The Road to Cultural Competency

Virtual Workshop Description

To be most effective in today’s multi-cultural society, individuals and systems must be able to recognize elements of various cultures and how they impact the people they serve. But first we need self-awareness. Through this interactive workshop we will explore the origins of our personal biases and how they may impact our view of others. Core components and terminology will be addressed so that we can better understand the issues and think about how to bring about change in the work that we do.

In this virtual workshop you will:

• achieve a greater sense of self-awareness regarding our biases and world view

• gain an understanding of the importance of achieving cultural competency

• form a better understanding of terms like cultural humility, implicit bias and the difference between equality and equity

• explore ways to apply these concepts to improve the level of cultural competency in our lives and in our work with others

Virtual Workshop Instructor

Barbara Burke is an experienced presenter who has been provided training to the community, professional organizations and schools for many years. Most of her work over the past 40 years has been with Substance Use Disorders working mostly with teens and young adults. She recently retired from clinical practice, where she specialized in the assessment, and early treatment of Adolescents and Young Adults. She is the co-founder of “Rams in Recovery”, a Collegiate Recovery Program at VCU that celebrates the uniqueness of its students and promotes understanding and tolerance. In all of her endeavors, Barbara stresses the importance of respect, active listening and healthy communication for everyone in the conversation.