Cultural competence and cultural humility: a complete practice

ABSTRACT

Diversity is a complex concept comprised of many intersecting positions an individual may hold in society (e.g., gender, sexuality, (dis)ability, age, religion). Social work practitioners need culturally-responsive skills and knowledge to work with clients from diverse populations. They also need to apply professional humility to learn and analyze the cultural nuances of each population to avoid potential stereotype and personal bias. Some critics have championed cultural humility over cultural competence. This article presents an argument that both are necessary for practice.

KEYWORDS:

• Diversity
• culture
• competence
• professional humility
• self-awareness
• unintentional injustice

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.