Effective Interview Strategies for Case Management Across Cultures

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Another thing that I have learned is that we all carry misinformation and stereotypes about people and different cultures, whether we realize it or not. We’ve picked these up along our lives when we were growing up. We see bits and pieces from television, internet, radio, listening to friends and family talk and various other ways. We aren’t bad people because of this, however, the sooner we become aware of this misinformation, the sooner we can build healthy relationships with people from different cultures.

Having an Arab client would just mean a little more research for me, to make sure that I am doing everything right to connect with my client and build that important relationship with them. I would want to make sure to hug and kiss my client on both cheeks upon greeting him or her. I would never offer anything made of port or wine (not that I would ever do this anyway, but just pointing this out). I would also make sure not to question the way they dress or criticize it. I would make extra special notes not to ever look at the clock or my watch during our sessions, as not to make them feel unworthy.

I’ve learned quite a bit from doing this paper. Not just about the Arab culture specifically, but about how important it is to learn about different cultures and to get rid of any misconceptions I might have about different cultures. I also learned how important it is to build trust with my client to be able to build a healthy and strong relationship with my clients.

REFERENCES:

- Weston, M.A., Dunsky, M. (2002). One Culture, Two Frameworks – U.S. Media Coverage of Arabs at Home and Abroud [article]. Journal of Islamic Law and Culture, (1), 129

- https://fas.org/irp/agency/army/arabculture.pdf

- http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/cultural-competence/building-relationships/main