by Patricie Kyslíková
Patricie Kyslíková
In moments of doubt, I ask myself whether my efforts truly matter—whether the methods and theories I explore can be effectively applied in practice. But then, there are conversations that strike me, making me realize how deeply needed this work is. Whether it is about the lack of awareness regarding identity expression and one’s privileges or the tendency to dismiss mental health struggles, these seemingly small moments create a mosaic, which reveals the urgent need for cultural humility in social work.
Cultural humility was first introduced by Tervalon and Murray-Garcia (1998) in the context of healthcare as a response to the limitations of cultural competence in addressing the diverse nature of patients. According to Loue (2022), cultural competence risks turning helping professionals into experts on a given culture, failing to account for its changing nature. In contrast, cultural humility embraces an ongoing, lifelong process of self-reflection, which acknowledges that no one can ever fully master another person’s lived experience (Fisher-Borne et al., 2015; Loue, 2022; Yeager & Bauer-Wu, 2013).
For me, cultural humility is more than a theoretical framework—it is a guiding principle that urges me to reflect on myself, my positionality, and the clients I work with. First, it requires me to view every client as a unique individual, rather than categorizing them. This also means considering the influence of their surroundings.
This perspective became particularly valuable in my semi-structured interviews with same-sex parents. I discovered that their experiences with discrimination were heavily shaped by their place of residence. Those in accepting towns and villages faced little to no discrimination on a micro and mezzo level. However, as they encountered broader societal structures such as media, politics, and national discourse, discrimination became more pronounced. The same applies for my work with Romani youth. Their lived experience is in direct interplay with the condition of urban and rural spaces they live in. Cultural humility thus encourages us to recognize the influence of different systems in social work practice and also encourages us to take into account the importance of public spaces in which social workers should also have a voice.
The second dimension of cultural humility is the awareness of one's own position and privileges echoing McIntosh’s (1989) concept of white privilege. I deem that good practice starts with knowing who I am as a person and what has shaped me.
Cultural humility, therefore, provides a framework for upholding the ethical principles of social work—seeing each person holistically, striving for justice, and resisting oversimplified categorizations. Acknowledging our own privileges and positionality allows for a more nuanced and impartial understanding of clients, recognizing them as shaped by multiple intersecting factors, rather than a single characteristic. Every individual navigates a unique reality, shaped by a complex interplay of variables. Perhaps, then, the most ethical stance we can take is to allow ourselves to not know everything about others—and to remain open to learning from them.
References
Fisher-Borne, M., Cain, J. M., & Martin, S. L. (2015). From mastery to accountability: Cultural humility as an alternative to cultural competence. Social Work Education, 34(2), 165–181. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2014.977244
Loue, S. (2022). Diversity, cultural humility, and the helping professions: Building bridges across difference (1st ed.). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11381-9
McIntosh, P. (1989). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack. https://med.umn.edu/sites/med.umn.edu/files/2022-12/White-Privilege_McIntosh-1989.pdf
Tervalon, M., & Murray-Garcia, J. (1998). Cultural humility versus cultural competence: a critical distinction in defining physician training outcomes in multicultural education. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 9(2), 117–125.
Yeager, K. A., & Bauer-Wu, S. (2013). Cultural humility: Essential foundation for clinical researchers. Applied Nursing Research, 26(4), 251–256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnr.2013.06.008
Patricie Kyslíková is a Czech master's student in management of social work, focusing on working with migrants, minorities, and marginalized communities, while conducting early-stage research on applying new methods such as cultural humility and participatory art-based approaches in social work practice. She is also a dedicated volunteer and has rigorous experience with creating and lecturing workshops on diversity, belonging, and social justice.