cost of broadband internet. In contrast, patients who live in some rural areas may not have access to broadband services (Cortelyou-Ward et al., 2020). Unreliable internet service may result in failed connections and delays in video feeds, decreasing telehealth services’ effectiveness and leading some patients to end services prematurely (Cortelyou-Ward et al., 2020). Thus, culturally competent telehealth care requires that therapists consider the most effective ways to make their telehealth platforms more accessible to vulnerable populations. A common misperception holds that older adults have limited interest in technology or do not know how to use telehealth platforms (American Psychological Association Committee on Aging, 2020). However, some older adults have a high level of comfort navigating technology, while others have less familiarity or comfort. Older adults may experience cognitive functioning, vision, memory, hearing, and mobility changes that can impact their technology use (American Psychological Association Committee on Aging, 2020). Do not assume that older adults will feel resistant to remote services. Instead, practitioners should provide older adult patients with the option to participate in treatment via telehealth and address the pros and cons. If the patient wishes to engage in telehealth services, practitioners should allow them to choose the platform they prefer. Although telehealth is a convenient platform for some, it may not be easily accessible to patients with limited English language proficiency (Young, 2022). Language barriers can prevent patients from fully participating in their care and hinder patient–provider communication. Ideally, patients should participate in services with practitioners who have fluency in their primary language. However, the scarcity of bilingual providers often makes it difficult for patients to find and engage with practitioners who speak and understand their preferred language. Meaningful interactions become crucial for culturally competent service delivery and validating healthcare experiences (Young, 2022). Cultural Competence and Expected Treatment Outcome Cultural competence significantly impacts the process and outcome of counseling - cultural factors like age, religion, and ethnicity impact how patients perceive symptoms and health conditions. Combining Cultural Competence with Cultural Humility Mental health providers should strive to develop a multicultural orientation to deliver culturally sensitive care and improve communication. However, even when mental health professionals have a meaningful understanding of a culture, they still cannot predict the behaviors and attitudes of their patients based on their cultural backgrounds. That is because people are unique, and their behavior and beliefs might not always reflect those of their cultures. Given this, mental health professionals must focus on building cultural competence and humility. Self-Reflection in Healthcare Cultural humility involves an ongoing process of self-evaluation. Through exploring and reflecting on their own beliefs and behaviors, healthcare professionals can improve their awareness of implicit biases and foster an approach to patients characterized by openness and curiosity about each new patient. Essentially the process and practice of self-reflection is a method of assessing your own thoughts and actions for the purpose of personal learning and development. It’s a process of learning from experience and evaluating as objectively as possible. Self-reflection is an important skill for personal growth. Without it, we walk around unconscious and often reactive to others and even our own selves. If you have ever had an emotional response to something or blurted out words that you later regretted, you can see how self-reflection might assist you in choosing more healthy responses and changing behaviors (even thoughts) that aren’t working well for you. Furthermore, self-reflection becomes more meaningful and successful if you have a process rather than just randomly thinking about a past situation.
Cultural differences influence patients’ expectations of care. Trust is an essential component of patient-physician relationships. A patient’s level of trust in his or her provider plays a significant role in patient-provider interaction and the patient’s adherence to treatment recommendations. Patients are much more likely to be involved in improving their healthcare if they trust their providers. Moreover, trust in care is closely tied to the likelihood that patients will seek medical attention, adhere to prescribed treatment plans, and maintain positive relationships with their providers (Boulware, 2003). Cultural factors impact the communication between provider and patient and influence patients’ satisfaction with healthcare treatments. Data reveals that African American patients who visit physicians of the same race rate their medical visits as more satisfying and participatory than those who see physicians of other races (Cooper et al., 2003). When individuals feel appreciated and understood will be more likely to be satisfied with their treatment experience. The cultural competence of health professionals does affect patients’ experiences and satisfaction. vBrunett and Shingles (2018) examined the impact of cultural competence on patient satisfaction. Their findings show that the more cultural competence a health professional displayed, the more beneficial it was to patients’ experiences. Findings reveal that more cultural competence resulted in higher patient satisfaction. They also found that patients tended to be more open with and trusting of the healthcare staff if the professionals showed cultural competence. Other findings revealed that patients who perceived their provider as culturally competent were more likely to follow the provider’s medical advice. Additionally, a provider who can speak the same language as the patient correlates with higher patient satisfaction. Other findings indicate that social workers displayed cultural humility and addressed intersectionality if they demonstrated a genuine interest in the client’s culture (Okeke, 2022). Failing to identify, respect, and understand the influence of cultural beliefs, values, and experiences can lead to miscommunication and poor outcomes in counseling. Recent findings show that enacting cultural humility contributes to resolving relational conflicts and deepens the relationship (Zhu, 2021). A healthcare practitioner’s clinical and nonclinical competencies are essential requirements for providing safe and effective care. As it is with the development of any skill, competence is not a static state, which is achieved at a particular point in time and that requires no further attention. Rather, achieving and maintaining competence requires ongoing self-reflection and is best described as a habit that is underpinned by lifelong self-evaluation and learning. Reflective practitioners anticipate challenging situations in clinical practice and create pre-emptive strategies and contingency approaches to deal with them in advance. Self-reflection is a useful practice for counselors and therapists. Self-reflection can help counselors or therapists understand themselves better and how they personally impact their work. Self-reflection can help counselors or therapists in understanding and engaging with clients. Finally, self-reflection can help counselors or therapists understand their professional role as clinicians and maintain professional and ethical standards. Consider the following self-reflection questions regarding diversity. ● Do I have the resources to understand my patient’s diverse values, beliefs, and behaviors? ● Am I able to customize treatment to meet their social, cultural, and linguistic needs?
● What might be some of my own biases? ● How do I identify with myself and others?
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