Title: Cultural Awareness and Competence in Behavioral Health
Headings: 
Cultural Awareness and Competence in Behavioral Health
Understanding Culture
Culture and Behavioral Health Services
Becoming Self-Aware as a Counselor
Increasing Cultural Competence
References

Content: They honor and respect the beliefs, values, behaviors, and needs of people and their families as they access behavioral health treatment services. They are also sensitive to the culture of others who are also providing behavioral healthcare services. When behavioral health services are not provided with cultural awareness and competence, there is the risk that clients will be negatively impacted by the services they receive. Studies have demonstrated that because of cultural insensitivity or incompetence, people of color may avoid seeking services though the established systems have trouble accessing the services they need, drop out of treatment, be misdiagnosed by providers, or only seek treatment when their illness is very advanced (Cultural Competence, 2014). Becoming Self-Aware as a Counselor
In my role as a clinical supervisor, a young counselor once shared a bias she had toward Hispanic females because of her mother’s experience with this population. Her mother told her that she had been frequently bullied and physically assaulted by Hispanic females when she was in high school, and still harbored negative feelings and attitudes about this population (felt they were hostile, aggressive, and dangerous). The counselor admitted that she had taken on some of her mother’s biases, and it was impacting her ability to work with this population. In supervision, she was able to work through this and begin working effectively with Hispanic women, but may have been unable to do so if she had not had the willingness to question her beliefs and overcome her biases. This is an excellent example of self-awareness, which is essential for counselors to work effectively with diverse populations. As counselors, we must be aware of our attitudes, fears, beliefs, and biases, and how they impact our work with clients.