Upon first meeting my client, “John Littlebear”, which is not his real name, but I will call him that due to patient privacy laws, I noticed that he had Tribal Insurance, which meant he was from the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Browning, Montana. Therefore, I made sure I familiarized myself with the Blackfeet tribal customs before he arrived at the Sleep Center, ensuring I increased my cultural competency (Comstock et al., 2008). With this in mind, in order for social workers to effectively and ethically engage with clients and develop empowered relationships for change, we must first research our client’s background so we are respectful and culturally competent, but remain open, flexible and humble, exercising cultural humility and thus
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Utilizing personal journaling and guidance from my supervisor, I am able to readily recognize my biases, unintentional microaggressions and approach John from the “not knowing” position (Sue et al., 2007; Murphy & Dillon, 2015, p. 204). Equally, it is necessary that I apply introspection and extrospection to continually assess and adjust the power differentials within our relationship, ensuring that John is empowered (Murphy & Dillon, 2015). All of this, coupled with taking an outcomes approach to my care, I see that the other Native Americans I have worked with have returned for further assistance and are doing well with their treatments (Duncan, 2016). If this were not the case, or if these positive outcomes were to decline, further consideration of any racial biases and controlling cultural images I possess would need to be investigated (Murphy & Dillon, …show more content…
35). These include: being “warm and caring”, “a good listener”, “accepting and nonjudgmental”, “genuine”, “empathic”, “compassionate”, “respectful”, “culturally sensitive”, and “self-aware” (Murphy & Dillon, 2015, p. 35). Coupling these qualities with validation and affirming John’s strengths, e.g., “I can see this treatment is difficult for you, as it is rarely easy for anyone, and I commend your strength and tenacity to succeed,” and advocating for approval of John’s treatment through Tribal Insurance, I convey my genuine empathy and support of John (Murphy & Dillon, 2015). By advocating with and for John, I “acknowledge the impact of cultural forces and power differentials as a starting point in using empathy to build a more authentic, open, and mutually empathetic relationship” (Surrey et al., 1990, as cited in Freedberg, 2007, p. 257). Not to be minimized, I must engage in “affective resonance”, or the “ability to feel deeply “with” the other person”, i.e., feeling John’s pain from powerlessness, oppression, racism and his struggles with the new treatment (Hartling & Littlefield, n.d., as cited in Freedberg, 2007, p. 255). Of course, this exemplifies how we begin to collaboratively build our
Utilizing personal journaling and guidance from my supervisor, I am able to readily recognize my biases, unintentional microaggressions and approach John from the “not knowing” position (Sue et al., 2007; Murphy & Dillon, 2015, p. 204). Equally, it is necessary that I apply introspection and extrospection to continually assess and adjust the power differentials within our relationship, ensuring that John is empowered (Murphy & Dillon, 2015). All of this, coupled with taking an outcomes approach to my care, I see that the other Native Americans I have worked with have returned for further assistance and are doing well with their treatments (Duncan, 2016). If this were not the case, or if these positive outcomes were to decline, further consideration of any racial biases and controlling cultural images I possess would need to be investigated (Murphy & Dillon, …show more content…
35). These include: being “warm and caring”, “a good listener”, “accepting and nonjudgmental”, “genuine”, “empathic”, “compassionate”, “respectful”, “culturally sensitive”, and “self-aware” (Murphy & Dillon, 2015, p. 35). Coupling these qualities with validation and affirming John’s strengths, e.g., “I can see this treatment is difficult for you, as it is rarely easy for anyone, and I commend your strength and tenacity to succeed,” and advocating for approval of John’s treatment through Tribal Insurance, I convey my genuine empathy and support of John (Murphy & Dillon, 2015). By advocating with and for John, I “acknowledge the impact of cultural forces and power differentials as a starting point in using empathy to build a more authentic, open, and mutually empathetic relationship” (Surrey et al., 1990, as cited in Freedberg, 2007, p. 257). Not to be minimized, I must engage in “affective resonance”, or the “ability to feel deeply “with” the other person”, i.e., feeling John’s pain from powerlessness, oppression, racism and his struggles with the new treatment (Hartling & Littlefield, n.d., as cited in Freedberg, 2007, p. 255). Of course, this exemplifies how we begin to collaboratively build our