Cultural competence and power sharing: an international perspective on training clinical child psychologists
| Pages | 34-42 |
| Published date | 24 December 2010 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5042/jmhtep.2010.0689 |
| Date | 24 December 2010 |
| Author | Ian Evans,John Fitzgerald,Averil Herbert,Shane Harvey |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
34 The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice Volume 5 Issue 4 December 2010 © Pier Professional Ltd
10.5042/jmhtep.2010.0689
Cultural competence and
power sharing: an international
perspective on training clinical
child psychologists
Abstract
Training clinical child psychologists necessitates
explicit attention to the importance of developing
cultural competencies fo r p ractice in d iverse
communi ties. This case study , comprising
relevant social history, cultural models of child
psychopatho logy and conceptual anal ysis of
complex systems in bicultu ral Aotearoa New
Zealand, offers salutary lessons for clinical practice
internat ionally. In New Zeal and, indigenous
perspectives on children’s mental health needs
are holistic, encouraging trainee practitioners to
recognise the systemic influences of extended
family, school and community. Accommodating
the expectations, values, and hegemony of both
M ori and European populations requires service
providers to acknowledge a broad interpretation
of evidence-based pra ctice. In terms of t rue
scientifi c progress, future best pra ctice will
require a rapprochement between the traditional
knowledg e of indigenous cultures and the
empirically-derived insights of psychology as an
international discipline. The imperative to share
power in dec ision-making moves the debate
beyond conventional multicult ural sensitivities.
Moral and political issues are inextricably entwined
with clinical and professional activities.
Key words
training; culture; clinical child psychologists; New
Zealand; indigenous perspectives
Introduction
This paper argues th at und erstandin g i ssues of power
and cultu ral determi nation is an essential underpinni ng
for devel oping mul ticultural compete nce. T he need
for bi cultur al pr actic e in Ao tearoa N ew Zeal and
has le d, over t ime, to a pro fessional negotia tion of
mutua l r espect. We wi ll identify some of th e s ocial,
polit ical, fin ancial and p rofession al con ditions t hat
are par ticular ly sign ificant, fo cusing on those th at
offer const ructive and relev ant advice f or multicul tural
setti ngs. New Zeala nd presents to the profe ssion an
exemp lar with consider able potentia l as a mode l f or
train ing i n psy chology whereve r div erse cultures live
and work side by sid e.
Ian M Evans
Professor of Psychology, School of Psychology, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
John M Fitzgerald
Director, The Psychology Centre, Hamilton, New Zealand
Averil AML Herbert
Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Rotorua and Senior Lecturer, University of
Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
Shane T Harvey
Director, The Psychology Training Clinic, School of Psychology, Massey University, New Zealand
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