Culturally and Linguistically Competent
Culture is the lens we look through first to interpret the world around us. Cultural characteristics can include, but are not limited to: race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, education, age, socioeconomic status, religious beliefs and family customs.
In every community and culture, there are families and youth with firsthand experiences of trauma and related stresses. For others, the trauma experience may be indirect or more longstanding– intergenerational, intercultural or both.
Since 2001 refugees and immigrants from Somalia, Sudan, Togo, and Ghana, to name a few, have boosted the “New Mainers” population. In Lewiston as elsewhere, the rewards that follow the seeding and diligent nurturing of community diversity are showing. Click here to read more.
For a variety of cultural, religious, and/or linguistic reasons, newcomers and longtime residents alike may be reluctant to discuss mental health needs and services with providers.
Thrive trauma-informed trainings support service provider mindfulness, and tap the power of cultural awareness, as well as the individual and collective capacity for resiliency. Trainings incorporate the following principles to mitigate re-traumatization:
- Safety
- Trustworthiness
- Choice
- Collaboration
- Empowerment
- Language access
- Cultural competence
Thrive’s cultural and linguistic competency stems from early work with a local refugee and immigrant mental health collaborative now known as the Immigrant and Refugee Health and Wellness Group. Together they’ve developed a year-long Cultural and Linguistic Competency Training Series for educators and providers that is scheduled for launch in Spring 2010.
Other local collaborators that support cultural and linguistic competency; address health care disparities, and promote the use of indigenous values, beliefs and customs: the Maine Office of Minority Health, Portland Public Schools’ Multilingual Multicultural Center, and Culture InSight.
Thrive’s program director is a trained trainer through Culture Insight and provides leadership on cultural and linguistic competency in Maine.
