What is Cultural Responsiveness?
Estimated 3 minute read
Culturally responsive practitioners effectively and ethically participate in multicultural professional settings. This can be difficult as multiculturalism is such a vast topic. It is not a skill that you need only learn once (i.e. riding a bike or typing on a keyboard). It is more similar to the skill of learning a second language, in that it is nuanced and requires continued study even once a high level is achieved. Boiled down, cultural responsiveness is about valuing diversity for what it brings to society. Keep reading for guided questions to increase your cultural responsiveness.
Cultural responsiveness-related terminology:
Cultural Competency:
This term is often used interchangeably with cultural responsiveness. It is important to note that the current literature around this topic is starting to favor cultural responsiveness over cultural competency because who can determine that “competency” has been reached for such a nuanced topic?
Culture:
Culture encompasses a social group's customs and intellectual and artistic achievements. All of us belong to cultural groups.
Clock-Timed Cultures:
Events in these cultures typically have very clearly communicated start and end times.
Event-Timed Cultures:
The start and end of events in these cultures typically are impacted by the participant’s response to and flow of the activity.
How do I know if I am truly culturally responsive?
In the same way that we complete continuing education units to practice “at the top of our license,” we must also continuously review and self-evaluate our abilities in the area of cultural responsiveness throughout our careers. Below are some guided questions to get you started.
ASK YOURSELF:
How do I identify culturally?
What are my cultural beliefs regarding time, polite communication, work ethic, parenting, conflict resolution, etc.?
How do my cultural beliefs inform my expectations of others?
What standards do I hold myself to in the work environment?
Do I expect others to act in the same way I have deemed appropriate at work?
When others do not respond how I expected them to according to my cultural lens, how do I want to respond?
You don’t know what you don’t know. Have I taken a course in the last three years about cultural responsiveness?
CONSIDERATIONS
The rules and expectations placed around time vary widely from culture to culture. For example, in Australia, a “clock-time culture,” your clients are expected to show up for their given therapy time. If they show up late, they will likely only be allowed to stay for the remainder of their session. In Mexico, a mainly “event-timed culture,” arriving late to a therapy session and staying after the session ends to go over final thoughts with the therapist is common.
What is considered respectful communication also varies widely within cultures- specifically in how clients and professionals interact. For example, in some cultures, asking clarifying questions to the practitioner is considered disrespectful. In others, it is assumed that no questions mean the information and next steps were clear.
Gifts are another hot topic when it comes to the differing expectations around professional behaviors. In some cultures, showing up at a friend’s house or therapy appointment with gifts in hand is common and appropriate. Whereas in other cultures, bringing gifts is not considered appropriate, and in some professional spaces, therapists legally can’t accept a gift.
VIRGINIA D. WORONOFF, BILINGUAL M.S., CCC-SLP
Author & Program Founder
Virginia is a bilingual speech-language pathologist with years of experience working in the field internationally, as well as the founder of Speech Train Exchange.
Speech Train is an exchange program that connects you with local clinics to complete a practicum placement, gives you access to a renowned course on updated methodologies when working with multilingual and multicultural families, and connects you with the local interprofessional community through networking events. We also provide housing, tourism guidance, and language support as needed. Whether you are a new or experienced traveler, our programs are designed to be customizable and provide you with the structure you need to get started.
