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Approaching “difference” differently in child and youth mental health
An exercise…An exercise…
Where do you stand?
Plan for this workshopPlan for this workshop An exercise Some basic definitions An overview of “cultural competence” A description of the “anti-oppressive approach” The alternative: A blended approach to shape
practice Another exercise Wrap up and discussion
The challenge…The challenge…
How do we work across difference when providing services to children, youth and their parents and caregivers?
Some basic definitionsSome basic definitions
Identity:• How we see ourselves• Shaped by how others see us• Changes from time to time, and
place to place
Power:• Our ability to work towards our goals and
make changes in our lives Oppression:
• A situation where members of a group are prevented from working towards their goals and changing their lives
• A result of the group that the individual identifies with
Culture:• The ideas, norms, beliefs and values shared
by a group of people• Shapes the way people see the world• Helps to guide behaviour• Changes over time and across different
places• Any two people from the same cultural group
may interpret and understand ideas, norms, beliefs and values differently
In other words, culture is…In other words, culture is…
Behaviours
Artifacts
Ceremonies
Thoughts
Actions
Speech
Values and ethics
Culture and child and youth mental Culture and child and youth mental healthhealth
Service provision has shifted over time to include a focus on • Cultural inferiority/pathology (1960s)• Colour blindness (1970s and 1980s)• Cultural competency (1990s and 2000s)
Cultural competenceCultural competence
A way of providing services that:• Recognize and value cultural difference• Reflect a knowledge of different cultures• Meet culturally unique needs• Require particular knowledge, skills and
values on the part of workers
KnowledgeKnowledge
Attributes of different cultural groups Racism, discrimination, prejudice, etc. and
the impact of these on mental health Workers’ own cultural background and
practices Worldview of clients
SkillsSkills
Empathy
RespectPositive
communication Helping
Flexibility
Strong assessment and intervention
Knowledge of self and others
ValuesValues
Need to value cultural diversity and respect its contribution daily life
Acknowledge difference Acknowledge that no worldview is superior to
another
Limitations of cultural competencyLimitations of cultural competency
At the individual/personal level:• Difficult to ever become completely
“competent” At the client level:
• Overlooks the diversity that exists within cultural groups
• Views culture as fixed and unchanging
At the professional level:• Hard to translate concepts into practical
opportunities for development At a broader, system level:
• Focus is limited to the individual practitioner, not the organizational and social context
The alternative: The alternative: A blended approach to A blended approach to
shape practiceshape practice
The anti-oppressive approach to The anti-oppressive approach to practice (AOP) practice (AOP)
Focuses on power and oppression at micro and macro levels
Views identity as a complex web of race, culture, gender, class, etc.
Each of these is a site of power dynamics
Because of the diversity of identities people have, we can be someone who is oppressed and someone who oppresses
As service providers, our role is to support individuals/families as well as work towards change at organization and system levels
Another exerciseAnother exercise
In sum…In sum…
When used together, cultural competency + an anti-oppressive approach can be useful in guiding the way we work across difference
So what does this mean for So what does this mean for the way we work with the way we work with
children, youth, and families?children, youth, and families?
At the individual/personal level…At the individual/personal level…
Recognize our tendency to label the unfamiliar as pathology
Know cultural specifics (through mentoring and immersion)
Acknowledge the diversity that exists within and across cultures
Be involved in the community you serve Don’t be afraid to “fail forward”
At the client level…At the client level…
Make culture conscious Be a friend before there
is need Practice skills to work
across difference (both practical and relational)
At the professional level…At the professional level…
Look to elders and use their advice Educate one another Know that all interventions have cultural bias
(e.g., the intake process) Try a number of interventions, as one won’t
always work (draw from a range of best practices)
At the level of the system…At the level of the system…
Understand that individual problems are linked to material and social conditions
Work towards creating an organizational culture that embraces culturally appropriate/ anti-oppressive policies and practices
Value equity, inclusion and community
Head, heart and feet…Head, heart and feet…
What did you think about what you heard today?
How did it make you feel?
What has this made you want to do next?
Questions?Questions?
Tanya Witteveen
Research Associate
613.737.7600 Ext. 3483
Dr. Purnima Sundar
Research and Knowledge Exchange Consultant
613.737.7600 Ext. 3485
