5-1 Discussion

Module Overview15.html

Cultural Sensitivity, Lifestyle, and Diversity

The wave of the future is not the conquest of the world by a single dogmatic creed but the liberation of the diverse energies of free nations and free men.

—John F. Kennedy

Image 5.1 (http://library.hrsb.ns.ca)

America is a country of diversity. It is a country of refuge and refugees. It is sought out for political and economic freedom. In America, differences are often encouraged over cultural cohesion. This is because we live in a country of many cultures.

We find people with rich stories and diversity in clinical practice, in research, in child and adolescent developmental occupations, and in industry. It is imperative and necessary that all psychology professionals understand the APA Code of Ethics, while at the same time respecting the individual differences that are common among those we serve.

Diversity speaks to differing beliefs concerning religious, cultural, political, educational, occupational, family, marriage, child, healing, interpersonal, relational, individual, and gender differences. People are unique and so too are their beliefs.

The APA Code of Ethics has attempted to provide room for individual differences by way of discussing rural mental health as different from urban mental health. The term frontier mental health ethics was coined to help describe how different it is to be a psychologist in a town of 1,000 versus a city of 500,000. In rural locations, it is common for therapists and their clients to shop at the same stores and bank at the only bank in town. There is a crossover of boundaries due to the small landmass shared. There is also a section on when bartering of services for goods may indeed be considered ethical. There are times when a more familiar approach, eye contact, and touch are considered culturally sensitive or may be considered culturally insensitive. There are times when we must take into account our clients’ needs and make the best ethical decision by balancing the ethical code and its principles and standards with sensitivity, empathy, diversity, and respect for people’s rights and dignity.

All of this is challenging and requires constant vigilance on the part of the professional. All licensed psychologists are required to take three hours of continuing-education credits per licensing renewal period in the area of ethics (usually every two years) for the duration of their career in the field. The reason for this speaks to the seriousness of learning the fluidity, grace, and diligence required of deep diversity.

As you move through the assignments in Module Five, keep in mind we are only touching the tip of this very large and beautiful mountain known as diversity. Also keep in mind the concept of empathy. Empathy is different from sympathy. Sympathy is feeling for someone else, such as feeling sad for another when something bad happens in their life. Empathy is the ability to feel what another is feeling as close as you can while still existing outside that person. This is a talent learned over a lifetime.

Figure 5.2 (csectioncomics.com)