Andres Gutierrez

Cultural Experience

I learned that when working with a client with a different cultural background I have to

show cultural humility by not make assumptions about a person’s ADLs. I need to ask how they

do their task such as putting on a shoe, brushing their teeth, and hair care routines. As a therapist

this will give me an insight to understand what is most valuable to them. I also learned that we

are all at risk at saying something that can be hurtful and not even realize it. The best way to go

about it as a public figure is to apologize publicly and privately by reaching out to individuals

that were hurt. When we apologize to the individual first, it allows for a restoration of the

relationship. I also learned to address cultural barriers by carefully listening to the patient asking

about questions during evaluation. For example, for an individual with a minority background,

family is a huge part of the value system on what works and what does not. Therefore, if I hear a

patient express their family values, I should ask the patient if they want their family members to

be involved in their care. This is important because interdependence is sometimes a larger value

than independence. This knowledge will allow me to be a better occupational therapist because I

will be considerate of the patient perspective and empathize. For example, when I make a

mistake, I will apologize and see it as a teachable moment so that I do not make the same

mistake again with another patient. A way to prevent this is by seeing things before they happen.

With any patient, I will listen and proceed with a question that will allow the patient to feel safe

and express themselves freely. My questions will not be about me, but about how the patient’s

quality of life. A health care consideration I would recommend promoting competent and

compassionate care is being attentive to what the person says then learning about their
background outside of session. This will build a stronger rapport with the patient in future

sessions.

The two web based health care considerations I recommend to further learn about cultural

awareness are: https://www.learnlight.com/en/cultural-awareness-training/ and

https://culturalawareness.com/.