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ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY
GRADUATESCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
PSY 627 SYLLABUS AND SCHEDULE
DEPARTMENT:
Psychology
COURSE NAME:
Cultural Diversity in Psychological Service Delivery
COURSE NUMBER:
PSY 627
PREREQUISITE SKILLS:
Willingness to share, look critically at self, and step outside the comfort range and security of one’s own culture, values, beliefs, attitudes and personal opinions.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
PSY 627 is a course that provides an opportunity to develop one’s “cultural” competency in providing general psychological services to members of diverse populations that include racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, religious, social status, and other groups. The use of the term culture, in this course, thus encompasses a broad spectrum regarding the idea of diversity and is not intended to be limited to individuals from countries other than the U.S. Indeed, the definition of culture for the purposes of this course includes any aspect of an individual’s personal experiences and background which has shaped them, their beliefs, their attitudes, their values, and any other learned or acquired trait that may affect the manner in which they provide psychological services to individuals with beliefs, attitudes, and values different from their own.
The course will provide direct instruction and a concerted focus on how cultural diversity and cultural issues play a part in psychological service delivery with particular emphasis on the distinct levels where diversity directly and indirectly affects the role and decision-making process of a psychologist.A key component of the training involves deliberate and critical examination of the sources of one’s own personal and cultural biases and how these influence the manner in which services may be delivered to individuals and families from backgrounds different than that of the service provider. Because the family generally plays the major role in determining the ultimate development of individual’s beliefs, attitudes, and values, a focus on the family and society is maintained throughout the course, both in terms of understanding the dynamics of the home and familial interactions andthe interactions with society that ultimately shape one’s own beliefs, attitudes, and values.
The course is designed as a central component of the training required under the domain of cultural competence for psychologists in APA accredited programs and follows the precepts listed in APA’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (2002) as well as NASP’s Professional Conduct Manual—Guidelines for the Provision of School Psychological Services. The foundation of the course and its objectives are exemplified in the following statement:
“School psychologists recognize (in themselves and others and in the techniques and instruments that they use for assessment and intervention) the subtle racial, class, gender, and cultural biases they may bring to their work and they way these biases influence decision making….School psychologists work to reduce and eliminate these biases when they occur” (Practice Guideline 5.2; NASP Professional Conduct Manual, 2002).
CREDIT:
3 Credits
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:
The main goal of this course is to facilitate the development of knowledge regarding the manner in which one’s own culture, values, beliefs, and attitudes affect the provision of psychological services to diverse individuals and familiesand the ability to pre-empt or work through personal biases and pre-conceived ideas. Specific areas of service delivery where cultural competence will be developed includes assessment, therapy and counseling, consultation, and intervention.
Becoming culturally competent through readings and lectures alone is insufficient to build a true, solid foundation in cultural competence. Consequently, the goals and objectives of the course will be engendered less by traditional didactic training methods and more through an experiential approach that begins with recognition of the “culture” within the classroom setting itself, identification of cultural dynamics present within the classroom, and frank and open discussion of personal cultural dynamics of the instructor and students. These objectives require critical self-reflection and significant internal exploration of one’s own culture along with an attitude open to accepting differences between oneself and others and recognition of both positive and negative aspects of one’s own culture.
The following list of instructional objectives are targeted toward the development of a foundation in cultural competency that supports effective and appropriate psychological service delivery. Instruction will assist students in developing appropriate levels of competency in:
1. Being aware of one’s own culture, values, beliefs, and attitudes and how they affect aspects of general psychological service delivery.
2. Recognizing issues that relate to cultural differences in psychological service delivery whenever they arise and not inadvertently attribute them to other causes.
3. Knowing what steps are appropriate to take when a cultural issue has been recognized in the provision of psychological services.
4. Reducing personal biases as they might affect objectivity, professional judgment, and delivery of services.
5. Providing culturally responsive assessment, counseling, consultation, and intervention services.
6. Understanding the dynamics of the family system and its interaction with society in general on the development of behavior and learning in the school setting.
COURSE TOPICS:
1. Overview of cultural issues, ethical standards and practice guidelines required of psychologists in the provision of psychological services to diverse populations.
