The Changing Landscape Of The United States

To provide competent care to a client, the therapist has to be culturally prepared to work with the client. To be culturally competent as a therapist I have to be aware of my own bias, my identity, and my values in regards of my culture. I also need to be aware of the judgments that I have about the client’s cultural identity. In order to know the client’s culture, I would inquire about the identity during the intake. I would use the Addressing model by Pamela Hays to inquire the cultural identity of my clients. The addressing model helps to consider the various social categories that a client belongs to. Also, providing culturally competent services is to be aware of the population surrounding the therapist’s office or agency in order to

The YMR shared that her mother was in jail for about 2 months, and YMR and her 7 month-old baby sister are with foster parents. YMR explained that her mother got out of jail a week ago, but the YMR has not seen her. YMR tried to talk to her mother, but she did not answer the phone, last Tuesday the client was able to talk to her mother and she told YMR that she (mother) was going to ask the judge to have only the custody of her baby sister and not YMR. YMR's mom explained her that is because YMR told the social worker that she has seen some missed phone calls in her mother's cell phone and the number seemed to be from her country), there was also a message with the words that the mother's partner usually uses. The YMR shared that her mother told her that she should not have told that to the social worker. The YMR also shared that she has had headaches for the last three days. YMR stated that she feels guilty. YMR stated that she cut her left arm on Tuesday, the cuts are small and form the word in Spanish "te odio" (translation: I hate you) and the capital "M", the client could not explain if that feeling of hate is to herself or somebody

In my personal opinion and experience, I find that the field of psychology is lacking in diverse cultural competencies as much as the society is diverse in its population. I believe that as with using any theoretical model, the therapists’ cultural knowledge needs to include understanding of the many cultural considerations influencing the effectiveness of treatment when dealing with clients from diverse backgrounds. When servicing the individuals in the family, care and attention needs to be directed towards family and community norms and values around help seeking, secrecy and confidentiality, family roles, child rearing and spiritual practices.

Each client is influenced by race, ethnicity, national origin, life stage, educational level, social class, and sex roles (Ibrahim, 1985). The counsellor must view the identity and development of culturally diverse people in terms of multiple interactive factors rather than a strictly cultural framework (Romero, 1985).

Cultural competency is critical in psychology practice. In the United States, the groups, which considered as cultural and ethnic minorities, are growing in the population (APA, 2003). Culture often influences the content and quality of people’s experience, perception, and response. Thus, it is important for psychologists to be aware of cultural influences on client’s presenting experience(s) (Gardiner & Kosmitzki, 2010). Without a regard for cultural influence, there is a significant risk for the psychologist to misunderstand, misinterpret, and misguide his or her client. Such misunderstanding, misinterpretation, and misguidance are not only unhelpful but can be detrimental for the client (Corey, Corey, & Callanan, 2011; Pope, & Vasquez, 2011).

As a result, it is imperative to take a look at current and historical oppressions that a client experience by being part of a minority social group or a group that does not conform to popular culture (Aviera, 2002). These oppressions will offer me a deeper insight into the source of challenges that a client faces. By merely looking at the individual without considering these oppressions, I could fail to determine what drives him to experience life the way that he does. Therefore, in order to build a practice that is useful to a different set of cultures, keeping in mind significant experiences encountered as a collective is fundamental in cultivating effective cross-cultural counseling

The importance of a cross-cultural understanding in Psychology is imperative to successful care and assistance of mental health. Understanding and acknowledging the complexities of different cultures is the beginning of a more informed approach to mental health. Cultural factors and questions play a fundamental role, however, simply acknowledging cultural differences does not necessarily provide the best individual help. Thus, a combination of cultural, demographic and individual factors are crucial initial steps to specific individual assistance. Treating individuals in context can help discern deviations from cultural factors and norms. Therefore an approach which recognises that both culture and specificity to the client is most effective. Knowing someone’s background can be fundamental to clinical help but could also reinforce cultural stereotypes, this overly simplistic view could be detrimental to treatment. Throughout this essay the impact of culture on mental health will be examined, and how the health care provider and client mediate a relationship to produce the most effective results.

