Cultural Competency

1. Cultural Competency Jenny Wickford PhD RPT

2. theoretical background

3. Adult learning • Transformative learning • Situated learning

4. Transformative learning • Basically, it is through transformation of our previous ways of understanding the world that we learn as adults (Mezirow 1991, 2009)

5. Transformative learning • Basically, it is through transformation of our previous ways of understanding the world that we learn as adults (Mezirow 1991, 2009) • Meaning perspectives

6. Transformative learning • Basically, it is through transformation of our previous ways of understanding the world that we learn as adults (Mezirow 1991, 2009) • Meaning perspectives – or frames of reference – “structures of culture and language through which we construe meaning by attributing coherence and significance to our experiences” (Mezirow 2009)

7. Transformative learning • Basically, it is through transformation of our previous ways of understanding the world that we learn as adults (Mezirow 1991, 2009) • Meaning perspectives • Instrumental & communicative learning

8. Transformative learning • Basically, it is through transformation of our previous ways of understanding the world that we learn as adults (Mezirow 1991, 2009) • Meaning perspectives • Instrumental learning – understanding is concerned with assessing or testing the truth of a claim based on cause-and-effect orientation • Communicative learning – instead of assessing a truth claim, the process of understanding builds on mutual efforts of validating each other’s experiences through communication and dialogue (Mezirow 2003, 2009)

9. Situated learning

10. Situated learning • Where knowledge is gained through specific activity in the authentic context where it is to be applied and practiced (Lave & Wenger 1991, Billett 1996)

11. Situated learning • Where knowledge is gained through specific activity in the authentic context where it is to be applied and practiced (Lave & Wenger 1991, Billett 1996) • Communities of practice

12. Situated learning • Where knowledge is gained through specific activity in the authentic context where it is to be applied and practiced (Lave & Wenger 1991, Billett 1996) • Communities of practice – comprised of a shared repertoire of routines, actions and discourse, with mutual engagement of its members in practice in the pursuit of shared enterprises.

13. Situated learning • Where knowledge is gained through specific activity in the authentic context where it is to be applied and practiced (Lave & Wenger 1991, Billett 1996) • Communities of practice • Legitimate peripheral participation

14. Situated learning • Where knowledge is gained through specific activity in the authentic context where it is to be applied and practiced (Lave & Wenger 1991, Billett 1996) • Communities of practice • Legitimate peripheral participation – relates to the learner entering into a new context, and how learning occurs as they become a part of that context (Lave & Wenger 1991)

15. Situated learning • Where knowledge is gained through specific activity in the authentic context where it is to be applied and practiced (Lave & Wenger 1991, Billett 1996) • Communities of practice • Legitimate peripheral participation •  Becoming competent in the ways of the communities of practice

16. cultural competency

17. What is culture?

18. Culture • Many different definitions and understandings

19. Culture • Many different definitions and understandings • “Culture is to a human collectivity what personality is to an individual” (Hofstede 2001)

20. Culture • Many different definitions and understandings • “Culture is to a human collectivity what personality is to an individual” (Hofstede 2001) • My understanding of culture: “complex, diverse and dynamic systems of meanings, as social frames of reference that are both constructed and affected by groups of people, and affect the practices of these people. Culture is the medium through which people act and interact within the social world or context of which it is a part” (Wickford 2010)

21. Culture • “One’s culture largely dictates one’s response to the world around him or her. Health care professionals must consider their own culture and worldview as well as that of their clients if they are to communicate effectively with the client” (Black & Purnell 2002)

22. Culture • The focus should be on similarities: “an important aspect of effective multicultural interaction is consideration of the extent of similarity between individuals” (Henley & Twible 2008)

23. Culture • The focus should be on similarities: “an important aspect of effective multicultural interaction is consideration of the extent of similarity between individuals” (Henley & Twible 2008) • “We are on the same page, but the Afghans write from right to left, and Westerners from left to right” - Heather Dawson, Australian physiotherapist

24. Culture • The focus should be on similarities: “an important aspect of effective multicultural interaction is consideration of the extent of similarity between individuals” (Henley & Twible 2008) • “We are on the same page, but the Afghans write from right to left, and Westerners from left to right” - Heather Dawson, Australian physiotherapist • What is due to personality and what is due to culture?

25. What is cultural competency?

26. Cultural competency • Cultural competency is essentially the ability to interact with people from different cultures in an appropriate manner

27. Cultural competency • Cultural competency is essentially the ability to interact with people from different cultures in an appropriate manner • It includes cultural sensitivity, cultural knowledge and cultural awareness (O’Shaughnessy & Tilki 2007)

28. Cultural competency • Cultural competency is essentially the ability to interact with people from different cultures in an appropriate manner • It includes cultural sensitivity, cultural knowledge and cultural awareness (O’Shaughnessy & Tilki 2007) • How we develop cultural competency depends on who we are, where we come from. It is impacted by our meaning perspectives, and by the cross-cultural contexts in which we engage

29.  cultural competency • An ongoing, situated, transformative learning process (Wickford 2010)

30.  cultural competency • An ongoing, situated, transformative learning process (Wickford 2010): “Transformative learning enables us to challenge our preconceived ideas about other people and their beliefs and practices. Communicative learning enables us to mutually explore each other’s similarities and differences. Situated learning puts what we thought we knew to test in contextual practice, and knowledge about ourselves, those we work with, and the new culture is gained through interacting in it”

31.  cultural competency • An ongoing, situated, transformative learning process (Wickford 2010): “Transformative learning enables us to challenge our preconceived ideas about other people and their beliefs and practices. Communicative learning enables us to mutually explore each other’s similarities and differences. Situated learning puts what we thought we knew to test in contextual practice, and knowledge about ourselves, those we work with, and the new culture is gained through interacting in it” • Before understanding others, we need to understand ourselves

32. implications for practice

33. discussion What is the implication of this for your practice? What is needed to develop cultural competency? What is most important?

34. Implications • “A culturally competent therapist is one who has a sound self-critical understanding of him- or herself, who actively seeks knowledge about and experiences of the culture in question, who constantly seeks to develop an understanding of that culture, and then adapt services to the needs in accordance with that understanding” (Leavitt 1999)

35. Implications • “A culturally competent therapist is one who has a sound self-critical understanding of him- or herself, who actively seeks knowledge about and experiences of the culture in question, who constantly seeks to develop an understanding of that culture, and then adapt services to the needs in accordance with that understanding” (Leavitt 1999) • “One’s culture largely dictates one’s response to the world around him or her. Health care professionals must consider their own culture and worldview as well as that of their clients if they are to communicate effectively with the client” (Black & Purnell 2002)

36. Implications • “to even start to understand others we need to first understand ourselves, and ourselves in relation to others” (Wickford 2010) • This necessitates skills of self-critical reflection.

37. Implications • self-critical reflection

38. Implications • self-critical reflection • Structured support

39. Implications • self-critical reflection • Structured support • Before, during, after

40. Implications • self-critical reflection • Structured support • Before, during, after • Together with others – communicative learning

41. Implications “Encouraging self-critical reflection, but not dominating it, matters. So does the explicit recognition that we are here to do good in a practical way in the world as part of our moral self-fashioning. To accomplish that, we need to risk openness to being changed by others” (Kleinman 2006)

42. thank you tack tashakor