Culture as a Resource for Mental Health.

Abstract

This article is based on the author's address at the National Multicultural Conference and Summit III in Los Angeles, California, in January 2003. The author focuses on culture as a resource--a resource for theories that can inform one's understanding of human behavior; a resource for healing, self-help, and positive emotions; a resource for clinical practice; and a resource for mental health and wellness. The author uses a healing story from native culture to describe the essence of his relational worldview and to reframe the professional thinking about culture as one of the greatest assets for healing and mental wellness rather than as a problem to solve.

Collaboration in Multicultural Therapy: Establishing a Strong Therapeutic Alliance Across Cultural Lines

“…For instance, the identified culture itself can be a major resource and provide an extensive support network for the client (Cross, 2003). Also, culture itself influences a range of culture-specific skills (e.g.…”

Taking culture seriously: Ethnolinguistic community perspectives on mental health.

“…Mental health practitioners have investigated cultural influences on conceptualizations of illness (Kleinman, 1980;Kirmayer, 1989), and on culturally competent diagnosis and treatment (Cross, 2003;Lo & Fung, 2003). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) provides a basic outline for a cultural formulation designed to assist in the systematic evaluation and treatment of patients (American Psychiatric Association, 2000).…”

Assessing Implementation of Cultural Competency Content in the Curricula of Colleges of Pharmacy in the United States and Canada

“…17,18 Cultural competency is seen as a necessity for problem solving; policy development; legislative, regulatory, and accreditation mandates; physical health; and spiritual well-being-all in an effort to improve the quality of provided services and health outcomes to all patients served. [19][20][21][22] To learn to provide culturally competent health care, individuals need to learn about the different cultures that they serve, with the goal of understanding them and resisting stereotypes, developing effective communication skills, and learning to use resources on behalf of the patient. 23 The Institute of Medicine offers recommendations to health care providers and students to address the racial and ethnic disparities in health care, including use of interpreter services, racially or linguistically concordant clinicians and staff members, and culturally competent health education and training tools.…”