In all psychological and biological assessment, the use of culturally attuned assessments is top priority. “We may define culturally informed psychological assessment as an approach to evaluation that is keenly perceptive of and responsive to issues of acculturation, values, identity, worldview, language, and other culture-related variables as they may impact the evaluation process or the interpretation of resulting data” (Cohen, Swerdlik, & Sturman, 2013). Through this process key individuals contribute to the understanding of the client including family, friends, and coworkers input and information. Through the use of translators and other cultural affiliates clinicians are able to demonstrate a clearer understanding, a culturally applicable assessment, and ensure that the client understands the ins and outs of the assessment process. One important aspect of the implementation of the “one size fits all approach” to culturally attuned treatment and care in our mental health facilities (Cohen, Swerdlik, & Sturman, 2013). Assessment and clinical evaluations should not be a cookie cutter experience. The amount of patients that are

Medical advancements worldwide have allowed the health care system to innovate their knowledge and skills in order to provide and improve health care as a whole. Since gaining an increased awareness in human anatomy and functions, present day America faces many norms it did not face in its recent past. Ultimately, this increase in knowledge is changing America’s future as we know it. Where football use to be (and to most still is) an American passion and spectacle, it is now increasingly becoming a modifiable risk factor that triggers severe mental and physical casualties to Americans nationwide, including its children. Where war use to cease when soldiers came home to American soil, now when they come home they are fighting their own war

Perreria et al.’s (2006) study, in which 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted with Latino immigrants on there migration process and acculturation experience, found that this loss of extended family connections and support were among the most significant aspects of the immigrant parent’s migration experience. The loss of a previously established support system for Latino immigrants can also mean the loss of self-identity, as there is a cultural emphasis placed on collectivism and community rather than individualism, thus for many immigrants it results in anxiety and isolation (Caplan, 2007). A recurrent theme expressed during the focus groups conducted by Ayon (2014), was the creation of immigrant communities coming together to uphold cultural and traditional festivities in order to help create a greater sense of mutual support among the community members. Loss of social support can result in anxiety and isolation which combined with other social stressors can heighten parental stress and therefore increases the risk for chid maltreatment.

While gender and ethnicity may be the more apparent cultural features other things are important also, which include sexual orientation, spiritual or religious practices, political aspects, and general philosophy of life are all cultural elements that need to be incorporated into interventions and treatment options” (Cummins et al., 2012, p.237). In addition, it is important for the social worker to have cultural knowledge because it is necessary for selecting the appropriate intervention and treatment methods for that client. Furthermore, the appropriate multidimensional assessment provides the social worker with the internal culture of the client such as cognitive abilities or limitations, emotional health, and emotional responses and

The client has expressed a strong interest in getting help for family problems, employment, financial assistance, and counseling. When asked about his preferred cultural identity, he said “Mexican.” Mr. and Mrs. Olivares have two young children. Their extended family lives in Mexico. Mrs. Olivares later disclosed that she is pregnant and she has yet to tell her husband.

Changing political tides in the United States of America have inspired a more divisive and heated conversation about immigration policy, specifically addressing the southern border. One approach to the topic at hand accounts for the possible economic effects of an influx in human capital. While this perspective is no doubt important, understanding the individual human experience of immigrating from or through Mexico and across the border provides important context. As migrants move north through Mexico, a common familiarity with systematic abuse at the hands of gangs, officials and locals looking to make a quick buck can be documented. The border represents something intangible that brings new challenges and risks, from avoiding narcotics traffickers and Border Patrol agents to having a place to go once across. Arriving in the United States presents a frequent reality for the undocumented involving the abandonment of identity, acceptance of demoralization via a narrow bandwidth of job opportunities, and, for some, the freedom to have agency in one’s own story. The lives of migrants are filled with sometimes different yet all the while common hardships and the pursuit of a better tomorrow. Understanding a small selection of these perspectives will hopefully provide more complete insight into how and why people race towards the border, ultimately allowing policy decisions to truly be comprehensively informed.

It is important to understand “cultural accessibility” which includes “understanding, appreciation, and affirmation of values and beliefs that are held by the communit (Delgado, 1999, p. 34). Nonverbal communication is also an aspect of cultural associability due to the communication to the client in a way they understand (Delgado, 1999,). This is an important aspect because it allows the social worker to be available to learn from the client in order to build competence at the time of face-to-face contact. Each client is an individual and is more than just the cultural norm’s they can be stereotyped by.

Sharon is a 29-year-old, White woman, of Irish and European descent. The client lives with her husband of 10 years and nine-year-old son. Sharon does not cite any issues in her marriage or with her son but says they are both “dull.” Today, Sharon abruptly quit her job of two months job, as a receptionist at a vet. She