Multicultural and Spiritual Proficiency

1
Multicultural and Spiritual Proficiency By
Melissa E. Riley
2
Cultural and Spiritual Proficiency Model
Application to Tribal Programs

• Introduction
• An organization who works with minorities has
  many challenges. Challenges include the ability
  to communicate effectively despite any language
  barriers, understanding cultural beliefs and
  values, and other issues that may slow or hinder
  the process of effective service delivery in
  victims services and collaborations with
  faith-based organizations.

3
Objectives

• To provide the forum participants with the
  relevancy of cultural proficiency in Counseling
  Crime Victims in Indian Country.
• To provide the forum participants with the
  relevancy of understanding faith development.
• To provide the forum participants a connection
  between cultural proficiency and understanding
  individual faith development.

4
What is cultural proficiency?

• Cultural Proficiency is characterized by holding
  culture in high esteem.
• Cultural proficient providers and systems seek to
  do more than provide unbiased care because the
  value the positive role culture can play in a
  persons health and well-being.
• Cultural proficient agencies seek to add to the
  knowledge base of culturally-competent practices
  by adding several approaches to working with
  clients based on culture.
• Goal of cultural proficiency is to help stop the
  gap of services, especially in the role of
  advocacy. This can be done even if you dont
  speak the same language of your client.
• How can this be?
• Advocacy or human services roles need to be user
  friendly when being accessed.

5
Cultural Cyclic Continuum
6
Cyclic Continuum

• Cultural Destructiveness The most negative in
  the continuum is represented by attitudes,
  policies, and practices that are destructive to
  cultures and the individuals within these
  cultures.
• A system of which adheres to a destructive
  extreme assumes that one race or culture is
  superior and should eradicate lesser cultures
  because of their perceived subhuman condition.
• Bigotry coupled with vast power allows the
  dominant group to disenfranchise, control,
  exploit, or systematically destroy the less
  powerful population.

7
Cyclic Continuum (cont.)

• Cultural Incapacity Occurs when agencies do not
  intentionally seek to be culturally destructive
  but rather have no capacity to help clients from
  different cultures.
• The system remains extremely biased, believes in
  the superiority of the dominant group, and
  assumes a paternal posture towards lesser
  groups. Such agencies may act in a negative
  manner by enforcing policies which deny services
  to people and maintain stereotypes.
• Such agencies are often characterized by
  ignorance and an unrealistic fear of people who
  are different.
• (Example A domestic violence survivor is sent
  away from a Hospital in Albuquerque and referred
  to Indian Health Services.)

8
Cyclic Continuum (cont.)

• Cultural Blindness Cultural blindness is the
  pre-dominant system in place today, and it
  involves agencies and organizations providing
  services with the express philosophy of being
  unbiased.
• They function with the belief that color or
  culture makes no difference and that all people
  are the same. Culturally blind agencies are
  characterized by the belief that all helping
  approaches traditionally used are universally
  applicable.
• If the system works as it should, all people
  regardless of race or culture- will be served
  with equal effectiveness. Consequences of such
  beliefs, can often camouflage the reality of
  ethnocentrism as to render them useless to all
  but the most assimilated people from other
  cultures.
• Example of cultural blindness was the use of the
  light tan bandage that was used for many years
  and was marketed to hospitals as flesh colored.
  It may have been flesh colored, but only to fair
  skinned people.

9
Cyclic Continuum (cont.)

• Cultural Pre-Competence This portion of the
  continuum is moving in a positive direction in
  providing services.
• The pre-competent agency realizes its weakness in
  serving communities and attempts to improve some
  aspect of its services to specific populations.
• Pre-competent agencies are characterized by a
  desire to deliver high quality, cost effective
  services and has a commitment to an individuals
  culture.
• Cultural pre-competence promotes hiring staff who
  reflect a different culture, exploring how to
  reach underserved populations in their service
  areas, offering training for their workers on
  cultural sensitivity, conducting needs
  assessments concerning racial and ethnic
  communities, and recruiting diverse individuals
  for their board of directors or advisory
  committees.

10
Cyclic Continuum (cont.)

• Cultural Pre-Competence This portion of the
  continuum is moving in a positive direction in
  providing services.
• The pre-competent agency realizes its weakness in
  serving communities and attempts to improve some
  aspect of its services to specific populations.
• Pre-competent agencies are characterized by a
  desire to deliver high quality, cost effective
  services and has a commitment to an individuals
  culture.
• Cultural pre-competence promotes hiring staff who
  reflect a different culture, exploring how to
  reach underserved populations in their service
  areas, offering training for their workers on
  cultural sensitivity, conducting needs
  assessments concerning racial and ethnic
  communities, and recruiting diverse individuals
  for their board of directors or advisory
  committees.

