That is true culture which helps us to work for the social betterment of all. 

~  Henry Ward Beecher

Objective #1: Cultural Competence

Apply culturally competent evidence-based practice skills adaptable to meet the needs of individuals and groups with diverse backgrounds by utilizing understandable language and multi-culturally sensitive communication skills.

Cross-Cultural Interview (BSW)

Post-Partum Depression in African-American Women (BSW)

Geriatric Depression in a Long-Term Care Setting (MSSW)

Rationale:

For this objective, I chose the Cross-Cultural Interview assignment to demonstrate my cultural competence. In this interview, I had the opportunity to learn about another culture which forced me to examine my religious beliefs and cultural background. Not only was the Cross-Cultural Interview informative, it provided an experience for me to meet someone who I would not come into contact with under normal circumtances. A reward of this assignment was that it sparked in me the confidence to ask questions and seek information from others who may not fall within my cultural circle. After this assignment, and my Special Populations course taken in my Junior year, I feel confident that I can address any cultural barriers with a sense of objectivity and genuine curiousity.

I have also attached a PowerPoint presentation crafted from a Literature Review that I completed in my Introduction to Applied Research/Professional Writing class during my Junior year. The Literature Review covered basic information about post-partum depression, but focused further on the topic of post-partum depression in African-American women. The PowerPoint is a concentrated version of the Literature Review and was presented to my classmates and select community members in the Spring of 2007.

During my Evidence-Based Practice with Older Adults course, I was charged with being the leader of a small group project that focused on the topic of geriatric depression in a long-term care setting. My group and I decided to create a wiki page, similar to this one, containing all of the information we gathered. It turned out to be a great success.