Why Cultural Competence Matters in Therapy
What is Culturally Competent Therapy?
Therapy can be a frightening place for many people. The dynamic between the therapist and the client carries a lot of weight. Ideally, the therapeutic relationship would exemplify cultural competence, which implies an ability to understand and appreciate people’s cultural backgrounds, whether they come from the same culture or a completely different one. In therapy, this would involve a therapist who can create space for the full scope of their client’s identities in each and every session, as well as a client who feels safe and open as they disclose various parts of their lived experience in sessions. Without cultural competence, a client may have to spend time explaining their cultural background, which can lead to them feeling like their time and money have been wasted. Additionally, if a therapist does not understand or empathize with a client’s background, it can limit the client’s sense of safety in the therapeutic setting.
Cultural competence is a treatment model that honors all parts of who you are, with particular attention to how your cultural, religious, racial, ethnic, sexual, and gender identities all come together in your day-to-day experiences. There is space for you to share your story fully. As a client, you should feel comfortable as you process ways that your identity impacts your mental health, positively or negatively.
Why Does Cultural Competence Matter to the Client?
In order to get the most out of therapy, it is important for the client to feel comfortable bringing their full, unique self into the session. A huge part of our identities come from our culture of origin, including how we understand and navigate family dynamics, gender roles, conflict, our own accomplishments and shortcomings, our role in the world, the holidays that feel important to us, and our values. All of these factors are relevant during therapy, and, regardless of one’s reason to pursue mental health treatment, it is likely that many of these topics will come up at some point or another. Therefore, it is more likely that therapy will be helpful if you feel comfortable disclosing cultural experiences that may contribute to your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Additionally, there are some cases where one’s culture of origin can change how one perceives their mental health conditions. For example, in some collectivistic cultures, it may be difficult for someone to disclose experiences with depression, because they may worry about how that diagnosis could reflect poorly on their family or friends. This type of shame is culture-specific, and a therapist would need to be able to help a client work through those specific feelings of shame. Furthermore, language barriers can make it difficult for some clients to be assessed using standard diagnostic questionnaires. Language barriers may cause other complications in therapy, because there are some words for emotions that do not translate; without direct lingual competence, the client is limited in their ability to authentically describe their experiences, which can lead to inadequate treatment. Therefore, it may be helpful to have a therapist who is familiar with their primary language, so that the client and therapist can verify a mutual understanding about what the measure is asking. This will allow the client to receive an accurate diagnosis.
How to Assess if a Therapist is Culturally Competent
Know What Cultural Competence Means to You
It may be helpful to begin by thinking through moments where you have felt seen as your full authentic self—where there was no need to filter any part of your experience. Try to identify a couple of commonalities between those experiences. Perhaps they all took place with someone who you knew to be open-minded or went out of their way to ask questions to understand you better. Think about how to replicate this in session. The person in this example may benefit from a therapist who demonstrates open-mindedness, asks thoughtful questions that encourage you to express yourself more fully, and listens with a thoughtful expression on their face. Take your time with this exercise, since there are so many different aspects to consider, including competence regarding your personal ethnic, racial, gender, lingual, and religious identities. It may help to journal or talk this out with some friends to help process your feelings. The goal is to gain an idea about the kind of therapist you’re hoping to find.
Ask Questions
During your initial session, feel free to ask your therapist questions about how cultural competence shows up in their practice. Think through the kinds of answers you would hope to hear in advance and take your time pondering the therapist’s answers after the session. Some questions could include: What training have you received to become a culturally competent therapist? What does cultural competence mean to you? How do you support clients who are navigating racial or cultural prejudice? How do you make space for clients to share about their racial and cultural identities? Feel free to add some of your own as well! It’s also okay to tell the therapist exactly what you’re looking for. If they feel they cannot meet your expectations, they may be able to refer you to another therapist who specializes in culturally competent therapy. Additionally, you may want to know about your therapist’s cultural background. Many therapists are trained to limit the amount of self-disclosure in sessions; however, if you share what this knowledge could bring to you, it may be worthwhile to ask about it.
Company Research
It may be helpful to do some research on the therapeutic company you’re interested in working with. Many therapy companies have roots in or connections to social justice missions. Check in and see if the company has any connection to causes that are prominent in your own life, such as racial equity, reproductive justice, or LGBT+ rights. This can be a valuable way to assess how the therapist’s values align with your own.
Finding Culturally Competent Therapy
Trust Mental Health offers culturally, religiously, and lingually competent therapy. Our diverse team of therapists are trained to embrace cultural differences during mental health treatment. Additionally, our team represents seventeen different languages, allowing you the opportunity to relay your thoughts and experiences in the language that you feel most comfortable using to communicate. We also offer BIPOC therapy, faith-based therapy, and LGBTQ+ therapy, all designed to allow you to feel comfortable showing your identities in therapy. Book a free 15-minute consultation today.
Key Points
Culturally competent therapy allows the client to feel comfortable disclosing information about all aspects of their identities.
Culturally competent therapists will make space for the client to discuss their identities and how they relate to the client’s understanding of themself and their world view.
Clients should feel free to ask their therapist about what cultural competence means to them to help establish a basis for the therapeutic relationship.
FAQs
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Cultural competency helps build trust and rapport between the therapist and client by demonstrating respect for the client's cultural identity and experiences. It also facilitates effective communication and understanding, which are essential for successful therapy outcomes.
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Some key principles include cultural humility, respect for diversity, awareness of cultural biases, openness to learning about different cultures, and adapting therapeutic approaches to meet the needs of diverse clients.
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No, culturally competent therapy is beneficial for individuals from all cultural backgrounds. It emphasizes the importance of understanding and respecting cultural differences, regardless of whether someone belongs to a minority or marginalized group.