11
Cyclic Continuum (cont.)

• Culturally competent agencies are characterized
  by acceptance of and respect for difference,
  continuing self-assessment regarding culture,
  careful attention to the dynamics of differences,
  continuous expansion of cultural knowledge and
  resources, and adaptations of service models.
• Culturally competent agencies work to hire
  unbiased employees and seek advice and
  consultation from their clients
• They seek staff who represent the racial and
  ethnic communities being served and whose
  self-analysis of their role has left them
  committed to their community and capable of
  negotiating a diverse and multicultural world.
  Culturally competent agencies understand the
  interplay between policy and practice, and are
  committed to policies that enhance services to
  diverse clientele.

12
Cyclic Continuum (cont.)

• Cultural Proficiency is the most positive end of
  the cycle, it is like 12 noon, High Noon, the end
  of the road..A cultural proficient agency is
  characterized has holding culture in high esteem.
  They seek to do more than provide unbiased care
  as they value the positive role culture can play
  in a persons health and well-being. These
  agencies are expansive, advocating for cultural
  proficiency and improved relations in the
  cultures throughout society.
• Why are these concepts important in providing
  services to the intended clientele?
• You need to have the skills and abilities to
  reach clientele in a crisis situation, when they
  proactively accessing services, or perusing
  services in the community (whats out there for
  me or others?).

13
Cyclic Continuum (cont.)

• 1. Reduces the possibility of not reaching the
  client.
• 2. Offering support will be less difficult for a
  person seeking services and the helper.
• 3. Expression of feelings will not be
  discouraged.
• 4. Cultural Proficiency allows a helper to focus
  on the clients strengths.
• 5. A helper can offer useful information to a
  client.
• 6. A helper can help establish goals for a client
  that are realistic and culturally sensitive and
  useful.
• 7. ADVOCACY IS STRONGER!

14
NGUNGUNNNGU

• Never give up, never give up, never, never, never
  give up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Unknown Author

15
Stages of Faith and Spirituality and Its
Importance in Faith-Based Organizations

• James Fowler introduced a theory titled
• Stages of Faith in the 1950s. Fowlers Theory
  of faith development had reached recognition by
  the formulation of ideas that human experiences
  and intellectual belief combined formed faith.
  Fowlers Theorys are also recognizing other
  theorists concepts such as Erik Erikson, Jean
  Piaget, and Lawrence Kohlberg.

16
Stages of Faith (cont.)

• Stage 1 Intuitive/Projective Faith
• Age groups this stage is identified with are
  between 2 and 6 years old. Fantasy and
  imagination are a part of this stage.
• Stage 2 Mythic/Literal Faith
• Children develop new ways of dealing with
  their surroundings and develop meaning to the
  imagination that is at stage 1.
• Literal meaning of faith at this stage comes
  from what is seen such as symbols (eg. Sign of
  the cross, church steeple, appearance of
  ministers) In this stage the translation maybe
  that if you see a building with a crossit must
  be a church.

17
Stages of Faith (cont.)

• Stage 3 Synthetic/Conventional Faith
• This stage begins to rise at around 12 years
  old. This is a complex stage because it is
  bringing together images and values to create one
  meaning.
• Stage 4 Individuative/Projective Faith
• This stage involved getting out of the group,
  and going on your own to reflect. This stage can
  begin for an individual as early as 17 years old
  and as late as their 30s. Example A fish
  jumping out of the fish tank and reflect back at
  the fish tank. Individuals are working hard to
  get their identity and surroundings clear. There
  is more meaning to ones self and environment.

18
Stages of Faith (cont.)

• Stage 5 Conjunctive Faith
• This stage involves a person being able to
  ponder lifes truth more and may have revelations
  that truth has many meanings. We can form
  allegiances with God or a higher power and
  examine our commitments and beliefs. This stage
  is projected around the ages of 35-40 years old.
• Stage 6 Universalizing Faith
• This stage involves feeling at one with God.
  People invest their lives in a larger cause
  without being concerned by the personal cost.