2. Exploration and discussion of the impact of U.S. mainstream culture as the dominant culture in which psychologists live and work.
3. Definitions of culture and relationship to diversity in experience and background, including poverty, SES, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, disability, etc.
4. Racism and society, racism and education, institutionalized racism, legacy and continuing effects of racism in society.
5. The dynamics of family and community systems, the concept of culture and its impact on development and learning.
6. Cultural competence in therapy and counseling.
7. Cultural competence in nondiscriminatory assessment methods and techniques.
8. Cultural competence in consultation, intervention, and change agentry.
9.Recognition of the importance of cultural differences and how they might affect the perception and reception of psychological services.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
1. Class participation. Emphasis on learning in this course comes from the participatory nature of the instructional format and the need for shared self-reflection and insight.
2. Readings. Students are expected to read all assigned material and complete the requirements for the two required texts. Knowledge gained from such readings should be infused in discussions that arise in class.
3. Culture-Learning Activity and Reflection Paper. Consistent with the goals of this course and the mission of St. John’sUniversity mission, students will be expected to participate in a learning exercise of their own choosing and which is conducted in a manner that provides exposure to individuals from a culture different than that of the student’s own. The exercise must extend for a minimum of 2 hours and summarized in a reflection paper submitted afterward which is due according to the course schedule. Questions regarding activities that may or may not be suitable for meeting this requirement should be discussed with the instructor to ensure suitability and appropriateness.
4.Self-Culture Presentation. Students will be expected to develop and present to the class, a presentation that focuses on who they are, where they came from, and how they got to be who they are—that is, on their own personal culture and influences and the people, events, objects, and experiences that formed their cultural upbringing. The presentations will begin by focusing on a “shallow” characteristic with subsequent presentations becoming deeper in terms of personal values and beliefs and culminating in a final presentation that focuses specifically on the influence of the home. The presentations will utilize a “pecha kucha” Powerpoint format which begins with a set 20 slides that are timed for 20 seconds each. The slides and timing increase slightly as the presentations move forward. The purpose of the presentations is to provide an opportunity to engage in self-reflection and present one’s views, beliefs, opinions, attitudes, and especially biases as well as the unique cultural experiences and influences that shaped their formation. Risk taking in terms of honesty and a willingness to open up on issues that are often difficult or very private is strongly encouraged. Students will be expected to answer questions that might arise and to facilitate and lead discussions about the formation of their values, beliefs, attitudes, and biases as presented. Note that the final exam for the course will constitute the final or third “pecha kucha” presentation as described above. The Self-Culture Presentation reflection paper requirement above must also be based on this final presentation as it represents the culmination of the learning activities in the course and should best inform one’s development in understanding and managing cultural diversity.
5. Final Self-Culture Presentation Reflection Paper. In conjunction with the Self-Culture Presentation, students will write a paper describing their thoughts and feelings regarding the influence of a particularly significant life event or experience which was rooted in culture and which has had a lasting influence in shaping one’s beliefs, attitudes, values, and world view. In addition, a connection should be made regarding the manner in which the event or experience is likely to influence personally the delivery of psychological services. Creativity in expressing the impact on one’s development is appreciated. The paper may be written in any style or format and of any length and is due no later than the last day of class.
EVALUATION OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE AND ASSIGNMENT OF GRADES:
Grade of A will be assigned when ALL of the following are met:
1)consistent and pro-active participation in all class discussions and activities
2)completion of selected readings as evidenced by content and contributions to discussions
3)completion of the Culture-Learning Activity and accompanying Reflection Paper
4)completion and presentation of all three Self-Culture Presentations in accordance with specified requirements
5)completion and submission of the Self-Culture Reflection Paper in accordance with specified requirements
Grade of B will be assigned when:
1)only fourof the requirements under “Grade of A” have been fully met
Grade of C will be assigned when:
2)only three or less of the five requirements under “Grade of A” have been fully met
RECOMMENDEDREADINGS:
Lynch, E. W., & Hanson, M. J. (Eds.). (2004). Developing cross-cultural competence: A guide for working with young children and their families. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing
This updated version continues the same tradition of excellence in providing practitioners with information and guidance on providing culturally competent services to diverse children and families. It remains the number one resources for school psychologists on this topic. Part I introduces issues regarding provision of services to diverse families with a focus on developing intercultural effectiveness. Part II describes the history, values, and beliefs of the major cultural and ethnic groups in the United States. Part III offers suggestions and recommendations for working with diverse families.
