By Zane Josie
Cultural competence is essential for all healthcare practitioners, including occupational therapists. Correct knowledge, attitudes, and behavior are necessary to interact effectively with people from different cultural beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and language systems. It is a way to ensure everyone is treated with respect and that treatment plans are tailored to the cultural beliefs and values of the client.
In the increasingly diverse society of today, it is increasingly vital that occupational therapists can provide comprehensive and culturally responsive services to meet the unique needs of all clients. This involves understanding a client’s cultural background and a commitment to recognizing diversity and creating an equitable and inclusive environment for everyone.
What is occupational therapy?
Occupational therapy (OT) is a form of healthcare that enables individuals, groups, or communities to improve their quality of life through meaningful activities or occupations. OT practitioners use assessment and intervention techniques to promote, develop, and maintain these activities.
OT healthcare professionals receive specialized training and instruction to boost cognitive and physical functionality. They help people engage in activities that fill their time, such as teaching, educating, and providing support.
This profession involves Occupational Therapists (OTs) and Occupational Therapy Assistants (OTAs) and is sometimes considered a part of the allied health field. OTs and OTAs collaborate with individuals to help them improve their mental and physical well-being as well as address disabilities, injuries, and impairments.
Some trained therapists may want to learn more and experience occupational therapy as a profession. In that case, the American International College offers online OTD programs for engaged occupational therapists with a master’s degree looking to continue to work while earning a doctorate. This program aims to enhance professional authority, expand proficiency, and ultimately educate and inspire upcoming OTs.
Cultural competence in occupational therapy practice
Here are the cultural competencies in occupational therapy practice.
Embrace cultural diversity
Embracing cultural diversity means occupational therapists should strive to create a culturally inclusive and welcoming environment while honoring each client’s unique strengths and experiences. It means being aware of and open to different value systems, belief systems, languages, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and physical ability within a practice setting.
This could be achieved through various activities, such as increasing awareness of cultural diversity and educating staff and clients about cultural issues and how they may affect everyday practice. This cultural competence can improve patient outcomes, enhance preparation, and create a more equitable healthcare system.
Become a cultural expert
Becoming a cultural expert requires developing conscious and intentional knowledge, understanding, and awareness of the culture of the individuals and populations with whom the therapist works.
As a cultural expert, the therapist strives to work from an ethical, evidence-based, professional, and culturally appropriate framework to inform their practice and build meaningful relationships with diverse individuals and groups.
This requires self-examining values, beliefs, attitudes, and assumptions as well as understanding different cultures’ beliefs, roles, and values. To become a cultural expert, therapists must build awareness and knowledge of the politics of cultural differences and strive to create a safe and comfortable environment.
Participate in cultural competence training
Cultural competence training helps occupational therapists provide services with respect for and understanding the cultural values, beliefs, and practices of the adults or children they serve. This training can help occupational therapists to recognize and respect cultural differences, create culturally appropriate approaches and interventions, and foster more effective communication and collaboration with people of diverse cultures.
Occupational therapists can develop cultural humility, reflection, and awareness skills through this training. The training can help occupational therapists recognize their cultural practices and how those practices may influence their interactions with clients.
Participating in cultural competence training can be a rewarding experience that allows occupational therapists to better understand their culture and the people they serve.
Use culturally sensitive language
Cultural sensitivity is a way of speaking and communicating respectfully, considering the values, beliefs, and language of an individual’s culture and socio-economic background. Language is powerful and can be used to build connections and create understanding between different cultures.
Being culturally sensitive means using language respectfully and inclusively to communicate understanding and appreciation for cultural diversity. The use of culturally sensitive language can create a safe environment for clients of all backgrounds and foster a positive therapeutic relationship.
When practicing cultural competence through language, occupational therapists are better able to start conversations, understand the client’s values and beliefs, and meet their individual needs.
Adapt treatment approaches
Adapting treatment approaches refers to an OT’s ability to adjust treatment strategies best to fit the cultural background of each client. This can mean providing services with cultural sensitivity and respect for background values, beliefs, and customs, and involving the client in developing treatment goals, objectives, and outcome measurements. It also requires the OT to understand how the client’s culture affects their occupation demands and assess the cultural appropriateness of topics and activities for therapy sessions. The OT must be aware of potential barriers to treatment caused by cultural differences and adjust based on the level of trust and understanding they have developed with the client.
Utilize community resources
Utilizing community resources in occupational therapy practice is a powerful tool for understanding the unique issues faced by specific patient populations. Community resources can help build bridges between occupational therapists and their clients, fostering an understanding of patient groups’ unique social and economic backgrounds. Through this approach, occupational therapists can better understand their client’s diverse backgrounds and experiences, becoming more mindful of the implications of their treatment decisions.
Furthermore, community resources may provide occupational therapists access to specialized equipment that may not be available in the therapist’s practice or clinic. Building strong partnerships with community members and organizations is essential for providing quality care to the diverse populations encountered in practice.
Final thoughts
Cultural competence is essential for providing competent and ethical occupational therapy services to clients from diverse backgrounds. Occupational therapy practitioners must recognize their biases, view diversity as a benefit, and strive to build trusting relationships with clients.
Culturally competent practice requires practitioners to adjust interventions to ensure they remain meaningful and effective in meeting the unique needs of all clients. By engaging in ongoing education and professional development, learning to value diversity, and understanding the uniqueness of each client, occupational therapists can better meet the diverse needs of clients in occupational therapy practice.
