Culture in Clinical Care : Strategies for Competence

Culture in Clinical Care: Strategies for Competence explores theory and practice to define and describe the multidimensional nature of culture and its interaction with an individual’s experience in the development of beliefs, values, and behavior. The newly updated Second Edition examines cultural beliefs related to health and wellness and how these beliefs and their associated actions affect intervention strategies.

Based on ethnographic methods, strategies for culturally sensitive assessment and intervention are defined and illustrated, with ample opportunities for reflection and practice. Going beyond traditional fact-centered and attitude-centered approaches, Culture in Clinical Care, Second Edition describes the ways in which culture emerges as individuals interact with each other in physical and social environments.

This one-of-a-kind text by Dr. Bette Bonder and Dr. Laura Martin provides health care practitioners and students with chapter objectives, critical thinking questions, interdisciplinary case studies and examples, numerous activities to build observation and interaction skills, comprehensive references and online resources, and images. The book’s organization emphasizes practice and reflection by interweaving theory, examples, and continuous hands-on application of concepts. Readers have the opportunity to practice what they are learning and evaluate their own effectiveness while being constantly reminded that all individuals in any interaction embody numerous cultural influences.

Benefits of the updated Second Edition:
• Training and practice in ethnographic methods that build awareness and skill
• Numerous examples, exercises, and activities for reflection and observation
• Interdisciplinary approach suitable for cross-disciplinary teaching contexts
• Definition of health care professions themselves as cultures
• Web and bibliographic resources
• Case studies involving a wide range of practitioner disciplines and cultural groups

Culture in Clinical Care: Strategies for Competence, Second Edition fills a niche in health professions programs because of its combined emphasis on a theoretical foundation that highlights the individual as a cultural actor and on practical strategies and methods for clinical interventions.

Instructors in educational settings can visit www.efacultylounge.com for additional material to be used in the classroom, including a sample syllabus.

Occupational therapists, physicians, physician assistants, mental health professionals, and a variety of related health professionals will benefit from this interactive, interdisciplinary text.

Bette R. Bonder, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, Professor of Health Sciences and Psychology at Cleveland State University, is an occupational therapist and psychologist with experience working with individuals from diverse backgrounds in mental health, gerontology, and developmental disabilities. She is currently serving as Special Assistant to the Dean of the College of Sciences and Health Professions for the NEOMED-CSU Partnership, a project that is directly applying some of the lessons found in this book. 

Laura Martin, PhD, is Emerita Professor at Cleveland State University where she held multiple faculty appointments and served as Associate Dean, Anthropology Department Chair, and Director of a long-running public education program on Mayan culture. Trained as an anthropological linguist, she has taught and done research across several disciplines and has engaged in collaborative projects on topics ranging from anthropology and conservation biology to art history and migrant education. She held a Fulbright Fellowship in 2004 and has conducted workshops for teachers, health professionals, and researchers in the United States, Guatemala, and Mexico. She is currently a docent at the Cleveland Museum of Art, involved in a series of ongoing projects that combine art and medicine, and exhibits as a book artist.

Dedication Acknowledgments About the Authors Preface Foreword by Ashwini Sehgal, MD Prologue Chapter 1 Introduction: Defining Culture and Cultural Competence Chapter 2 Understanding Culture Chapter 3 Distinguishing the Cultural and the Social Chapter 4 Identifying the Personal Within the Cultural Chapter 5 Appreciating the Role of Culture in Health Care Chapter 6 Recognizing Cultural Differences: Lessons from Ethnography Chapter 7 Negotiating Cultural Differences in Working with Clients Chapter 8 Evaluating Clients and Designing Interventions in a Diverse World Chapter 9 Assessing Intercultural Interactions and Interventions Index