Creating Goals for Professional Improvement

Diversity Worksheet

All of us have multifaceted cultural identities. For this reason, you are likely to have experienced situations where you are in the cultural majority, as well as others where you are in the cultural minority. This exercise will help you reflect on how your cultural memberships influence your ability to work professionally with people of similar cultural backgrounds, as well as with people with different cultural backgrounds. All of us have biases. Failure to recognize these biases creates harm. It takes more strength to acknowledge your biases than to argue that you do not have any.

The focus of this worksheet is the group of people you work with. If you are a classroom teacher, for example, the focus would be on the students you teach. If you are a higher education student affairs professional, the focus would be on the students to whom your office provides services. Whatever your professional role, you can decide what your “client group” is and complete the worksheet accordingly. It is possible that you have not experienced working with people in one or more specific groups identified in the worksheet. It is also possible that your professional role does not bring you into direct contact with individuals about whom you would have specific information in regard to their group memberships. It is still possible for you to complete the worksheet by reflecting on your own values and life background and reaching some conclusions. There are no right or wrong answers.

If you are taking this course as part of transitioning to a new professional role, you may choose to complete the worksheet based on either your current role or the role for which you are preparing.

Dr. Pamela Hays developed the ADDRESSING model used in the worksheet, comprising 10 major factors of cultural difference that are most common in the United States. Note that this list is not comprehensive; there are thousands of different cultural identities in our country.

Cultural Group According to the ADDRESSING Model	How You Identify Yourself in Relation to Each Group	Implications for Your Work. Consider where you have privilege and what groups might be easy to work with or difficult to work with.
A. Age
D. Disability Born With
D. Disability Acquired
R. Religion
E. Ethnicity
S. Socioeconomic
S. Sexual Orientation
I. Indigenous Status
N. Nationality
G. Gender

The following example is provided to help you understand how to use the template.

Cultural Group According to the ADDRESSING Model	How You Identify Yourself in Relation to Each Group	Implications for Your Work. Consider where you have privilege and what groups might be easy to work with or difficult to work with.
A. Age	Middle age (late 40s)	Sometimes I feel that younger colleagues think I’m “over the hill.”
D. Disability Born With	No
D. Disability Acquired	Chronic knee problems; sometimes I use a cane	Generally it does not impact my work, but sometimes I am pressured to move too quickly. This can contribute to the perception of my age.
R. Religion	Unitarian	I have to remind myself not to make offhand remarks that may offend those from more traditional orientations.
E. Ethnicity	Hispanic	Being bilingual has been a great advantage in working with some parents, but I have been aware of prejudice from others.
S. Socioeconomic	Middle class	Sometimes it is hard to be mindful of the pressures faced by students from disadvantaged families.
S. Sexual Orientation	Gay	I know I have biases against individuals who follow a strict/literal interpretation of the scriptures.
I. Indigenous Status	No	I have students that are Ojibwe and have been extra careful of how Native Americans are represented in my classroom.
N. Nationality	U.S. citizen	I am very aware of my privileges compared to students from families that do not have legal status.
G. Gender	Male	I have problems working with individuals who follow strict social sex roles (only men can do men things, and only women can do women things). I find gender/social sex roles much more fluid.

Reference

Hays, P. A. (2001). Addressing cultural complexities in practice: A framework for clinicians and counselors. Washington, D C: American Psychological Association