Cultural Life Span: Importance of Cultural Competency in Mental Health Services

This article discusses the importance of cultural competency in mental health services and how it affects the treatment of patients from different cultural backgrounds. It also provides insights on how medical practitioners can promote traditional ways of treatment according to the respective cultures of the patients.

Running head: CULTURAL LIFE SPAN
CULTURAL LIFE SPAN
Name of the Student:
Name of University:
Author Note:

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Short discussion
1. It has been evidently recognised that the culture of the patients effects the services of
mental health that is offered to them. Examples can be seen in the context of America
where most of the minority groups try to seek treatment for mental health disorders
only once the symptoms gets severe. This is not the case for the whites, who are more
likely to seek treatment in the initial stages itself. African Americans on the other
hand mostly has faith on the ministers who often play the role of counsellors of
mental health (Betancourt et al., 2016).
2. The medical practitioners such as physicians and nurses should follow cultural
competency while providing care to minor and the ethnic groups. Cultural awareness
is necessary for provision of patient satisfaction. They should show respect towards
the cultural beliefs and not be judgmental regarding the background of the patient.
Traditional ways of treatment according to the respective cultures of the patients can
be promoted by the practioners like use of herb medicines and other such methods.
Awareness can be increased through communication within these patients in a
competent manner (Garran & Werkmeister Rozas, 2013).
Reflective questions
1. The residents might lodge complaint regarding Lynn who is disturbing the
neighbours day and night. They might express concern that, her uncanny
behaviour might have ill effects on their families or children or their culture and
traditions. Her behaviour might be aggressive and may threaten the
neighbourhood. Cultural differentiation has always been a debatable topic,
prevalent all around the world. In the case provided, Lynn is a white American, in

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a neighbourhood which presumably lacks the white population. The neighbours
mentioned here are Native Americans or African Americans, who have always
been discriminated from the whites. This factor might add up towards the dislike
they have Lynn who is a white women. Apparently the age is also a concern since
the questionable individual has just reached adulthood while others are middle
aged and senior citizens (Luchenister, 2015).
2. The federal law of the “Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)” is
responsible for the prohibition of the discrimination against the age of individuals.
Other acts like the “Civil Rights Act of 1866 (Section 1981) and Title VII of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e and following) “ are used in order to
prohibit the discrimination on the grounds of race, sex, religion, colour and ethnic
origin of the individuals (O'Connell, 2014). In case of any discrimination faced by
Lynn, she can take resort to legal proceedings as per the above mentioned laws.
3. As an advocate the priority should be to initially understand the experience one
undergoes due to discrimination and strategize plans in order to combat
discrimination. Lynn should be advised to acclimatise herself to the new settings
and should be advised to refrain herself from approaching the neighbours in the
very beginning. Interaction should be made gradually to provide then the scope of
acceptance. Next step would be to help Lynn facing the discrimination by
suggesting federal laws that could get her out of the disturbing situation. Informal
way of help could also be provided by raising the issue directly to individual or
the group, who is responsible for discrimination (Luchenister, 2015).

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References
Betancourt, J. R., Green, A. R., Carrillo, J. E., & Owusu Ananeh-Firempong, I. I. (2016).
Defining cultural competence: a practical framework for addressing racial/ethnic
disparities in health and health care. Public health reports.
Garran, A. M., & Werkmeister Rozas, L. (2013). Cultural competence revisited. Journal of
Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 22(2), 97-111.
Luchenister, A. J. (2015). A New Era of Inequality: Hobby Lobby and Relgious Exemptions
from Anti-Discrimination Laws. Harv. L. & Pol'y Rev., 9, 63.
O'Connell, C. (2014). Ban the box: A call to the federal government to recognize a new form
of employment discrimination. Fordham L. Rev., 83, 2801.