Cultural Sensitivity

1. What is Cultural Sensitivity?

- Cultural sensitivity begins with a recognition that there are differences between cultures.
- These differences are reflected in the ways that different groups communicate and relate
to one another.
- Cultural sensitivity is more than an awareness that there are differences in culture in order
to interact effectively.
- A culturally competent person views all people as unique individuals and realizes that
their experiences, beliefs, values, and language affect their perceptions.
2. Increasing Awareness
- Recognizing differences among cultures is important, but we should also be aware that
differences also exist within cultures.
- The assumption that a common culture is shared by all members of a racial, linguistic, or
religious group is erroneous.
- We must recognize our own cultural values and draw parallels where possible; we should
also identify any prejudices and stereotypes that prevent us from communicating
effectively with people from different cultures.
- Realize that, like it or not, we most likely hold some stereotypes about culture and gender.
3. Questions To Ask Ourselves
- Do we try to learn the names of those from other cultures?
- Are we patient with their attempts to use English?
- Do we make assumptions about people based on their race, ethnicity, or gender?
- Are we doing everything we can to learn about them?
4. Stereotypes
- People harbor positive and negative stereotypes about people.
- Stereotypes about race?
- Stereotypes about culture?
- Stereotypes about gender?
5. Discrimination
- Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in
a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as
excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to
another group
6. How Discrimination Affects Us
7. Showing Sensitivity to Culture
- Take them to the school they will be attending.
- Walk around your neighborhood.
- Take them to the library, weekly.
- Take them to sporting events. Outside the U.S. soccer is huge!
- Find an ethnic market. Have them help you buy and prepare food from their country and
make it part of your regular menu.
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- Ask them to sing and/or dance for you, if they are comfortable doing so.
8. Showing Sensitivity to Culture
- Explain some of your religious traditions and ask them about theirs. Ask about times that
are important to them and make them important to you.
- Be mindful of their connection to church, community, culture, and family.
- Be patient as they try to use new English skills.
9. Increasing Your Relationship and Building Trust
- Control Emotions even when not directed at the children. They will read your body
language and assume it s them.
- 80-90% of communication is non-verbal. Save frustration for private moments with
spouse or consultant.
- Make their church your priority.
10. Using Interpreters
- Discuss the focus of the session with the interpreter before the youth arrives; be clear
about what the interpreter should convey to the patient.
- Speak in short sentences or phrases, to make translating easier for the interpreter. Make
sure the youth understands what he or she has been told by asking for him/her to repeat
the message in his/her own words.
- Focus on the speaker, not the interpreter.
- Be sensitive to cultural differences when using nonverbal communication. For example, a
touch has many cultural meanings. You must be aware that personal space has different
boundaries in different cultures.
11. Showing Sensitivity to Gender
- Being aware that there are differences between males and females, but those differences
are not universal.
- Aspects of gender.
- Assignment: The gender we are given at birth, either being male or female.
- In this aspect, our genders are prescribed by the society in which we are born.
- Role: This is the set of behaviors, mannerisms, and other traits that society says we should
express as part of our assigned gender.
- Identity: This is what we think our gender should be at any given time.
- Many people do not question their gender and let their assigned gender function as their
identity.
- Attribution: This is the gender we assign people when we first meet them and is based on
a set of cues that differentiate from culture to culture.
- What is a real man?
- What is a real woman?
- What if your youth has questions about his/her gender identity?
Conclusions
- In our society today, communities are made up of people with a wide range of ideas and
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orientations, even about issues as fundamental as race, ethnicity, and gender.
- Anyone engaging in his/her community may be challenged by ideas and orientations that
they have not considered.
- Among these ideas, differing ideas about race, culture, and gender can be very
challenging, especially if a person hasnt thought about the issues.
- Expectations about others affect day-to-day working relationships.
- Drawing conclusions based on stereotypes is wrong and can be harmful.