Continuing education in cultural competence is a key strategy for enhancing provider effectiveness in working with culturally diverse clients.
In the mental health field, a majority of published works address training issues related to students in graduate programs. Few articles, however, discuss specific models or methods of continuing education for practitioners working in community-based settings.
The authors present a case example of an interactive workshop in cultural competence for community mental health practitioners. They discuss key modules of this workshop, including (a) cultural competence and outreach principles, (b) cultural identity and worldview, (c) stereotyping and automatic thinking, (d) dynamics of difference, and (e) application exercises. Recommendations are offered for administrators, direct care staff, trainers, and researchers who may be interested in undertaking or participating in cultural competence continuing education efforts.
