First of all, cultural competence is an inclusive concept used to explain strategies developed to ensure that counselors can offer standard healthcare to people of diverse backgrounds. For over one decade, the phrase cultural competence has become common in the medical and health training literature. According to Tummala-Narra et al. (2018), medics require various practical skills and tools that will assist them in offering standard care to patients from any location, whichever background distinctions exist. In addition, cultural competence enhances patient outcomes while at the same time decreasing the likelihood of relapse.
The values support a strength-based approach that cultivates positivity and cultural pride. Cultural competence is of help to people of diverse backgrounds because the healing process incorporates stories and educational content on traditional healing. Cultural competency focuses on people’s whole well-being, including their mental, emotional, social, physical, and environmental health. It gives them a sense of belonging to the community and allows them to make decisions that are best for them during their healing journey.
Culture gives meaning, purpose, and a sense of belonging to individuals. Maintaining cultural forms of healing provides the community with a sense of hope and pride, and through all these elements, healing is facilitated (De Kock, 2020). For counselors, learning about diverse culture can be hard, but this experience provides a deeper understanding of the subject of addiction and the ways it is traditionally addressed in different cultures. Hence, incorporating spiritual and cultural aspects into addiction treatment enhances its effectiveness and provides a long-term healing effect.
References
Cavaiola, A., Giordano, A. L., & Golubovic, N. (2021). Addiction Counseling: A Practical Approach. Springer Publishing Company.
Curry, A., & Epley, P. (2020). “It Makes You a Healthier Professional”: The Impact of Reflective Practice on Emerging Clinicians’ Self-Care. Journal of Social Work Education, 1-17.
De Kock, C. (2020). Cultural competence and derivatives in substance use treatment for migrants and ethnic minorities: What’s the problem represented to be?. Social Theory & Health, 18(4), 358-394.
Tummala-Narra, P., Claudius, M., Letendre, P. J., Sarbu, E., Teran, V., & Villalba, W. (2018). Psychoanalytic psychologists’ conceptualizations of cultural competence in psychotherapy. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 35(1), 46.
