Culture & Behavioral Health

Course Summary

This course will lay the foundation for developing cultural competency and responsiveness by increasing your awareness about the cultural differences you encounter in the behavioral health field. This course will help you understand why developing culturally sensitive skills is essential and will assist you in taking the first step, which is to identify and reflect on the cultures to which you belong. This will foster the understanding of and communication with clients from different cultures. Culturally responsive counseling requires an ongoing commitment to develop these skills continually and cannot be achieved in one course. This learning experience will give you the strategies to understand how you and your clients see the world.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

1. Recognize that your client is the expert in their life course and culture.
2. Integrate your knowledge of cultural and linguistic competency (CLAS) into your client interactions.
3. Demonstrate cultural humility during client interactions.
4. Feel more confident in your ability to integrate culture into practice.

Learning Audience

The learners for this training are behavioral health service providers, social workers, counselors, peer support specialists, and other professionals who support individuals with substance use and behavioral health conditions.

Continuing Education Credits

This course is eligible for Continued Education Units (CEU) upon completion, which are awarded as follows: 

• 1 CEU credit awarded per (1) hour of completed learning

Questions about CE credits? 

• Send email

• CE Program Complaint Form

Content Contributors

• Daniel Savin MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Director, Refugee Mental Health Program, University of Colorado School of Medicine