HS 267 Cultural Competence in Human Services

This course will focus on developing the cultural competency of beginning human services practitioner. Major ethnic and cultural groups will be studied, as well as cultural philosophies, assumptions and patterns, and their impact on identity and mental health. This class is accepted by MHACBO to meet certification requirements for alcohol and drug counselors.

Credits

3

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Define racism (individual, institutional, cultural) and prejudice, describe the personal and social dynamics involved in each, and define the terms "culture" and "multicultural"
2. Define the skills involved in cultural competence of individual and human service organizations
3. Describe the dynamics of stress, identity conflict, acculturation, and internalized oppression as they apply to people of color
4. Discuss bias and cultural differences in the delivery of mental health and drug and alcohol services to people of color
5. Discuss problems related to counseling cross-culturally
6. Describe ways in which counselors can adapt mainstream, white counseling practices to work with communities of color
7. Demonstrate an understanding of the unique general counseling and chemical dependency counseling issues with respect to African Americans, LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queer), Asian Americans, Native Americans and Hispanic Americans
8. Describe personal biases, past experiences and potential areas of conflict related to counseling cross-culturally
9. Identify the student’s own group memberships and identities and describe how these might influence his/her work with clients who are similar and different