Assignment 1: Discussion—Cultural Competency
Developing diverse knowledge about other populations helps improve cultural competency. This competency can be developed through independent reading, attendance at relevant seminars, or supervision from professionals in the field with appropriate backgrounds. Cultural competency is important to the assessment process.
Review the American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics at the following:
American Counseling Association. (2005).
ACA code of ethics.
Retrieved from
http://www.counseling.org/Resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf
Respond to the following:
How would you define cultural competency?
Why is cultural competency important for substance abuse counselors?
How would you acquire this skill?
Which ACA ethics codes discuss cultural competency, and what measures should counselors take to prevent ethical code violations in these areas?
This week's topic is one that comes up often in psychology courses, and for good reason! We live in a country that is quite diverse culturally and even within cultures there are various levels of acculturation and other aspects that can cause differences even within a specific culture. By this point in your academic career you have undoubtedly studied important reasons for ensuring that our treatment is appropriate to various cultures. For this reason, I believe one of the most beneficial portions of this discussion for each of you may be the personal application question regarding how you will develop cultural competence. Understanding these issues is one important aspect (and don't leave these areas out of the discussion!) but what will mean the most for your career is how you will ensure that you develop these important skills. 
Support your responses using your module readings and authoritative resources. Incorporate theory and factual information in your response.
Write your initial response in 2–3 paragraphs. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.
By
Saturday, May 30, 2015
, post your response to the appropriate
Discussion Area
. Through
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
, review and comment on at least two peers’ responses. Comment on the points made by asking questions, providing clarifications, giving another point of view, challenging their views, or showing relationships between two or more points in the discussion.
All discussion assignments in this course will be graded using a rubric. Download the discussion rubric and carefully read it to understand the expectations.