National Center for Effective Mental Halth Consultation
   

Cultural and Linguistic Competence and Consultation

For the purposes of this tutorial, cultural competence is defined as a set of values and principles, behaviors, attitudes, policies, and practices that enable early childhood mental health consultants to work effectively in cross-cultural situations. Linguistic competence is the capacity to convey information in a manner that is easily understood by children, families, and program staff from diverse backgrounds and abilities including persons of limited English proficiency and low literacy skills (adapted from the National Center for Cultural Competence)

Others have described cultural competence as a dynamic process in which the effective consultant is able to engage respectfully, reciprocally, and responsively with children, families, and staff in ways that acknowledge the richness and the boundaries of families', staff's, and practitioners' socio-cultural contexts (Barrera & Kramer, 1997). Day and Parlakian (2003) describe this achievement as "cultural reciprocity": building strong working relationships with children, families, and staff by examining cultural differences, communicating and establishing a shared understanding, and achieving agreeable collaboration.

« BACK

NEXT »

 

Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size Back to Top Print
Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development National Center for Effective Mental Health Consultation