19
Native American Spiritual Development
Historical Factors that impact Native American/
Alaska Native Spiritual Development

• The origin of each band or tribe and present
  location has given breath into the spirituality
  of an individual.
• United STATes infringement on tribal issues as in
  Crow Dog, Ex parte (109, US 556) Crow Dog
  murdered Spotted Tail on the Brule Reservation in
  the 1800s after their Treaty was signed with the
  U.S. Government. This case led to further
  intervention by the U.S. Government for tribal
  systems to resolve crimes with
  traditional/spiritual means.
• Cherokee nation v. Georgia 1831, the U.S.
  Government considered the Cherokee as a
  dependent and wards of the federal
  government and the Federal Government could now
  interpret and exercise authority over all of the
  Cherokee Nations. Dependency was on food all the
  way to political rights.

20
Historical Factors (cont.)

• Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock (1903), was a case that
  contained as that in this matter the United
  States would be governed b such considerations of
  justice as would control a Christian people in
  their treatment of an ignorant and dependent
  race. This case states more to the effect that
  natives were unappreciative of their being and
  political position in the government.
• These are merely examples of the impact of
  political decisions and treaties have made on the
  overall structure of indigenous people and
  community.

21
Native Spiritual Development

• Tribal rituals were not governed by a church, but
  governed by the leader or the chief. The leaders
  responsibility was not only for political,
  social, or legal issues but also for spiritual
  practices.
• Many tribes talked with each other through
  sign-talk about spiritual concepts. Pointing to
  the sky was pointing to the heavens, pointing to
  the land and surroundings was mother earth, the
  hand held to the heart was feeling or holding
  something close and dear to the heart.
• God is Red By Vine Deloria, Jr.
• Before Birth, Infancy, Childhood, Adulthood
  What did we hear, carry, and live.
• Interpretation of events in the life of Native
  Americans.
• Living a life of Native Spirituality and
  Christianity
• Looking for a common place, a common belief
• The after life

22
Why Spirituality and Victim Crime Services?

• How do we interpret being a victim?
• Definition and view of faith and religion?
• What role do they play in assistance to crime
  victims?
• What are ones core beliefs and those of his or
  her organization? Ex. Are people convinced of the
  honesty of the golden rule, do unto others, and
  what does that mean in regards to how they will
  help a crime victim?

23
Why Spirituality and Victim Crime Services?
(cont.)

• What is the Audiences definition of
• Crime victim
• Faith-based
• Religion
• Spirituality
• Traditional healing
• What about the notion of Indians as crime
  victims?
• Do the participants see themselves and the crime
  victims as victims?
• What does it mean to be a victim?

24
Conclusion

• Cultural Proficiency is a Necessity to effective
  Crime Victims Services.
• Faith Development in individuals is a concept to
  understand to relate to victims self-perception
  of themselves and reasons why they have been
  victimized.
• Making the connection between Faith and victims
  services is critical to effectively support the
  spiritual needs of victims.
• victims need our understanding, support, and
  respect.

25
Bibliography

• Barsh, R. L., Henderson, J. Y. (1980). The Road
  Indian Tribes and Political Liberty. Berkeley Los
  Angeles University of California Press.
• Basso, Keith H. (1996). Wisdom Sits in Places
  Landscape and Language Among the Western Apache.
  Albuquerque University of New Mexico Press.
• Hultkrantz, Ake. (1980). The Religions Of The
  American Indians. Berkeley Los Angeles London
  University of California Press.
• Lewis, Bonnie S. (2003). Creating Christian
  Indians Native Clergy in the Presbyterian Church.
  Norman University of Oklahoma Press.
• McKenzie, James F., Pinger, R. Robert, Kotecki,
  James E. (2001). An Introduction to Community
  Health, 4th Edition. Sudbury Jones Bartlett.
• Molina, Carlos, Aguirre-Molina, Marilyn,
  Zambrana, Ruth Enid. (2001). Health Issues In The
  Latino Community. San Francisco Jossey-Bass.
• Ponterotto, Joseph G., Casas, Manuel J., Suzuki,
  Lisa A., Alexander, Charlene M. (2001). Handbook
  of Multicultural Counseling, 2nd Edition.
  Thousand Oaks Sage Publishing.
• Treat, James, Ed. (1996). Native and Christian
  Indigenous Voices on Religious Identity In The
  United States and Canada. New York and London
  Routledge.
• Underhill, Ruth M. (1965). Red Mans Religion.
  Chicago London The University of Chicago
  Press.
• Zastrow, Charles, Kirst-Ashman, Karen K. (2001).
  Understanding Human Behavior And The Social
  Environment, 5th Edition. Stamford Wadsworth.