Helms, J. E. & Cook, D. A. (1999). Using race and culture in counseling and psychotherapy: Theory and process.Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Unlike many other “chapter” books where you get a lot of information about stereotypical traits of various races or ethnicities under the guise of culture, this book deals with universal cultural issues as they might pertain to interactions between any therapist and client, and is not specific to any particular race or ethnicity. It does cover race in general but also pays attention to particular cultural issues such as themes, dynamics, and nuances that are involved in the therapeutic process. It’s an ideal book for anyone interested in becoming culturally competent and looking to apply that competence within a clinical, intervention setting.
McGoldrick, M., Giordano, J., & Garcia-Prieto, N. (2005). Ethnicity and family therapy. New York: Guilford Press.
Although geared primarily toward counseling and therapy services, the information embedded in this volume nevertheless is a solid reference for culturally relevant information about practices with individuals from over 40 different ethnic groups. However, it should be noted that such focus on “ethnic traits” tends to be stereotypical and moves the focus away from “culture” as the defining variable in the counseling process. Nonetheless, in addition to discussing how various assumptions influence the relationship between the service provider and various ethnic groups, it also examines the patterns of parent-child and multi-generational relationships. Based on this information, a variety of culturally informed applications are recommended.
Leigh, J. W. (1998). Communicating for cultural competence. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
This book is predominantly geared toward social work practice. Nevertheless, both the information and the strategies offered for developing cultural competence are equally applicable to the school psychologist. There are excellent exercises and materials within that make it a very useful tool for advancing one’s own competency.
Other readings for discussion will be copied and distributed in class as appropriate.
COURSE SCHEDULE AND OUTLINE:
Date / Topic / ReadingsJune11 / Introduction to the course, personal introductions and sharing cultural perspectives.
June 12
early start / Developing Cultural Competency in School Psychology Service Delivery Part 1: Standards, Ethics, and Guidelines—School psychologists as cultural practitioners. / Ethics Article(Gallardo)
Chapter – Learning and Behavioral Challenges: Issues unique to ELLs(Ortiz & Dynda)
June 13
early start / Developing Cultural Competency in School Psychology Service Delivery Part 2: Culturally responsive pre-referral processes—School psychologists as cultural mediators. / Chapter – Multicultural Issues in Crisis Intervention(Ortiz & Voutsinas)
June 18 / Cultural Explorations - Understanding one's personal influences
Understanding the role of power and privilege, racism and society, racism and education, over-representation in special education. / Beverly Greene quote
June19
early start / Self-culture Presentation – Dr. Ortiz; dealing with “stuff” – self reflection and cultural awareness as the initial step toward culturally competent service delivery.
Pecha Kucha Presentation - Dr. Ortiz / BP Chapter – Working with CLD Children and Families (Ortiz, Flanagan, Alfonso, & Dynda)
June20
early start / Student Pecha Kucha Presentations – self-culture (surface) / Due: Culture-Learning Reflection Paper
June25 / Developing Cultural Competency in School Psychology Service Delivery Part 3: Ethnocentrism, Self-Identity, and Personal Culture—School psychologists as cultural advocates. / Chapter – Educational Interventions with CLD Students (Ortiz)
June26
early start / Student Pecha Kucha Presentation – self-culture (deeper) / JCD articles online
June27
early start / Student Pecha Kucha Presentation – self-culture (deeper) / JCD articles online
July 2 / Developing Cultural Competency in School Psychology Service Delivery Part 4: Culturally responsive response-to-intervention processes—School psychologists as cultural interventionists. / JCD articles online
July 8
early start / Final Exam - Student Pecha Kucha Presentation – self-culture (broader) / JCD articles online
July 9
early start / Final Exam - Student Pecha Kucha Presentation – self-culture (broader) / Due: Self-Culture Reflection Paper