Building Cultural Competency

Sponsor: NH Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselors Association

There is strong evidence that culturally responsive care improves client/patient satisfaction that leads to greater engagement in care, improved adherence to treatment and better health outcomes. Through interactive self-reflection and discussion we will focus on improving our ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures to help ensure the needs of all community members are addressed. We will look beyond just race and ethnicity to include gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, socio-economic status, and geographic location. The course includes several activities to engage participants and encourages participants to reflect on how their own knowledge and beliefs may affect interactions with individuals who share different perspectives. The session will feature a segment dedicated to creating greater awareness and forming knowledge and familiarity with the special issues and needs of people from diverse populations who struggle with substance use disorder. Participants will work individually and together to identify concrete actions for creating a workplace environment that is more equitable, diverse, and inclusive.

As a result of attending this training, participants will be able to: 

• Summarize a basic understanding of cultural competence;
• List the framework and rationale for culturally responsive care;
• Examine individual and organizational barriers to cultural competence; 
• Describe practical skills & techniques to provide more culturally appropriate services; and
• Build understanding of cultural perspectives on substance use. 

ABOUT THE PRESENTER: James Figueiredo, M.Ed. is the Executive Director and Founder of Community Workforce Initiative. He has over 3 decades of experience working in the public health field throughout the United States and internationally. His work is focused primarily on the professional development of frontline workers and their supervisors. James has extensive experience developing and delivering trainings on cultural competency, suicide prevention, HIV/AIDS, and leadership development. James has served as lecturer at Tufts University and was selected as an author for the Foundations for Community Health Workers textbook slated for release in August 2023. During the height of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, James worked as a community health work on an integrated clinical team at the Cambridge Health Alliance. He spent another decade at the Justice Resource Institute (JRI) as the Director of Education and Training, where he served as co-chair of the Diversity Committee, oversaw, and led trainings throughout sub-Saharan Africa. James speaks Portuguese, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Cape Verdean Creole. He holds a Master of Education degree from Harvard University and Graduate Certificate in Non-Profit Leadership and Management from Boston University. As an undergraduate he studied English Language and Literature at West London College in the United Kingdom. He most enjoys spending time with his spouse and children on backpacking trips. He aspires to be a coffee grower, avocado farmer, and beekeeper when he retires.

For more information and to register for this click here:

Event Details