The Influence of Culture in Social Work Practice: Strengthening Global Perspectives

1. The Influence of Culture in Social Work Practice: Strengthening Global Perspectives Joanne Corbin, PhD Smith College School for Social Work

2. Purpose of this Module The purpose of this module is to strengthen social workers’ integration of global perspectives in their practice. This module identifies cultural influences on social workers’ understanding of presenting issues, assessments, and interventions. Examples of cultural orientations from regions worldwide are presented. Attention is on individualism and collectivism as one aspect of culture.

3. Learning Objectives • To strengthen social workers’ cultural competency. • To increase awareness of how one’s cultural orientation affects understanding of a client’s/client system’s presenting concerns. • To develop knowledge of individualism and collectivism as one aspect of culture. • To assess the influence of cultural orientation on social work practice. • To develop more inclusive ways of exploring culture when working with clients/client systems.

4. Relevance of Global Learning for Social Work Practice • The U.S. population has become increasingly ethnically, linguistically, and culturally diverse, therefore its social workers must be knowledgeable of client populations. • Individuals’ multicultural experiences and backgrounds are salient aspects of identity and social workers must develop awareness of and skill in addressing these intersectionalities. • Specifically- • U.S. social workers may work with new arrival clients/client systems and families who hold cultural values, beliefs, and practices for which social workers will need to increase their knowledge and skills. • U.S. social workers will work with clients/client systems from the U.S. who hold cultural values, beliefs, and practices for which social workers will need to increase their knowledge and skills. • U.S. social workers may work with clients/client systems in international contexts with cultural values, beliefs, and practices for which social workers will need to increase their knowledge and skills.

5. 2.1.4: Engage diversity and difference in practice(EPAS, 2008, p. 4-5) • Cultural experience can shape one’s development, interactions, and understanding of the social world. • This module; • engages social workers around culture and cultural differences as an important aspect of human experience, • encourages social workers to develop a deeper awareness of their own cultural perspectives influencing their work and cultural differences with clients, • strengthens social workers’ attention to the ways culture can impact assessment of client presenting concerns, perception of strengths and weaknesses, and development of interventions, • supports social workers to identify important resources for supporting their ongoing learning related to cultural influence on their practice.

6. 2.1.7: Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment (EPAS, 2008, p. 6) • Social workers are knowledgeable about human behavior across the life course, the range of social systems in which people live, and the ways that social systems support or hinder well-being. • This module; • explores the concepts of individualism and collectivism as an aspect of culture that affects individuals’ worldview, their sense of self, and their relationships to others, • provides opportunities for students to reflect on and discuss vignettes from the social work literature reflecting cultural differences and similarities among clients and social workers and among social workers, • allows students to identify strategies to increase their understanding of culture and include that understanding in their practice.

7. NASW, 2008 Standard 1.05 • NASW Codes of Ethics: Ethical Standard of Cultural Competence and Social Diversity (1.05) stipulates that, • A) social workers should understand culture and its function in human behavior and society, recognizing the strengths that exist in all cultures, • B) 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 client’s cultures and to differences among people and cultural groups, • C) social workers should obtain education about and seek to understand the nature of social diversity and oppression with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and mental or physical disability.

8. Three Conceptualizations of Culture (1) Culture can be conceptualized as the shared beliefs, attitudes, norms, roles, and behaviors transmitted among members of a group. (Triandis, 1995)

9. Three Conceptualizations of Culture (2) “Culture is the way of life of a society and life patterns related to conduct or ways of behavior, beliefs, traditions, values, art, skills, and social relationships. Culture perpetuates the sharing of ideas, attitudes, values, and beliefs among individuals of that culture.” (Lum, 2007, p. 54)

10. Three Conceptualizations of Culture (3) “The collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another. … The “mind” stands for the head, heart, and hands – that is, for thinking, feeling, and acting, with consequences for beliefs, attitudes, and skills. …Culture in this sense includes values: systems of values are a core element of culture.” (Hofstede, 2001, pp. 9-10)

11. Unstated Assumptions of Culture(Triandis, 1995) • Inherent in the conceptualizations of culture is that people within a specific culture are connected by beliefs, norms, values, behaviors, and practices that are often unstated. • Individuals may not be aware of their culturally based beliefs, values, norms and practices until they interact with others who do not share the same cultural experience. • Social workers must develop an awareness of the culturally based beliefs, values, norms, and practices that they bring with them into their work with individuals, families, and groups.

