Highlights
Cultural humility is about accepting our limitations. Those who practice cultural humility work to increase their self-awareness of their own biases and perceptions and engage in a life-long self-reflection process about how to put these aside and learn from clients (Tervalon & Murray-Garcia, 1998). The social worker is not the expert but the learner and the self-reflection process enables the social worker to determine what attitudes and values keeps him or her from learning from the). Clients are approached humbly and are viewed as collaborators in the helping process. Clients teach us about their unique places at the intersections of their different cultures and the role of the social worker is to be willing to learn about their experiences. Ortega and Coulborn Faller (2011) write that it is this openness (humility) to learn that “frees” social workers from having to be experts and feel that they must know everything about various cultures.
How do we learn from our clients? Those who practice cultural humility view their clients as capable and work to understand their worldview and any oppression or discrimination that they may have experienced as well. They use their best communication skills—open-ended questions and reflective listening—to explore their concerns, thoughts, and ideas. They keep ourselves from providing advice or direction as though we were the experts in their lives. When they want to do this, those who practice cultural humility stop themselves and examine their intentions (Ortega & Coulborn Faller, 2011). Reflective practice involves the continual challenging of oneself and an openness to learning from those we serve.
Cultural competence is essentially the ability to successfully interact, communicate with people of cultures other than one’s own. With the increase in cross cultural interaction on personal and professional levels, there are many reasons why individuals should thrive to be culturally competent.
Cultural competence is important because it will help social workers to be respectful of service users values and culture. It is easy to establish a relationship with the service user if we understand their culture and values then we can speak their language and understand their line of thoughts on specific issues and secondly we would be able to give them holistic care if we understand their values and perspectives on life.
Give the rationale for this choice; explain how this topic is of significance to social work and social research.
a) Social workers should understand culture and its function in human behaviour 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 clients’ 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, colour, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and mental or physical disability.
Having humility is to make a deliberate effort to talk less and listen more and wait longer, and ask questions.
What are the links to evidence-based practice?
Every time we ask questions like this, we help to disarm our personal biases. By making a practice of self-reflection, open-minded listening, and a posture of humility, we will truly be in the best position to serve all people effectively, no matter what their cultural background is.
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