Multicultural Awareness & Diversity: Powerful Strategies to Improve Client Rapport & Cultural Competence (HS - KORN - 049795)

Course overview

I have been privileged to work with native populations for the last 40 years. First in Mexico in small rural fishing villages and then later working with peoples native to the Pacific Northwest British Columbia, Alaska and Eastern Canada. As a trauma specialist, I have been particularly interested in the mental, physical and spiritual effects of trauma on individuals families and communities and how cultural healing practices and traditional medicines provide a foundation for conventional mental health therapies. Thus I have devoted my career to the exploration of working with diverse communities where culture is a primary method for regaining and maintaining mental and physical health. I also have discovered that the skills of cultural competency can be applied across all groups and is rooted in knowing who we are and where we come from as we explore its relevance to our work as clinicians. As a result, I feel that I can treat anyone, regardless of their background. Even if I don't know a lot about their culture, I am comfortable asking my client to teach me what is important to them. Join me for a day-long adventure into the world of cultural competency. We will explore many of these ideas as they relate to the diverse peoples of Alaska. Improve assessment, avoid ethical dilemmas and overcome fears. Discover how to tailor treatment for specific groups and improve rapport with diverse clients. Most importantly, dig deeper into your own identity and discover how to use who you are, to help your clients. Gain a reputation for being the premier therapist in your community for working with diverse clients! You may just want to attend this seminar to receive 6 CE hours of cultural competency including 3 Alaskan natives mental health cultural competency CE Hours & 3 CE hours of Alaskan ethics credit. But, I guarantee you will leave with so much more. This highly engaging and experiential seminar will challenge you to explore the intersection of your belief systems with your clinical work, and allows you to become more confident as a culturally sensitive clinician. OUTLINE Cultural Competencies in Mental Health Mindfulness-based approach to cultural competence Trends in specific locale: variation and mental health needs Acknowledge cultural differences: terms of reference, racism and stereotypes Improve client rapport Make cultural connections Acquire knowledge & skills View behavior within a cultural context Exercise: Culture(s), biases and ethnic influences Ethics & the DSM- 5: New Guidelines for the Integration of Cultural Competencies Cross-cultural variations in presentations Cultural concepts of distress Assessments and diagnostic protocols DSM-5 cultural formulation Cultural factors influencing clients' perspectives of their symptoms and treatment options Ethical standards for culturally competent practice Exercise: Cultural Formulation Interview Overcome Dilemmas in Practice Working with limited English proficiency and bi/ multilingual clients When to use an interpreter Intersection of religion, customs and culture Religious experience, counseling and mental health Cultural transference and counter transference Exercise: Experiences with Micro-Aggression Interventions & Strategies for Alaskan Native Populations Interventions & Strategies for Alaskan Native Populations Historical trauma in Alaska: Contact; Boarding School, Clergy abuse Mental and Physical illness in the Alaska Native lifespan; from ADHD to dementia Cultural strategies for mental, physical and spiritual well being Traditional Alaskan nutrition for mental health Innovative research and intervention programs Alaskan Native Resources Special brief video: Carved from the Heart OBJECTIVES Implement new DSM- 5 criteria and cultural formulation. Identify strategies and biases to improve rapport with diverse clients. Implement assessment and treatment strategies for cultural and historical trauma. Discuss guidelines for working with specific ethnic an