12. Definition of Cultural Competence • Cultural competence at the level of the individual social worker: • includes continued self-awareness and reflection of one’s own cultural background and experiences, • supports increased awareness and appreciation of cultures of others, • recognizes the differences in cultural backgrounds and experience between self and clients and respects the client’s cultural world in the work, • involves continuous attention to cultural awareness, knowledge acquisition, and skill development (Lum, 2007), and • includes awareness and attention to the relational nature of the interaction between social worker and client – cross cultural competence (Lee, 2010). • Cultural competence does not rest solely with and in the social worker.

13. Cross-Cultural Competency Social Worker Client / Client System Culture Culture Internalized Culture Internalized Culture Relational Space of Interaction Individual Characteristics Individual Characteristics Adapted from Lee, 2010

14. Exercise 1: Student Reflection on Personal Culture • Identify a cultural group or groups to which you feel connected. • Identify beliefs, values, norms, or practices that you associate with that particular cultural group (groups). • Reflect on the salience of these cultural characteristics in your day-to-day life. • In what ways do these cultural characteristics intersect with your unique individual characteristics? • Consider ways that these cultural beliefs, values, norms, or practices may influence your social work practice with clients or colleagues.

15. Cross Cultural Reflection(Reflect on these areas for you and a client) Social Worker Client/Client System Culture: Culture: Internalized Culture: Internalized Culture: Individual Characteristics: Individual Characteristics:

16. Individualism and Collectivism • One way of conceptualizing the distinctions of specific cultures is through the constructs of individualism and collectivism. • Also referred to as low context cultures and high context cultures. • Such constructs have utility in identifying shared norms about human relationships. • Individualism and collectivism are not exclusive; cultures have a mixture of both. • Important to explore what is true for an individual’s experience of culture. • Four dimensions can be used to describe individualism and collectivism and dynamics underlying relationships (Triandis, 1995). • Self • Goals • Obligations • Relationships

17. Individualism (Low Context Cultures) • Tendency to view self as independent. • Tendency for personal and familial/communal goals to be unaligned. • Tendency for social behaviors to be guided by personal attitudes, needs, rights, and contract. • Tendency for relationships to be guided by consideration of advantages and disadvantages of those relationships. • Individuals with predominant patterns on this dimensions may be referred to as idiocentric.

18. Collectivism(High Context Cultures) • Tendency to view self as interdependent. • Tendency towards alignment of personal and familial/communal goals. • Tendency for social behaviors to be guided by norms, obligations, and duties. • Tendency for relationships to be maintained for the importance of the social context. • Individuals with predominant patterns on this dimension may be referred to as allocentric.

19. Application to Social Work (Healy Example) • Healy (2001, p. 160) describes a Zambian social worker, trained in the U.S., working in Zambia with an adolescent Zambian male who had experienced legal difficulties. • After working with this adolescent and upon returning him to his village, the village leader and other elders in this community wanted to know what happened and what his condition was. • The social worker stated that he could not share this information due to confidentiality and needed to speak to the adolescent’s parents. • The village leader was stunned and bemused by the social worker’s response.

20. Common Aspects of African Cultural Orientation • Collectivism is believed to be the predominant cultural orientation in Africa (Eaton & Louw, 2000; Honwana, 2006). • One’s identity is grounded in connection with others and to the community (Kamya, 1997; Mbiti, 1990; Oosthuizen, 1991). • Personal and group goals are closely aligned and decisions are usually made based on the needs of the group (Triandis, 1995). • Obligations and norms include gender role expectations, hierarchy between parents and children, elders and the community, and ancestors (Triandis, 1995). • Relationship includes connection with individuals who are living, ancestors, the spiritual beliefs, nature, history, and culture (Kamya, 1997; Mbiti, 1990).

21. Exercise 2: Questions for Reflection for Healy Example • How might understanding the broad cultural concepts of individualism and collectivism be useful to this social worker in supporting this adolescents’ return home? • Where could this social worker gain culture specific or ethnic group specific knowledge? • How might the social worker explore this situation from the perspectives of 1) the adolescent, 2) the family, 3) the elders and community? Are there other aspects of culture that may be important to consider? • Suppose this social worker was based in the U.S. and returning the Zambian client to his family and extended family that were now living in the U.S. How might a social worker respond to the family?

22. Application to Social Work(Shonfeld-Ringel Example) • Shonfeld-Ringel (2001) presents a vignette of a social work intern at a university counseling center working with a 19 year old Taiwanese female student. • Presenting concerns were depression and suicidal ideation. • Client missed her family and was experiencing difficulty adjusting to a new culture. • Client was in the U.S. as her father’s wish to support her brother who was studying in the U.S. • Client’s desire was to pursue her studies in Taiwan.

