Cultural awareness in psychodynamic practice

Culture is the integrated pattern of human behavior that includes thoughts, communications, actions, customs, beliefs, values, and institutions of a racial, ethnic, religious, or social group. We must keep in mind that everyone is part of multiple cultural orientations. As therapists, we must recognize the heterogeneity within cultures and the commonalities that exist across cultures. Recognizing these differences will enable us to unpack some of the cultural assumptions that exist about the self, identity, relationships, and the expression of emotion. Ultimately, our effectiveness as therapists here in the United States or abroad depends on our cultural competence.

Dr. Corbin, a social worker who is trained in family therapy, is professor and incoming codirector of the doctoral program at Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass. She is the editor of "Children and Families Affected by Armed Conflicts in Africa – Implications and Strategies for Helping Professionals in the United States" (Washington: NASW Press, 2012). Her commentary is based on remarks she made during a presentation at the 21st annual research conference of the Consortium for Psychodynamic Research Inc. The conference, titled "Cultural Awareness in Psychodynamic Practice," was jointly sponsored by the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry; the American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work; and Washington Professionals for the Study of Psychoanalysis, a local chapter of the Division of Psychoanalysis of the American Psychological Association. The discussants were Maurine Kelly, Ph.D., and Dr. Silvia Olarte.