Cultural Competence vs Cultural Humility
Historically, cultural competence in psychological assessments was viewed as the most important aspect. Whilst foundationally important, cultural competence has inherent limitations and focuses on acquiring knowledge and “mastering” skills to interact effectively with people from diverse cultures, which is rarely sufficient.
Cultural humility goes beyond competence, emphasising a humble and open attitude, self-reflection, and continuous lifelong learning.
What is Cultural Humility?
Cultural humility refers to an ongoing intrapersonal (personal) and interpersonal (relational) approach that focuses on patient-centred care.
It is a lifelong process of self-reflection and intrinsic examination of one’s own beliefs, culture, and values. Cultural humility requires you to be open to learning from people about their experiences, while being aware of your own cultural influences.
It is not just about being ‘good’ at your job, but also about having an attitude that centres on the person you are helping.
It places emphasis on interpersonal sensitivity, and a willingness to accept and learn from others as they are, rather than just focusing on your own knowledge and experiences.
Cultural Humility in Psychology
Cultural humility in psychology is about working with people in a way that involves:
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Reflecting on Yourself
Training in cultural humility encourages psychologists to think about their own beliefs, values, and biases, both obvious and hidden, by looking inside themselves. This helps them understand how their culture might affect the way they help their clients.
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Valuing Clients’ Knowledge
Recognising that people from diverse cultures are experts on their own social and cultural experiences.
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Balancing Power
Building equal relationships with clients and avoiding power imbalances.
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Lifelong Learning
While cultural competence suggests mastery, cultural humility is a lifelong commitment to learning. Instead of claiming to know everything, it is about being open to learning about an client’s experiences, while being aware of your own cultural background.
The 5 R’s of Cultural Humility
The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) Practice management Committee developed a simple framework of cultural humility for practitioners to apply to their practice.
It aims to improve self-awareness and patient-clinician relationships through a series of aims and questions. By employing the 5Rs, we can foster a more inclusive and effective approach to psychological assessments.
1. Reflection
Aim: One will approach every encounter with humility and understanding that there is always something to learn from everyone
Ask: What did I learn from each person in that encounter?
2. Respect
Aim: One will treat every person with the utmost respect and strive to preserve dignity and respect.
Ask: Did I treat everyone involved in that encounter respectfully?
3. Regard
Aim: One will hold every person in their highest regard while being aware of and not allowing unconscious biases to interfere in any interactions.
Ask: Did unconscious biases drive this interaction?
4. Relevance
Aim: One will expect cultural humility to be relevant and apply this practice to every encounter.
Ask: How was cultural humility relevant in this interaction?
5. Resiliency
Aim: One will embody the practice of cultural humility to enhance personal resilience and global compassion.
Ask: How was my personal resiliency affected by this interaction?
