In this online Multicultural Awareness course you will develop an understanding of appropriate practices and procedures within different cultures. Some consider these differences to be of great significance in determining human behaviour and thinking, others view culture as just one of many factors that influence the behaviour of individuals and groups. This course is suitable for anyone in culturally sensitive situations or needing to understand cultural differences.
Course Aims:
- Develop an awareness and appreciation of cultural diversity;
- Understand the cultural awareness of the self through verbal and non-verbal means;
- Understand the origins and influences of prejudice and racism;
- Understand the impact of culture when working with culturally different clients;
- Understand bias toward and barriers against effective multi-cultural relationships;
- Understand the fundamentals of developing and implementing cultural competence;
- Understand multi-cultural attitudes toward mental health issues.
Detailed Course Outline
This course is made up of a number of lessons or units. Each of these has self assessment questions, a set task (practical homework) and an assignment which you can upload online.
There are 8 lessons in this course:
- Cultural Diversity
- Introduction
- Defining culture
- Elements of culture
- Societal structures and processes
- Subcultures
- Key areas of cultural diversity
- Cultural behaviour
- Values
- Social discourse
- Ideology
- Expectations
- Problems with culture
- Cultural Self-Awareness
- Introduction
- Defining cultural self
- Environmental influences
- Family or social group
- Definitions of self
- Psychological influences
- Human nature
- Personal autonomy
- Socio economic and political influences
- Emphasis or minimisation of cultural diversity
- Code switching
- Physical environmental influences
- Prejudice and Racism
- Introduction
- Ingroups or outgroups
- Ethnocentrism
- What is prejudice
- Functions of prejudice
- How we measure prejudice
- Theoretical perspectives on prejudice
- Stereotypes
- Functions of stereotypes
- Dangers of using stereotypes
- Discrimination
- Social discrimination
- Racism
- Institutional or structural racism
- Perception
- Perceptual change
- Cognitive dissonance
- Perceptual defence
- Reducing prejudice
- Changing stereotypes
- Developing cultural sensitivity
- Belonging to a dominant culture
- Working with Culturally Different Clients
- Introduction
- Communicating across cultures
- Principles of communication
- Cultural differences
- Communicating intimate information
- The culturally skilled worker
- Conformity
- Factors affecting conformity
- Barriers to Effective Multi-Cultural Relationships
- Abnormality
- The counsellors culture
- The clients culture
- Individual differences
- Cross cultural communication hurdles
- Culture shock
- Non verbal communication
- Developing trust
- Formal judgements
- Culture and child development
- Coping with change
- Developing Cultural Competence
- Introduction
- Culturally competent service delivery
- Culturally appropriate service
- Culturally accessible service
- Culturally acceptable service
- Training for cultural change
- Cross culture counselling in disaster situations
- The role of family
- Working with other cultures
- Multicultural Mental Health Issues
- Introduction
- Problems with cultural difference in psychology
- Cultural influences on mental health
- Culture bound syndromes
- Trance and possession disorder
- Factors affecting grief and bereavement: social, psychological and cultural influences
- Shortcomings of Contemporary Counselling Theories and Future Developments
- Introduction
- Culture shock
- Stages in cultural shock and adjustment
- Post traumatic stress disorder
- Treatments for culture distress
- Successful intercultural adjustment
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school’s tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
When you have completed the lessons of your Certificate course, you will be given the option of taking the optional exam. It’s okay if you don’t want the exam, we still issue your Careerline Certificate. For Advanced Certificates however, the exam is compulsory (per module) and are included in the course fee.