Training ✕

✦Improve mental health support by training providers in culturally competent, language-accessible, patient-centered care.

One barrier to seeking mental health support can be a lack of culturally competent care. Culturally competent care occurs when a mental health provider understands how an individual’s cultural background, social experiences, and personal values may impact both how they view support and how they respond to treatment. One aspect of culturally competent care involves recognizing systemic and structural racism that can impact the accessibility and quality of care for certain communities. Other aspects include providing care in an individual’s preferred language and using therapeutic approaches that align with their personal and cultural beliefs. There are many ways culturally competent care can be implemented to improve an individual’s willingness to seek mental health support, including increasing diversity among providers, offering language-accessible services, and utilizing patient-centered approaches. For example, providers can use tools such as the Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) to better understand how a patient’s cultural identity and experiences influence their understanding of mental health and treatment. Many of the steps needed to achieve culturally competent care also connect to larger systemic issues, particularly the education and training of mental health professionals and the need for greater diversity within the field. Ensuring that individuals feel their mental health provider understands and respects how they experience and view the world could help reduce barriers to seeking professional support. I found a study (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9640880/?utm) that showed that 83% of participants highlighted that they felt it was important to have a provider of their own culture/race, as they felt the provider understood their perspective.