Cultural Responsiveness in Personal & Professional Practice

Cultural Responsiveness

Individuals, particularly those who serve in therapeutic roles, may often ask themselves the following questions: How do I know if I am practicing in a culturally responsive manner? How do I consider cultural responsiveness in a meaningful way reflected in my professional and personal life? This page offers resources for considering cultural responsiveness as a student, a professional, or an institution. 

Culturally Responsive Ambassadors

These organizations aim to support other organizations to become culturally responsive within their business models or services. They offer systematic support, training, consultation, or educational research about best practices in education, healthcare, and workplaces. 

Courageous Conversation engages in "sustained partnerships featuring training, coaching, and consulting with organizations to transform beliefs, behaviors, and results so people of all races can achieve at their highest levels and live their most empowered and powerful lives." Through their Framework for Systemic Equity, Courageous Conversation is dedicated to supporting organizations by addressing ongoing racial disparities.  

Stir Fry Seminars & Consulting offers various tools for diversity training, including seminars, customized workshops, documentaries, and written materials. They aim to "bridge attitudes and values to reflect and honor differences through dialogue. We support communities to view diversity as a gift and a contribution. Together, in partnership, we create safe, authentic environments where trust is experienced and relationships are transformed." 

Oregon Center for Educational Equity is "committed to making schools a safe and engaging place for each and every student". The goals of this organization include addressing systemic issues of educational inequity, implementing effective collaboration practices, and creating school structures and classrooms that work for historically oppressed student populations.

The University of Arizona Health Sciences Hispanic Center of Excellence (UAHS-HCOE) was founded as part of a national collaboration supported by the Department of Health and Human Services. The goals of the UAHS-HCOE include increasing the number of Hispanic health providers, enhancing health research that serves the Hispanic population of the Southwest, and improving the cultural competency of all healthcare service providers for Hispanic communities.

DiversityRx aims to "improve the accessibility and quality of health care for minority, immigrant, and indigenous communities. [DiversityRx] support[s] those who develop and provide health services that are responsive to the cultural and linguistic differences presented by diverse populations". They offer professional development opportunities including a conference, webinars, and peer learning networks. 

Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA) is "a national organization of medical and pre-medical students committed to addressing the unique health challenges of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, & Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities." They sponsor a variety of initiatives aiming to eliminate health disparities in these communities. 

The Commonwealth Fund aims to "support independent research on health care issues and make grants to promote better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency in health care, particularly for society’s most vulnerable, including people of color, people with low income, and those who are uninsured." They provide data and resources on U.S. and International healthcare and statistics.