Cultural Competency and Traumalogists

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1 Cultural Competency and Traumalogists Name Course Professor Date Key Factors in Development of Cultural Competency and Education of Traumatologists

2 Trauma training is important for counselors and traumatologists so that they can be competent enough to provide best quality care to trauma clients (Mattar, 2011). As a therapist it is important to develop cultural competency to enable you to serve diverse needs of clients from different cultural backgrounds. Cultural competency is important in understanding the cultural differences between a therapist and a client which ensures that clients’ feels accepted (Mattar, 2011). Cultural competency minimizes disparities in trauma treatment and helps improve quality and efficacy of treatment received by the clients. Traumatologists need to understand client diverse needs so that they can help them overcome their trauma. To develop cultural competency it is important to educate Traumatologists on cultural awareness and sensitivity (Apa PsycNet, n.d.). The traumatologists must be open to learning new culture rather than their own. If they are not open to learning about other cultures or are rigid in their biases they may not develop cultural competency. It is important to understand ones cultural biases so that one can strive to learn about other cultures and look at things from their perspective. When traumatologists look at situations from the client culture perspective rather than their own, they can create a bond and trust with clients which can help with the healing process. Trust is very important in therapeutically relationship, clients’ needs to open up on their trauma experiences for therapist to help them. Without trusting the therapist or feeling that they will be judged, clients may withhold important information that may hinder their healing journey. Education on culture is important in that it creates environment where clients feel heard, respected and understood no matter their cultural background ( Apa PsycNet, n.d. ). Trauma is complex and can manifest in any culture thus it is important for traumatologists to be exposed to continuous cultural education to stay up to date with different cultural consideration in trauma treatment. Workshops, seminars and cultural sensation programs should be rolled out continuous

3 to teach traumatologists on new cultural trends that can enable them help clients with trauma heal ( Apa PsycNet, n.d. ). Professional in trauma education and cultural competency should teach upcoming ones on cultural competency practices. They can supervise them when working with clients and give insight on how to deal the different cultures. Communication is another key factor in development of cultural competency. It is important for traumatologists to engage in open communication with clients on cultural differences ( Apa PsycNet, n.d. ). This enables clients to be comfortable with the therapists and open up about their experience and how their culture contributes to the trauma. If traumatologists have open and sincere discussion with clients, for example sharing what they know about their culture, it shows openness and vulnerability which the clients can relate to. The Most Important Factors that Contribute to Cultural Competency when Working with Individuals Recovering from Posttraumatic Stress Traumatologists have to recognize their own cultural understanding is limited and strive to learn more. When traumatologists recognize that they habor cultural biases, they can strive to change this by learning about other cultures ( Bryant-Davis, 2019) . They have to demonstrate openness and humbleness towards other cultures. A therapist can strive to use cultural formulation tool to learn about the client culture and how to approach them ( Bryant-Davis, 2019) . They need to learn how different cultures treat trauma so that they can formulate a strategy that can help the client open up about their traumas. Language competence also contributes to cultural understanding. If the therapist is not familiar with the client language or ways of communication it is important to seek help from competent interpreters ( Bryant-Davis, 2019) . Language is important in communication since misinterpretation of shared information can greatly slow down the therapeutic process.

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4 Traumatologists can promote cultural competency by adapting therapeutic intervention to align with the cultural norms and values of the clients (Mattar, 2011). For example some clients may come from a culture where talking about certain traumas like rape is a taboo and has severe consequences. The traumatologists can use different terminologies that make the client comfortable enough to share their experiences. When therapists understand the influence culture has on trauma, they can help differentiate between collectivism and individualism. Some cultures emphasize on family and believe any obstacle should be solved within the family while others encourage individuals to be independent (Mattar, 2011). Depending on the culture the client comes from, the therapist can design coping strategies and support systems that can help them overcome their trauma. Also understanding the client culture is important in conceptualizing how their culture affects their experiences and healing process. Awareness and training on different cultures are important in helping post-trauma clients by teaching therapists different approaches they can employ when dealing with client from different cultures Schnyder et al., 2016) . It is important to also recognize that there is cultural stigma surrounding mental health issues and trauma as most cultures find such topics to be a taboo ( Schnyder et al., 2016) . Understanding that there is trauma, can help the traumatologists design approaches that make clients comfortable to share their experiences. Assuring the clients that they are there to help and not laugh at their situation helps create trust and opening up ( Schnyder et al., 2016) . Community involvement can increase cultural competency as one can understand client’s culture and it involvement in trauma process ( Schnyder et al., 2016) . Involving the community helps in understanding cultural norms, sources of healing and coping strategies that can be deployed to help the client deal with trauma. The factors I would emphasize on in My Clinical Work

5 As traumatologists working with individuals surviving trauma, I would emphasize on factors, open communication, like openness to learning, cultural humility and aligning treatment plans to the client culture. If I continuous learn about different cultural patterns in regard to trauma, I can recognize my own limitations and correct them enabling me to serve my clients better ( Schnyder et al., 2016) . Practicing open communication creates trust between me and the client which can help in the healing process. Where there is a language barrier I would make sure a get a competent interpreter to ensure that there is no misinformation ( Apa PsycNet, n.d. ). I would practice cultural humility which would help me to be more flexible in my approaches to trauma treatment. I would ensure that I practice cultural humility as it would help me align the treatment plans and interventions with the client cultural background and preferences (Mattar, 2011). Cultural humblness means that I would not burden my clients with mu assumptions and stereotypes about their culture which would help great a healthy bond between us. These factors are important in my clinical work as they promote respect of autonomy of the clients by recognizing that individuals from different cultural backgrounds have unique outlook on trauma and they all needed to be respected ( Frankel, 2017). Respecting the client culture would help fulfill the ethical guideline of having trust between the client and the therapist which is important in streamlining post-trauma treatment plans (Mattar, 2011). Implementing factors learned about cultural competency in m practice promotes beneficence which is where clients’ well-being matters the most. This is by ensuring that the interventions I use on the clients are tailored to accommodate their culture in that their treatment plan does not conflict with their culture. Respecting the client culture ensures that my practice does not cause deliberate harm. It is my responsibility to ensure that there is non-maleficence no matter how unrealistic I may find my client culture to be towards trauma and treatment ( Frankel, 2017).

6 Being culturally humble means that I do not misinterpret the client culture or be insensitive about it which is an ethical consideration for my practice ( Frankel, 2017). This promotes clients safety and trust in my services. Ethical guidelines call for cultural humility as an important factor in promoting cultural competence when dealing with individuals surviving trauma. Continuous education and training on different cultures helps me in addressing mental health disparities in trauma recovery. This means that I meant ethical guidelines of ensuring clients from different cultural, social and economic backgrounds are served equally. References American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Apa PsycNet . American Psychological Association. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-13112-001

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7 Bryant-Davis, T. (2019). The cultural context of trauma recovery: Considering the posttraumatic stress disorder practice guideline and intersectionality. Psychotherapy , 56 (3), 400. Frankel, A. S. (2017). Legal and ethical considerations in working with trauma survivors: Risk management principles for clinicians. Mattar, S. (2011). Educating and training the next generations of traumatologists: Development of cultural competencies. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy , 3 (3), 258. Schnyder, U., Bryant, R. A., Ehlers, A., Foa, E. B., Hasan, A., Mwiti, G., ... & Yule, W. (2016). Culture-sensitive psychotraumatology. European Journal of Psychotraumatology , 7 (1), 31179.

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