23. Shonfeld-Ringel Example cont. • The social worker wanted to help the client find her own voice and express her own needs. • The client’s cultural traditions placed importance on familial over individual needs. Interdependence and familial harmony was valued over independence. • Therapist felt the “therapeutic task was to help the client find her voice, learn to stand up for herself and become more independent” (Shonfeld-Ringel, 2001, p. 59).

24. Exercise 3: Questions for Reflection(Related to Shonfeld-Ringel Example) • The first step in this example may be for a social worker to develop an awareness of how culture may affect conceptualization of the identified issue, biopsychosocial assessment, creation of the therapeutic task or plan, and plan of evaluation. • How might the social worker use her supervisor or supervisory colleagues to increase her awareness of cultural aspects to consider? • How does this social worker become aware of the cultural biases that affect her work with the client?

25. Exercise 3 cont. Questions for Shonfeld-Ringel Example • In what ways might this social worker engage differently with this client once aware of the cultural values of familial needs over individual needs or interdependence over independence? • Might the therapeutic focus in counseling change – if so, how? • How could this social worker learn about the salient cultural values guiding this client’s decisions? • Might the work include more involvement of family and community relationships? • Other considerations?

26. ‘aina Culture: Application to Social Work • SEER – Strengths Enhancing Evaluation Research (2010) • University of Hawai’i Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work in Partnership with the Consuelo Foundation • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEubejt8oUg • The first 8:37 minutes of this 25 minute video describe ‘aina culture and are the most relevant for this exercise.

27. Exercise 4:(Questions for ‘aina culture) • What are key principles of ‘aina culture as discussed in this video clip? • Are aspects of collectivism that are evident in these descriptions? • How are these principles integrated into the two programs? • As a social worker interacting with individuals and families from ‘aina culture what knowledge might be useful to have as you begin developing a working relationship. • What issues may be important to consider as you develop interventions with individuals and families.

28. Ways to Strengthen Culturally Informed and Responsive Practice • Use of supervision • Reflect on interactions with clients and explore social worker’s culture-based assumptions • Become acquainted with culture specific literature • Scholarly work • Cultural work, i.e., culture specific poems, myths, fiction, non-fiction, plays • Develop relationships with cultural informants • Connect to individuals knowledgeable about the specific cultural experience and who can provide understanding about country of origin contexts or conceptual differences related to mental health or social services • Establish a collaborative network • Establish relationships with various community resources and services that will be useful to supporting work with clients that are new or unfamiliar to the area.

29. Exercise 5: Student ReflectionStrengthening culturally informed social work practice • Consider ways that you can strengthen your attention to culturally informed and responsive practice in your work. • How might you ensure this becomes a part of your supervision experience? • Where might you locate individuals that can act as cultural informants and navigators to enhance your work? • What community resources can you learn more about? • Are there other ways to strengthen your knowledge and skill of culturally informed and responsive practice?

30. Summary • Develop awareness of one’s cultural background and experiences. • Recognize and appreciate the cultural backgrounds and experiences of clients. • Understand the influence of the cultural perspectives of the social worker and client on the interaction. • Reflect on the cross-cultural nature of social work practice • Gain culture specific knowledge • Understand the meaning of culture in the client’s life. • Develop interventions with clients that are responsive to the cultural needs of clients. • Assess the effect of the intervention with clients through verbal report and change in presenting issue.

31. Cultural Competence “…cultural competence is not developed by choosing more correct than incorrect responses but instead by making thoughtful practice decisions with the best information available and learning through a process of reflection and evaluation how to do better in the future.” (Williams as cited in Williams, 2006, p. 218)

32. Suggested Readings(supporting exercises in this module) • Lum, D. (2007). Culturally competent practice: A framework for understanding diverse groups and justice issues. Belmont, CA: Thomson Books/Cole. • Healy, L.N. (2001). International Social Work: Professional action in an interdependent world. New York: Oxford University Press. • Lee, E. (2010). Revisioning cultural competencies in clinical social work practice. Families in Society, 91(3), 272-279. DOI: 10.1606/1044-3894.4005 • Shibusawa, T. & Chung, I.W. (2009). Wrapping and unwrapping emotions: Clinical practice with East Asian immigrant elders. Clinical Social Work Journal, 37(4), 312-319. DOI:10.1007/s10615-009-0228-y • Shonfeld-Ringel, S. (2001). A re-conceptualization of the working alliance in cross-cultural practice with non-western clients: Integrating relational perspectives and multicultural theories. Clinical Social Work Journal, 29(1), 53-63.