Kristina Lowell 
Cultural Competence [PDF ebook] 
Elements, Developments and Emerging Trends

Cultural competence and responsiveness are considered essential for classroom teachers who teach diverse groups of students. Teacher training programs have tremendous opportunities to develop the cultural competence of pre-service teachers in the classroom, in the field, and as ongoing professional development. The first chapter of this book explores pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their needs in regards to cultural competence preparation. Cultural competency in understanding psychopathology and psychological distress has become an explicit goal. Chapter Two systematically reviews a range of relative literature to form a cohesive view on aspects that promote further development of cultural competencies in mental health service settings. The chapter gives particular attention to collectivistic cultures and explores pathogenic, pathoselective, pathoplastic, pathoelaborating, and pathoreactive influences that culture exerts on psychopathology, as well as its link to culture-related phenomena. Chapter Three studies the elements of decision-making responses used by occupational therapy practitioners when confronted with conflict within an international context when there are differences in beliefs and practices between practitioner and client.