Response 1:
Being a therapist requires a person to work with patients from different cultures and backgrounds. Based on this, a major requirement for a therapist is to have cultural self-awareness. Self-awareness helps an individual to acknowledge that they are shaped by the world around them. By acknowledging this about themselves, they also acknowledge that this is just as true for anyone else – everyone does what they do due to underlying influences. As a result, it becomes easy for the therapist to understand their patients and offer the most appropriate advice and therapeutic services that do not violate the patient’s cultural beliefs. In the same case, the therapist needs to collaborate with the patients to learn and acquire knowledge of a person’s needs based on their culture.
Response 2:
Evidence‐based practice refers to using the best available evidence for decision-making and providing efficient and effective care for patients on a scientific basis. Systematic implementation of EBP can enhance healthcare safety and improve patient outcomes, which require that the healthcare provider have adequate knowledge not only of the patient’s condition but also of the cultural background of the patient. Different people have different beliefs, making it difficult to use certain treatment methods without consultation to improve the patient’s outcome. Some treatment methods violate the patient’s beliefs, which is why every healthcare provider should collaborate with the patient to find the best treatment to improve their health outcome. Therapists need to be aware of the fact that every individual is different and even two clients belonging to the same culture might have different cultural and individual perspectives.