Cultural Competence
The term "cultural competence" has been used, when providing mental health services, to indicate a set of behaviors, attributes and policies enabling an agency to work effectively in cross-cultural situations. Or put more simply, the ability to help people who come from cultures other than your own. This includes having certain personal and interpersonal awareness and sensitivities, having specific knowledge of cultures other than your own, and mastering a set of skills that enables one to work with and help individuals from other cultures.
View the Department of Mental Health's Multicultural Competency Plan to learn more.
Additional information is available through the following websites:
Culture, Race, and Ethnicity - A report of the Surgeon General
Culture and Ethnicity - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
National Alliance of Multi-Ethnic Behavioral Health Associations
Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice
