A Social Constructivist Framework for Integrating Cross-Cultural Issues in Teaching Clinical Social Work

Abstract

This article describes a teaching framework that combines culturally sensitive and culturally competent perspectives in preparing students for cross-cultural clinical social work. Both content and proven instructional methods are presented for the framework’s three components: (a) an overview of social constructivism; (b) an exploration of culture and self, which encourages students to develop openness to cultural diversity; and (c) a social constructivist approach to the help-seeking process of clients, which provides students with guidelines for exploring the culture-specific content of clients’ problem-solving efforts. This framework helps students to understand clients’ social realities nonpresumptuously and to engage in respectful clinical social work intervention.