Intercultural Humility in Social Work Education

ABSTRACT

This conceptual study draws from social work, education, psychology, and moral philosophy (i.e., virtue and Confucian ethics) to inform our conceptual definition of intercultural humility (ICH) with five interrelated features. Starting with cultural humility in the context of the Educational Policies and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) for Baccalaureate and Master’s Social Work Programs of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), we examined conceptualizations of humility and cultural humility as virtues required for ethical social work practice. Implications for social work education are discussed by outlining rationales and strategies for developing each ICH feature.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anthony A. Bibus

Anthony A. Bibus Professor Emeritus Bibus completed the doctoral degree program at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work (PhD, 1992) where for two years he served as Director for Prof. Emeritus Ron Rooney’s Child Welfare Training Project in Work with Involuntary Clients. Now retired, Tony began teaching and administering at Augsburg University in 1992. Over the years, he has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in child welfare, supervision, and ethics. He is a licensed social worker and has practiced since 1970 in juvenile corrections, child welfare, family-based services, and social work education. For eight years he was a social services supervisor for Dakota County, and he has been a certified trainer in supervision and family-centered child welfare for the Minnesota Department of Human Services. In addition to teaching and training, he has published in such areas as supervision, cultural competence and cultural humility, virtue ethics, ethical decision making, citizenship-centered administration, welfare reform, social policy, social work licensing and regulation, and work with involuntary clients. His chapter with co-author Carol Jud on applying the involuntary perspective to management and supervision appears in the third edition of Rooney & Mirick’s Strategies for Work with Involuntary Clients published by Columbia University Press (2018, pp. 540-570).

Bibiana D. Koh

Bibiana D. Koh (PhD, University of Minnesota, Family Social Science) is currently Associate Professor and MSW Field Director in the Social Work Department at Augsburg University.  She received her MSW from Smith College School of Social Work.  Prof. Koh’s research is in adoption/genetic relatedness, social work pedagogy, and ethics.  Recently, she was appointed as the Batalden Scholar in Applied Ethics at Augsburg University for three academic years (2018-2021).  She has clinical experience in regular and special education schools, community and hospital-based outpatient clinics, and residential settings. She has also lived and taught overseas in China, Korea, Morocco, and Laos.  Her article with co-author Prof. Laura Boisen, “Use of Selves Interdependent Model (USIM): A pedagogical model for reflective practice” appears in the Journal of Social Work Education (online: February 22, 2019).