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Table 3 Themes regarding culturally competent care

From: The meanings of cultural competence in mental health: an exploratory focus group study with patients, clinicians, and administrators

Theme

Code

Representative quote

Focus group

Definitions

Demographic

The appreciation of people where they come from, their heritage, faith, and belief systems

P, C, A

 

Person-centered

Relating to the patient based on their background, and taking into consideration where they’re from

P, C, A

Clinician techniques

Sharing similarities

Instead of the differences I would focus more on the things that we have in common

P, C, A

 

Respect patient wishes

Well, that’s up to the patient to make that decision

P, A

 

Explain options to patients

If it doesn’t make it better for you, come back and tell me and we’ll find something different

P, C, A

Patient challenges

Cultural model of mental health

I think that our country is very Spanish, so if you go to the psiquiatra (psychiatrist) or the psicólogo (psychologist) it means you’re crazy

P, C

 

Cultural view of mental illness

I can’t think of any culture where mental illness isn’t a stigma

P, C

 

Concerns about the clinician’s culture

Some patients reject you for who we are because we are from another culture

C, A

Clinician challenges

Explicit bias

I had one therapist that, I’m mixed, and when I would come to see her, all she wanted to talk about was my culture

P, A

 

Implicit bias

We all have attitudes and beliefs that we come into this practice with that we have to check at the door and be very mindful of

P, A

Institutional challenges

Time

A long time ago you would say 45 minutes, but now it’s half an hour and hopefully they don’t cut that

P, C, A

 

Technological pressures

Before technology, the therapist would look at you. But now they’re typing while you’re talking to them. You don’t feel it

P, C

  1. P patients, C clinicians, A administrators