Cultural Competence in Social Work
If you want to become a good social worker, there are a few essential things you need to know to be successful. Each of these requires time and patience since they are not the types of skills you can simply learn overnight. Developing social work skills such as active listening and developing an unbiased perspective on a client’s very personal difficulties are skills that take time to master. A culturally competent social work practice is one of these skills, which is vital in following the ethics of social work as laid out by the NASW, and in making sure you have a firm understanding of your clients and their personal issues.
What is Cultural Competence in Social Work?
Cultural competent social work is the ability to understand the core cultural differences of all types of people who are in need of social work services. While you do not need to be knowledgeable about the cultures of the people you work with (though it can definitely help), you do need to treat them with respect and kindness. Even if their cultural background might result in an opinion you intuitively do not agree with, it is important to take a moment and reflect. Rigorous self-scrutiny is an essential part of developing cultural competence and is a skill in itself that needs to be developed along with patience.
What is the First Step in Achieving Cultural Competence in Social Work?
A social worker needs to first have a grasp on cultural humility before they can become culturally competent. Cultural humility in social work is the ability to hand off authority to the client’s lead on matters of identity. Being humble in general is a very important aspect of being a successful social worker. As human beings, we all have our limitations, and the sooner you understand that as a social worker the sooner you will be able to have constructive conversations with your clients. As a social worker, you have to establish trust between yourself and your clients and humility is a helpful tool early on to build this bridge.
Why Is Cultural Competence a Requirement in Social Work?
Cultural competence isn’t just another tool to use as a social worker. It is an essential motive in social work as a construct, and as the NASW defines cultural competence, it is a standard of social work best practice, standing alongside the ethics and values of social work as the backbone to creating effective practice. It builds on the ideals of social work, helping to bring justice to those without a voice by taking the time needed to understand those differences and learn how to bypass them. Many times, the system does not aid those underrepresented people due to the fact that it is inherently culturally incompetent, built to help and benefit a certain homogenous demographic. Due to how this inherently flawed system is designed, social workers have to be there to assist those who have been marginalized with culturally competent skills, to compensate and fill in the gaps in the system.
Where Can You Learn About Cultural Competence with Real World Experience?
At ICSW, during the process of getting either your Master’s in Clinical Counseling and Psychotherapy or Ph.D. in Clinical Social Work, you will acquire the skills of cultural competence, defining the process as you work in and out of the classroom to gain best practices for clinical social work.