Abstract
The authors have proposed incorporating the concept of cultural humility to achieve better recovery outcomes. While agencies have mandated staff training in cultural competence, health outcomes have not shown promising results. Given the shortcomings of cultural competence training, cultural humility is being suggested as a complementary approach. When providers adopt cultural humility into their interactions with service users, it encompasses underlying principles and values consistent with recovery-oriented practices. Cultural humility addresses power imbalances and emphasizes ongoing self-reflection and openness to interpersonal relationships. The authors believe that embracing cultural humility will promote dignity and respect, create a culture of collaboration and partnership, acknowledge the uniqueness of each individual, enhance person-centered care, and foster self-determination and autonomy. The application of a cultural humility lens can promote a recovery-oriented culture within mental health services, and it is the responsibility of providers to actively cultivate cultural humility. Overall, cultural humility presents new opportunities for practice, and its adoption may be a key factor in promoting a recovery-oriented culture within mental health services.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beach, M. C., Price, E. G., Gary, T. L., Robinson, K. A., Gozu, A., Palacio, A., Smarth, C., Jenckes, M. W., Feuerstein, C., Bass, E. B., Powe, N. R., & Cooper, L. A. (2005). Cultural competence: A systematic review of Health Care Provider Educational Interventions. Medical Care, 43(4), 356–373. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.mlr.0000156861.58905.96
Foronda, C., Baptiste, D. L., Reinholdt, M. M., & Ousman, K. (2016). Cultural Humility: A Concept Analysis. Journal of Transcultural Nursing: Official Journal of the Transcultural Nursing Society, 27(3), 210–217. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043659615592677
Foronda, C., Porter, A., & Phitwong, A. (2021). Psychometric testing of an instrument to measure cultural humility. Journal of Transcultural Nursing: Official Journal of the Transcultural Nursing Society, 32(4), 399–404. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043659620950420
Gonzalez, E., Sperandio, K. R., Mullen, P. R., & Tuazon, V. E. (2021). Development and initial testing of the Multidimensional Cultural Humility Scale. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 54(1), 56–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481756.2020.1745648
Gottlieb, M. (2021). The case for a Cultural Humility Framework in Social Work Practice. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 30(6), 463–481. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313204.2020.1753615
Karmali, K., Grobovsky, L., Levy, J., & Keatings, M. (2011). Enhancing cultural competence for improved access to quality care. Healthcare Quarterly (Toronto, Ont.), 14(3), 52–57. https://doi.org/10.12927/hcq.2011.22578
Lekas, H. M., Pahl, K., & Fuller Lewis, C. (2020). Rethinking Cultural competence: Shifting to Cultural Humility. Health Services Insights, 13, 117863292097058. https://doi.org/10.1177/1178632920970580
Levin-Zamir, D., Keret, S., Yaakovson, O., Lev, B., Kay, C., Verber, G., & Lieberman, N. (2011). Refuah Shlema: A cross-cultural programme for promoting communication and health among Ethiopian immigrants in the primary health care setting in Israel: Evidence and lessons learned from over a decade of implementation. Global Health Promotion, 18(1), 51–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/1757975910393172
Tervalon, M., & Murray-García, J. (1998). Cultural Humility Versus Cultural competence: A critical distinction in defining physician training outcomes in Multicultural Education. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 9(2), 117–125. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2010.0233
Truong, M., Paradies, Y., & Priest, N. (2014). Interventions to improve cultural competency in healthcare: A systematic review of reviews. BMC Health Services Research, 14(1), 99. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-14-99
U.S Department of Health & Human Services. (2013). National standards for culturally and linguistically appropriate services in health and health care. https://thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/assets/pdfs/EnhancedNationalCLASStandards.pdf
Watt, K., Abbott, P., & Reath, J. (2016). Developing cultural competence in general practitioners: An integrative review of the literature. BMC Family Practice, 17(1), 158. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-016-0560-6
Yancu, C. N., & Farmer, D. F. (2017). Product or Process: Cultural Competence or Cultural Humility? Palliative Medicine and Hospice Care - Open Journal, 3(1), e1–e4. https://doi.org/10.17140/PMHCOJ-3-e005
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Tham, S.S., Solomon, P. Practicing Cultural Humility Will Achieve Recovery-oriented Mental Health Practice and Service Delivery. Adm Policy Ment Health 51, 10–13 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-023-01307-5
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-023-01307-5