Cultural/diversity issues play a significant role in therapy. Reported experiences of microaggressions in the therapeutic setting are common among patients seeking mental health treatment (Davis et al., 2016) and among mental health providers (deMayo, 1997). Microaggressions have been associated with lack of treatment engagement (Crawford, 2011) and poor working alliance (Owen et al., 2010). As such, mental health providers need to be prepared to address these issues in clinical settings. Patients’ perception of therapists’ cultural humility has been found to be associated with stronger working alliance and treatment improvement (Hook et al., 2013). The process of learning cultural humility and gaining awareness of one’s own stereotypes and biases can assist mental health providers to better address these issues in treatment. The current workshop will provide didactic and experiential training on cultural humility to help mental health providers be better prepared to examine these issues with their patients.

Learning Objectives

1)     Recognize one’s privilege and the role of privilege in systems of oppression and effectively use one’s privilege to advocate.

2)     Recognize one’s biases and stereotypes and ways in which they impact one’s actions/reactions to microaggressions and cultural issues in the therapeutic context

3)     Practice cultural humility in one's approach to cultural/diversity issues and microaggressions in clinical settings.