Key Takeaways
- Cultural humility is an ongoing, lifelong process of self-reflection and learning, distinct from the concept of cultural competence as an achievable endpoint
- Intersectionality recognizes that individuals hold multiple overlapping social identities that create unique experiences of privilege and oppression
- Microaggressions are subtle, often unintentional expressions of bias that can cause significant psychological harm over time
- Anti-racist social work practice requires actively working to dismantle systemic racism, not merely being non-racist
- LGBTQ+ affirmative practice validates and supports diverse sexual orientations and gender identities
- The disability rights movement emphasizes a social model of disability that focuses on removing barriers rather than "fixing" individuals
- Immigration status significantly affects access to services, mental health, and family dynamics
Diversity and Cultural Competence in Social Work
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are foundational values in social work practice. The NASW Code of Ethics states that social workers must understand culture and its function in human behavior, strive to have a knowledge base of their clients' cultures, and provide culturally informed services. The ASWB exam tests your understanding of diversity concepts and your ability to apply them in clinical practice.
Cultural Humility vs. Cultural Competence
The social work profession has increasingly shifted from a model of cultural competence (implying one can become fully "competent" in another's culture) to cultural humility — an ongoing, lifelong process that involves:
- Self-reflection: Continuously examining your own cultural biases, assumptions, and privileges
- Power imbalances: Recognizing and addressing the inherent power differential in the social worker-client relationship
- Lifelong learning: Acknowledging that you can never fully understand another person's cultural experience
- Client as expert: Positioning the client as the expert on their own cultural experience
- Institutional accountability: Working to create culturally responsive organizations and systems
Clinical Application: Rather than assuming you know what a client from a particular background needs, cultural humility means asking open-ended questions, listening actively, and allowing the client to teach you about their experience. For example, instead of assuming a Latina client is close to her family, you would explore her family relationships without preconceptions.
Intersectionality
Intersectionality, a term coined by legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, recognizes that individuals hold multiple, overlapping social identities (race, gender, class, sexual orientation, disability, age, etc.) that interact to create unique experiences of privilege and oppression. Key principles include:
- Identities do not exist in isolation — a Black woman's experience is not simply the sum of being Black plus being a woman
- Systems of oppression (racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, ableism) are interconnected and mutually reinforcing
- Individuals with multiple marginalized identities may face compounded barriers to services and well-being
- Assessment and treatment must consider the full complexity of a client's social location
Oppression, Privilege, and Power
Social workers must understand the dynamics of oppression (systematic disadvantage of social groups), privilege (unearned advantages based on social group membership), and power (the ability to influence others and control resources):
| Concept | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Individual racism | Personal prejudice and discriminatory behavior | A landlord refusing to rent to a person of color |
| Institutional racism | Policies and practices within organizations that disadvantage certain groups | Disparities in school discipline, lending practices |
| Structural racism | Interconnected institutions creating a system of racial inequality | Housing segregation, wealth gap, healthcare disparities |
| Microaggressions | Subtle, often unintentional expressions of bias | "You speak English so well" (to a person of color born in the U.S.) |
| Internalized oppression | Marginalized individuals absorbing negative messages about their group | A person of color believing stereotypes about their own community |
Which of the following BEST describes cultural humility?
Anti-Racist Practice
Anti-racist social work goes beyond being "non-racist" or "colorblind." It requires actively working to identify and dismantle systemic racism in all its forms. Key components of anti-racist practice include:
- Acknowledging racism exists in social work institutions, including your own agency
- Examining your own racial identity and how it influences your practice
- Advocating for policy changes that address racial disparities in health, education, criminal justice, and social services
- Centering the voices of communities of color in program design and implementation
- Rejecting colorblindness — the idea that "not seeing race" promotes equality. In reality, colorblindness ignores lived experiences of racism
- Using an anti-racist lens in assessment and treatment planning to avoid pathologizing cultural differences
LGBTQ+ Affirmative Practice
Social workers must provide affirmative practice with LGBTQ+ clients, which means actively validating and supporting diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Key principles include:
- Use correct names and pronouns and create intake forms that include options beyond the gender binary
- Understand the difference between sexual orientation (who you are attracted to) and gender identity (your internal sense of gender)
- Recognize the impact of minority stress — chronic stress faced by LGBTQ+ individuals due to stigma, discrimination, and internalized homophobia/transphobia
- Be aware that conversion therapy (attempts to change sexual orientation or gender identity) is unethical and harmful, condemned by NASW and all major mental health organizations
- Understand unique issues affecting LGBTQ+ youth, including family rejection, homelessness, bullying, and elevated suicide risk
- Support gender-affirming care for transgender and non-binary clients
Disability Rights and Social Model of Disability
The social model of disability distinguishes between impairment (a physical, sensory, or cognitive difference) and disability (the barriers created by society that limit participation). Key concepts include:
- Medical model views disability as an individual problem to be "fixed" or "cured"
- Social model views disability as created by societal barriers (inaccessible buildings, discriminatory attitudes, lack of accommodations)
- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination and requires reasonable accommodations
- Person-first language ("person with a disability") or identity-first language ("Deaf person") — follow the individual's preference
- Social workers should advocate for accessibility, inclusion, and self-determination for people with disabilities
Immigration Considerations
Immigration status significantly affects client well-being and access to services. Social workers should understand:
- The psychological impact of immigration-related stressors: family separation, cultural adjustment, language barriers, discrimination, trauma from the immigration journey
- Mixed-status families where some members are citizens and others are undocumented, creating fear and complexity
- Undocumented individuals may avoid services due to fear of deportation, which affects health, mental health, and safety
- The impact of acculturation stress — the tension between maintaining one's cultural identity and adapting to a new culture
- Refugee trauma: Many refugees have experienced war, persecution, torture, and displacement
- Social workers should provide services regardless of immigration status and maintain confidentiality
A social worker notices that a colleague consistently assigns the most challenging cases involving Spanish-speaking families to the only Latinx social worker on the team, assuming she will "relate better" to these clients. This is an example of:
Which of the following are components of LGBTQ+ affirmative practice? (Select all that apply)
Select all that apply
The concept of intersectionality was coined by:
The social model of disability differs from the medical model primarily in that it:
A social worker treating a refugee family should be MOST aware of the impact of:
Which concept describes the chronic stress experienced by LGBTQ+ individuals due to stigma, discrimination, and prejudice?