Cultural Mosaics: How OTs Fit!
Adapting Therapy
Here are some useful strategies and tips:
-Success of an intervention will be affected if interventions are not in line with the cultural values and beliefs of the client- try to cater your therapy to what the client indicates is important
-Be clear about the reasoning and explanation behind the intervention. Some cultures may not perceive health/disability/illness the same way you do and may be used to different approaches to health. If clients do not understand the significant of the intervention they will be less likely to follow it (Hamilton, 1996).
-Ask the clients if they are using any home/alternative/traditional therapies, this will allow you to be aware of potential intersecting effects between prescribed treatment from physicians and other health care providers and therapies the clients have decided to enage in on their own.
-New families may not be familiar with navigating the health care system and knowing what healthcare benefits they may be entitled to- try to let them know of any they qualify for to ease any feelings of pressure/anxiety
-Recognize that certain ethnic groups may be more prone to experiencing certain clinical conditions and thus traditional health advice may not be suitable. For example, Asian and American Black populations are more susceptible to being lactose intolerant, so you would not want to immediately recommend for their children to drink milk (Hamilton, 1996).
References and extra resources for reading:
Hamilton, Janice. (1996). Multicultural health care requires adjustments by doctors and
patients. Journal of Canadian Medical Association, 155(5): 585-587.
McGoldrick, M., and Giordano, J. Ethnicity and Family Therapy. Chapter 1.
Hyman, Ilene. Setting the Stage: Reviewing current knowledge on the Health of
Canadian Immigrants- What is the evidence and where are the gaps? Canadian
Journal of Public Health, 95(3): 1-5.
-Success of an intervention will be affected if interventions are not in line with the cultural values and beliefs of the client- try to cater your therapy to what the client indicates is important
-Be clear about the reasoning and explanation behind the intervention. Some cultures may not perceive health/disability/illness the same way you do and may be used to different approaches to health. If clients do not understand the significant of the intervention they will be less likely to follow it (Hamilton, 1996).
-Ask the clients if they are using any home/alternative/traditional therapies, this will allow you to be aware of potential intersecting effects between prescribed treatment from physicians and other health care providers and therapies the clients have decided to enage in on their own.
-New families may not be familiar with navigating the health care system and knowing what healthcare benefits they may be entitled to- try to let them know of any they qualify for to ease any feelings of pressure/anxiety
-Recognize that certain ethnic groups may be more prone to experiencing certain clinical conditions and thus traditional health advice may not be suitable. For example, Asian and American Black populations are more susceptible to being lactose intolerant, so you would not want to immediately recommend for their children to drink milk (Hamilton, 1996).
References and extra resources for reading:
Hamilton, Janice. (1996). Multicultural health care requires adjustments by doctors and
patients. Journal of Canadian Medical Association, 155(5): 585-587.
McGoldrick, M., and Giordano, J. Ethnicity and Family Therapy. Chapter 1.
Hyman, Ilene. Setting the Stage: Reviewing current knowledge on the Health of
Canadian Immigrants- What is the evidence and where are the gaps? Canadian
Journal of Public Health, 95(3): 1-5.
