Mental Health, Multicultural Competence, and Cultural Humility from an Intersectionality Framework

Abstract

Multiculturalism encompasses identities that include, but are not limited to, "race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, gender, disability, class status, education, religious/spiritual orientation, and other cultural dimensions". These cultural group memberships help to shape the collective identities of individuals and impact how people experience privilege and oppression within systems of structural inequality. A focus on multiculturalism may be particularly important within a mental health context, as collective identities can have a positive impact on mental health and well-being. But the discrimination associated with marginalized collective identities can also place people at higher risk for both physical and mental health problems. An intersectionality framework for mental health care urges practitioners to go beyond the examination of single categories of collective identity to recognize how various identities converge, intersect, and mutually influence one another to create unique subjective experiences that help to shape, inform, and explain mental health outcomes. This chapter introduces the concept of intersectionality and discusses how it applies within two models of mental health practice: multicultural competence in counseling and therapy, and cultural humility in social and community services. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)