all different, as well as understanding that it is okay to not know every cultural detail. Along with understanding what cultural humility is, I now understand that it has three basic principles and practices. I can now identify these principles as life long learning and critical self-reflection, the ability to recognize and challenge the power imbalance, and finally institutional accountability (Chavez, 2005). I also understand the necessity of community based participatory research. This method is important because it involves the community’s experiences. Lastly I understand that education is important vital in understanding cultural humility, as it is a life long learning concept. I realize that cultural humility is distinct to each person, and as a future social worker, I will constantly be striving to be culturally
Regrettably, people at times are more rigid than adaptable and more unreasonable than yielding. People often refuse to adapt to changing needs and circumstances, sometimes because of pride. It is therefore crucial to understand cultural humility as defined by many authors as a process of openness, being egoless, and incorporating self-reflection and critique after willingly interacting with diverse individuals, which achieves the results of mutual empowerment, respect, partnership, optimal care, and lifelong learning (Foronda et.al, 2017). It is important since cultural humility is a way of being in every interaction with each person; and it does occur within the work environment both intraprofessionally and interprofessionally. Cultural humility means being aware of power imbalances, especially those that foster the social determinants of health responsible for health inequities (Gruppen,
It is important to include cultural issues in the helping process to be more effective. We also need cultural competence because the U.S. is becoming more diverse. Therefore with diversity comes different beliefs, norms, and values. Eurocentric values dominate sciences and began cultural universals which puts the clash of dominate and non-dominate cultural behaviors in motion. In 1996 the NASW Code of Ethics increased the recognition of cultural competence. It is important to know diversity exist within ethnic and cultural groups because social workers need to know that relationships between helping professionals and clients may be strained. This happens because of the distrust between groups. Another important aspect is that the professional realizes their own values, biases, and beliefs. The reason for this is because they must value diversity to start with and understand the dynamics of difference. Culturally competent practitioners have to go through developmental process of using their own culture as a starting point to meet all behaviors. Striving for cultural competence is a long term process of development. The literature on cultural competence is theoretical and conceptual. They have not been evaluated in a systematic way. Roughly there are 2 million Native americans in the U.S. Which survive decimating disease, over-repressed in child welfare system, suffer from health problems, and are among the poorest people in the United States. Working with them clearly falls within the social work clearly mandate to serve vulnerable and oppressed clients. However, we do not know how many people from this group is actually receiving help from social workers. Even though it is important to train social workers to provide care in th...
In such a multicultural world, being knowledgeable and understanding of not only your cultural background, but that of others is essential. Building my awareness on cultures different from my own, and how it shapes an individual’s identity, will foster my personal and professional development. Subsequently, I conducted a cultural interview with an individual whose cultural background differed from my own. Several similarities and differences between our cultures were apparent in the interview, specifically in the areas of race, ethnicity, language, values, and worldview.
Cultural humility was a film based on opinions and reactions to the concept itself. The film started out with two females describing “Cultural Humility” as a “multi-dimensional concept”, where it begins as a life learning and critical self reflection process where we need to understand that each one of us is a completely different individual, who is unique in its own way. They also talk about recognizing and challenging power imbalances to create better partnerships. This part of the film starts out by talking about those who lack power are the ones who are denied the ability to challenge their human rights. They give an example of the Chinese Progressive Association, some Universities, and how San Francisco’s Health Department
Tervalon, M., & Murray-Garcia, J. (1998). Cultural humility versus cultural competence: a critical distinction in defining physician training outcomes in multicultural education. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved , 117-123.
Cultural Competence Understanding culture is an important aspect of being a social worker; this does not mean learning common cultural traits is of great significance to the social work profession. “Consider the second-generation Japanese-American social worker whose practice consists of Mexican-American and African-American families. Memorizing national traits or cultural rituals would be interesting and informative, but ultimately these would be an inaccurate basis on which to “know” these particular families” (Dorfman, 1996, p. 33). When understanding cultural competence, it is important to learn from the client about their culture in order to serve them in the most helpful and efficient way possible. There is a major drawback to memorizing information, and that is, this information will not give you a real understanding of who your client is and what life experiences they have personally faced.
