MULTICULTURAL

COMPENTENCE  

MANUAL

FOR PUBLIC HEALTH EDUCATION

AND RELATED HEALTH DISCIPLINES

©

 

NATIONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH BEHAVIORAL CHANGE

Morgan State University/Urban Medical Institute

2600 Liberty Heights Avenue

Baltimore, MD 21215

 

 

 

Dr. Jay Carrington Chunn, Director / Principal Investigator, Senior Fellows, Consultants and Staff

 

 

 

August, 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Attachment 4

 
 

Acknowledgements

 

       We acknowledge and recognize the excellent work of Dr. T. Alex Washington, formerly of Morgan State University, Department of Social Work, Baltimore, Maryland and currently faculty at the University of California at Long Beach for his insight, diligence and hard work in helping to develop and move this document – manual to its final form. Dr. Washington is indeed, a scholar, researcher and writer of note and we deeply appreciate his efforts. Dr. Washington is also Research Center Director designate at the University of California, Long Beach School of Social Work.

 

        We acknowledge also the contributions and work of Dr. Michael D’Andrea, University of Hawaii and his colleagues for their contribution to this manual. Dr. D’Andrea served as a Senior Fellow when this work was Commissioned and he and his colleagues developed the competency outcomes needed to engage in this work. Also, we acknowledge the work as reflected herein of Dr. Beverly J. O’Bryant, past President of ACA (American Counseling Association) in moving Multicultural Counseling to the forefront as a vital concern of ACA during her presidency and for establishing the Taskforce on which Dr. D’Andrea chaired along with other outstanding members including Drs. Thomas Parham,  Darrell Wing Sue and Patricia Arredondo among others.

 

      We also express our deep appreciation to Dr. Anna McPhatter, Chairperson of the Social Work Department, Morgan State University, a noted expert in multi-cultural issues in child welfare and social work. Dr. Patricia Welch, Dean, School of Education and Urban Studies, Morgan State University for her and Dr. McPhatter’s steadfast support of the National Center for Health Behavioral Change and its Director/Principal Investigator. Their faithfulness to human development and all that public health encompasses is quite commendable.

 

I acknowledge and accept the responsibility that remains for the quality of the content and analyses contained in this manual.  Please understand this is a work in progress which is dynamic and subject to change based on the needs, mandates and imperatives that this work entails. Ultimately, this work is designed to serve multicultural faculty, students, practitioners, and communities.

 

Hence, to the readers and users of this manual please join us at the National Center in moving this work to the next level. We welcome your ongoing input. Any questions, comments and/or suggestion regarding this manual-publication please contact the National Center for Health Behavioral Change at (410) 383-5167 and/or www.nchbc.org. Thanks for your involvement with this work.

 

 

Jay Carrington Chunn, Ph.D

Director/Principal Investigator

National Center for Health Behavioral Change

And Professor

August, 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Section I:

 

Introduction and Overview                                                                             pg. 5

 

Definition of “Multi-Cultural Competence                                                    pg. 5

           

Purpose of Manual                                                                                          pg. 7

           

Section II:

 

Milieu and Reasoning for Multi-Cultural

Competency in Public Health Curricula                                                        pg. 9

 

The National Center for Health Behavioral Change

(NCHBC): Taking a lead in integrating “multi-cultural

competence” content in the public health curriculum.                                 pg. 9

 

Review of Accreditation Standards                                                                pg. 11

 

Multi-Cultural Competence as a meaningful

educational experience                                                                                   pg. 15

 

Section III:

 

Discussion and Multi-Cultural Competence

as a Meaningful Educational Experience                                                     pg. 16

 

Appendices                                                                                                      pg. 20

 

Appendix A:  Sample Syllabus                                                                       pg. 21

 

Appendix B: Using standardized assessment tools to

determine one’s current level of multi-cultural competence

as a public health professional or student-in-training                                 pg. 29

 

Competence-building Activity I                                                                     pg. 30

Competence-building Activity II                                                                   pg. 31

 

RESPECTFUL Public Health Competency-building Activities

Using a comprehensive and inclusive approach to culturally-

competent public health training                                                                  pg. 32

 

Competency-building Activities 3A – 3K                                                      pg. 42

Section I: Introduction and Overview

 

Definition of “Multi-Cultural Competence”

            Multi-cultural competence refers to an understanding of, and an appreciation for, the different experiences, values, mores, social mobility, rituals, language, communication styles, coping skills, eating desires, and beliefs that people possess.  These factors are based on race/ethnicity, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation (GLBT), geographic location, economic status, and socio-economic status (Ferdman & Gallegos, 1996; Smedley & Jenkins, 2007).  Moreover, multicultural competence refers to the capability to transfer the knowledge, skills, and values related to the diversity of people into practice by considering the whole person-and-their-environment.  Considering the whole person, inclusive of their environment, may assists the practitioner/health educator with involving the client in the decision making process and positive behavioral change.  In other words, the practitioner/health educator’s understanding of a client’s coping skills and communication style may assist the practitioner/health educator with tailoring the health knowledge in accordance. 

For example, a public health educator (PHE) was invited to provide safer-sex practice HIV prevention material at a local community center.  The PHE grew up in a small homogenous town (e.g., little differences in racial/ethnicity, family structure, income, religious affiliation), and later moved away for the first time when pursuing his Master of Public Health (MPH) degree at one of the leading MPH programs in the US.  He earned the MPH and was quite capable of doing presentations, conducing research and providing health knowledge about HIV prevention.  As part of the HIV prevention workshop in Chicago, Illinois, the PHE provided safer-sex practice exercises with the participants that included (ONLY) male to female examples.