Psychiatry Resident Training in Cultural Competence: An Educator’s Toolkit

Abstract

Resident physicians training in psychiatry in the U.S. are required to master a body of knowledge related to cultural psychiatry; are expected to adopt attitudes that endorse the principles of cultural competence; and finally are expected to acquire specific cultural competence skills that facilitate working effectively with diverse patients. This article first provides an overview of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) competencies related to cultural competence, as well as the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's (AACAP) recommendations for the cultural competence training of child/adolescent fellows. Next, numerous print and electronic resources that can be used in cultural competence education in psychiatry are reviewed and discussed. Finally, we conclude by providing recommendations for psychiatry residency programs that we culled from model cultural competence curricula.

Cultural competency training for psychiatry residents and mental health professionals: A systematic review

“…The studies endorsed a need for cultural competence training (CCT), cultural sensitivity, specialty clinics. CCT was found to increase compassion, integrity, sensitivity, and respect toward the minority population who reached out for mental health services (Corral et al, 2017). There was an overall improvement in knowledge, attitude, and skills in dealing with cultural aspects of mental health of patients.…”

From Psychiatric Interviews to Psychotherapies

“…Despite present problems, the main qualification that makes psychiatry distinctive from other branches of medicine is about the place of psychotherapies in psychiatry residency programs and the reflection of psychotherapies on the practice of psychiatrists [30,44]. The approach and skills that a psychiatrist exhibits (or should exhibit) in interviews are the most important properties that distinguish psychiatry from other branches of medicine [45,46]. In our opinion, these properties are based on psychotherapy skills developed during psychiatry residency.…”

Culture and Social Structure in Comprehensive Case Formulation

“…A fifth domain summarizes information from the other four about diagnosis and treatment. A Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) was developed and evaluated in an international field trial, and included in DSM-5 to facilitate use of the OCF and enhance cultural competence in psychiatric practice and training (Corral et al, 2017;Lewis-Fernández et al, 2016).Another approach to clinical assessment, termed "structural competency," was suggested in 2014 to prioritize the role of societal structures creating and sustaining health inequalities (Metzl and Roberts, 2014). These structures refer to health systems and services, employment and educational opportunities, food security, community infrastructure, housing, criminal justice, and access to legal protections.…”

“…A fifth domain summarizes information from the other four about diagnosis and treatment. A Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) was developed and evaluated in an international field trial, and included in DSM-5 to facilitate use of the OCF and enhance cultural competence in psychiatric practice and training (Corral et al, 2017;Lewis-Fernández et al, 2016).…”