There are many definitions of the term cultural competence. Davidhizar et al, (1998) defines it as the process of developing awareness about one’s own thoughts, feelings and the environment without allowing influence from the background of others. Another definition of cultural competence is the ability to have adequate understanding and knowledge of client’s culture. Yet another definition describes it as the process of recognizing, accepting and respecting cultural differences. These definitions are universal and provide definitions of cultural competence in all dimensions of life. In the context of social work, cultural competence is defined as the ability of social workers to carry out their duties in a manner consistent with the expectations of cultural groups they serve. Goldberg (2000) asserts that cultural competence is not an ultimate goal that organizations should strive to achieve but rather it is a continuous process that should progressively grow over time. Experiences during practice should enable social workers to identify strengths and vulnerabilities that will enable them to develop into culturally competent professionals.
As a social worker, the ability to merge cultural competencies with social work methods and theories allows intervention to be customized to meet their client’s need-based which vary upon culture. Since there are a massive amount of different cultures with different traditions, values, and beliefs the social worker needs to obtain the fundamentals of the culture in order to assess and advocate for the ethnic group effectively. The NASW of Ethics clearly values the competence and the Ethical Principle of Social workers practice within the areas of competence and enhances their professional expertise. In addition, “ Cultural competence is a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system or agency or among professionals and enable the system, agency, or professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations” (NASW, 2000b, p. 61). Cultural competency ensures that our primary mission of the social work profession to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.
NASW (2001) Code of Ethics. Cultural Competencies. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on April 9, 2002 at http://www.socialworkers.org
The National Association of Social Workers, NASW, considers the following as its six most core values; service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. The value of service is considered to be a core value because offering help to those in need is a crucial goal for all of those looking to practice in the field of Social Work. These services can include, but are not limited to, addressing social problems, helping those in need, and volunteering their knowledge to those who cannot otherwise afford such help. Social Justice is also an important core value for a Social Worker to develop. As a Social Worker one will encounter many people from several different walks of life, no two cases will ever be exactly the same. Some of these walks of life can leave a client vulnerable, defenseless, exploited, oppressed, and troubled. Therefore it is important to learn what Social Justice is, and how to help people from falling victim to injustice. Dignity and Worth of the Person is one of the most important values that one should uphold. People who need the help of a Social Worker many, but not all, times feel powerless, embarrassed, and worthless because they feel as though they cannot control aspects of their life an...
In today’s society where an abundance of resources exists, social workers are often the entry point for people to access services. Therefore, it is imperative for social worker professionals to have a clear understanding of themselves in relation to the client from a cultural perspective. While the social work profession has always focused on social justice and oppression, it wasn’t until the civil rights movement that there was a conscious shift in the social work pedagogy to focus the social service practice on race, racism, and training the workforce in cultural competences. Later in the mid 1980’s, the tone of cultural competence would shift from race and racism to a more inclusive language, which includes a more robust list of all types
Cultural Competence is being able to engage in respectful and effective practice with diverse individuals, families, and communities, preserving their dignity and affirming their worth. A social worker should be aware of their clients’ cultural and environmental contexts, in order to know a client’s strengths, but cultural competence is never fully realized, achieved, or completed, but rather cultural competence is a lifelong process for social workers who will always encounter diverse clients and new situations in their practice. Social workers should have a knowledge base of their clients’ cultures and be able to demonstrate competence in the provision of services that are sensitive to clients’ cultures. Social workers should obtain education
Humility is a human characteristic, where one realizes their own insignificance in comparison to other people or circumstances. In a spiritual aspect, humility means putting God and others ahead of our own selfish interests.
Social work practitioners can use the information from this study to document activities that MSW graduates engaged in relevant to cultural competency. The study will provide current and future social workers with specific details and strategies that they can employ to assist them on their journey toward culturally competent practice. In addition, this research study will offer examples of what social workers can do to build their knowledge, skills, and values.
Social Workers shall develop an understanding of their own personal and cultural values and beliefs as a first step in appreciating the importance of multicultural identities in the lives of people…Cultural competence includes knowing and acknowledging how fears, ignorance, and the “isms” (racism, sexism, ethnocentrism, heterosexism, ageism, classism) have influenced their attitudes, beliefs, and feelings. (citation)