Diversity, Cultural Humility, and the Helping Professions Building Bridges Across Difference

Too often, cultural competence training has led to the inadvertent marginalization of some individuals and groups and the reinforcement of existing stereotypes. This text explores the concept of cultural humility, which offers an exciting way forward for those engaged in the helping professions. In contrast to cultural competence, cultural humility challenges individuals to embark on a lifelong course of self-examination and transformational learning that will enable them to engage more authentically with clients, patients, colleagues, and others. The book traces our understanding of and responses to diversity and inclusion over time with a focus on the United States.

The book presents examples that illustrate how the concept of cultural humility can be implemented on an institutional level and in the context of individual-level interactions, such as those between a healthcare provider or therapist and a client.

Diversity, Cultural Humility, and the Helping Professions: Building Bridges Across Difference is essential reading for the health professions (nursing, medicine), social work, psychology, art therapy, and other helping professions.

Chapter 1. Us and Them: The Construction of Categories

Chapter 2. How We Got to Where We Are: Historical Systemic and Institutional Responses to Difference

Chapter 3.  Individual-Level Responses to Difference

Chapter 5.  Cultural Competence as an Approach to Understanding Difference

Chapter 7.  Diversity in the Legal Context 

Chapter 8.  Fostering Cultural Humility in the Institutional/Organizational Context

Chapter 9.  Diversity, Cultural Humility, and Professionalism

Chapter 10.  Cultural Humility and the Helping Professional

Sana Loue, JD, PhD, MPH, MSSA, MA, LISW-S, CST-T, AVT is a professor in the Department of Bioethics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. Prior to joining the faculty of the School of Medicine, she practiced immigration law in New Jersey, Texas, and California. Dr. Loue holds secondary appointments in Psychiatry and Global Health at the School of Medicine and in Social Work at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at CWRU. From 2012 to 2020, Dr. Loue served as the School of Medicine’s inaugural Vice Dean for Faculty Development and Diversity. She holds degrees in law (JD), epidemiology (PhD), medical anthropology (PhD), social work (MSSA), secondary education (MA), public health (MPH) and theology (MA). Her past research in both the domestic and international contexts has focused on HIV risk and prevention, severe mental illness, family violence, and research ethics. She has been privileged to conduct research in Laos, Romania, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uganda, and to engage with audiences on issues including, but not limited to, the conduct of research, research ethics, professional development, and/or diversity in Canada, Chile, Colombia, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Romania, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Tajikistan, and Vietnam. Her current research addresses the interplay between religion, society, and bioethics; the integration of cultural humility into clinical care and research settings; and past and current formulations of eugenics. Dr. Loue has authored or edited more than 30 books and more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles.