Continuing education
Black Beans and Fried Rice: Cultural Competence for Social Work Professionals
A continuing education activity presented by the VCU School of Social Work. This program is designed for social workers and their community partners.
- Course description and objectives
- Agenda
- Program sessions
- About the facilitators
- Cost and registration
Course description and objectives
With the increasing diversity in our communities, social workers and other helping professionals are responding to situations that challenge us to engage with individuals whose world views may be very different from our own. How will we develop the extensive knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to intervene in ways that are appropriate and effective? Dr. Humberto Fabelo, Dr. Peter Nguyen and Dr. Tatyana Thweatt will draw upon their extensive experience as clinicians and educators to share strategies for working with Asian, Asian American and Latino/Hispanic populations, as well as principles of cultural competence and communication that must guide our work with all culturally different individuals.
By the end of the workshop, participants will:
- Describe the relationship between culture and communication.
- Identify specific cultural variations in communication styles and describe their impact on intercultural interactions.
- Define the term “cultural competence” and list its characteristics.
- Describe the components/guidelines of a culturally competent practice model for work with culturally different individuals.
- Identify those skills necessary for culturally competent practice across multiple cultures.
- List the demographics and cultural themes of various groups within the Latino and Asian communities.
- Identify areas of homogeneity/diversity across subgroups within the Latino/Hispanic population and understand the implications of these differences for practice.
- Identify mental health needs, issues and challenges for Asian Americans within the mental health setting.
- Identify culturally sensitive therapeutic strategies for use with Asian American clients.
Continuing education units: 0.6
Agenda
9-10:30 a.m.
Welcome and Introductions
Black Beans . . . Working with Latino/Hispanic Clients – Dr. Humberto Fabelo will discuss the demographics and cultural themes that make up the Latino community. He will identify areas of homogeneity and diversity within these subgroups and the meaning and implications of this knowledge for practice.
10:30-10:45 a.m.
Break
10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Fried Rice . . . Working with Asian American Clients – Dr. Peter Nguyen will provide a general overview of the demographics and challenges of working with Asian Americans in mental health settings. He will focus on cultural dissonance and parent-child relationships. He will identify typical mental health needs of this population and review culturally sensitive therapeutic strategies.
12:15-1 p.m.
Lunch
1-2:30 p.m.
Building Bridges: Cultural Competence for Social Work Professionals – Dr. Tatyana Thweatt will address the cultural competence concepts applicable to multiple cultures. She will discuss how to “build bridges” with knowledge regarding specific cultural variation in communication styles and their impact on intercultural interactions. She will review characteristics and components of cultural competence and outline cultural competence practice models/guidelines for working with culturally different individuals
2:30-2:45 p.m.
Break
2:45-4 p.m.
Building Bridges (cont.) – Dr. Tatyana Thweatt
Evaluation and closing
Program sessions
March 19, 2008
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Virginia Commonwealth University
University Student Commons – Virginia Rooms C and D
907 Floyd Avenue
Richmond, Virginia 23284-2032
Phone: (804) 828-1981
About the facilitators
Dr. Humberto Fabelo is an associate professor at the VCU School of Social Work and the B.S.W. Program director. He has been on the faculty since 1995. His teaching areas include practice, research and human behavior in both the B.S.W. and M.S.W. programs. He serves as dissertation chair and committee member in the Ph.D. program. Fabelo’s areas of interest and research include childhood sexual abuse, refugee and immigrant resettlement, adoption and related issues of attachment, and assessment. He has served as a member of local and state boards, as a clinical and research consultant to local organizations, as consulting editor to professional journals, practice commissioner, member of the National Nominating Committee and accreditation site visitor with the Council on Social Work Education. Prior to joining the faculty at VCU, Fabelo practiced clinical social work with individuals, couples and families in a family service agency and in private practice in South Florida. He also worked as a clinician and as an administrator with adolescents, adults and older adults in in-patient psychiatric settings.
Dr. Peter Nguyen is an assistant professor at the VCU School of Social Work. He received his B.A. in biology from the University of Texas at Austin and completed his masters and Ph.D. in social work at the University of Houston. Nguyen has worked in the non-profit sector throughout his career with a focus on helping abused children and their families. He is a licensed psychotherapist who treated primarily Asian clients who exhibited depression, self-mutilation, cultural dissonance, marital problems or parent-child relationship issues. Nguyen’s research interests focus on child welfare issues as well as cultural, acculturation and assimilation dynamics, parenting styles and the mental health of Asian Americans.
Dr. Tatyana Thweatt is the director of the Office for Language and Cultural Competence with the School of World Studies at VCU. She holds a doctorate in Intercultural Communication from North Dakota State University, Fargo, N.D. Thweatt has extensive teaching and training experience. She has taught at the University of Houston, TX, prior to joining VCU in 2006. Her main areas of expertise are professional development and cultural competence. Thweatt has developed and conducted numerous seminars, workshops and training programs that focus on intercultural communication competence.
Cost*
- Regular: $110
- Student: $55
- Senior: $85
- VCU faculty and field instructor: $85
- Agency group of three or more: $85 each
* Includes a box lunch.
Registration opens Feb. 5, 2008.
Please register online at www.pubinfo.vcu.edu/conf/SocialWork.
Registration closed March 14, 2008.
Participants may register for CEUs by completing a CEU registration form and making a check payable to the VCU School of Social Work in the amount of $15 on the day of the event. No cash or credit cards will be accepted for this purpose.
Questions?
Contact Pamela Duffus at (804) 828-1036 or sswce@vcu.edu.