1. Cross Cultural Helping Skills through the Lens of the
Intercultural Development Inventory:
Developing the “I” in Diversity
17th Annual Youth at Risk Conference
June 9, 2017
Salem State University
Dr. Mary Taylor Lewis Ms. Minnie Battle Mayes

2. Youth at Risk Presentation
Mary T. Lewis, PhD, MSW, LICSW
Social Work field for 30 years -taught for 11 years.
Lived, worked, taught in Asia.
Certificates: Treatment of Addictions, Assessing & Treatment of Trauma
IDI Qualified Administrator
Adjunct Professor at Lesley & Simmons Universities.
Minnie Battle Mayes, MA International Administration
President & CEO, International Partnerships and Ventures in Education, (iPAVE), LLC
Int’l Human Assistance, Public Diplomacy & Higher Education
Worked in Africa & Asia
IDI Qualified Administrator

3. Multi-Cultural Helping Skills
AGENDA
Warm up activity:
Changing Perspectives
A Look at Culture
Multi-Cultural Helping Skills
Diversity, Inclusion & Intercultural Competency
Introducing the Intercultural Development Inventory
Questions?

4. Changing Perspectives
How many see the young woman?
How many see the old woman?
Both?
Can you help show them both to the class?

5. Changing Perspectives

6. Changing Perspective

7. Changing Perspective

8. A Look at Culture
Objective Culture – artifacts created by a group of people such as art, architecture, literature, dance, holidays and collective history
Subjective Culture – values, beliefs, perceptions & behavior learned from one’s group that guides individual & group activity.  
The IDI Baseline Assessment Competency Guide, Michel R. Hammer, PhD, Copyright 2013, 2015

9. A Look at Culture
Culture - is always changing and we change culture. Flexibility and openness are important.
Intercultural competence - requires a focus & awareness of subjective culture – that which lies beneath.
The IDI Baseline Assessment Competency Guide, Michel R. Hammer, PhD, Copyright 2013, 2015

10. Identifying aspects of Culture
Maximizing Study Abroad, Paige et al. 2002: H-31

12. Intercultural Competence
Intercultural competence is when
there is a mix (diversity of differences)
in how people interact and experience
the world around them (culture).
It requires the capacity to recognize and bridge the complexities of individuals and groups (intercultural competency) if the goal is to ensure people feel valued and engaged (inclusion).
The IDI Baseline Assessment Competency Guide, Michel R. Hammer, PhD, Copyright 2013, 2015

13. Intercultural Competence
The link between Diversity and Inclusion
Intercultural competence bridges these two concepts
Intercultural competence is about making a
diverse environment an inclusive one
“Understanding culture is the foundation – the starting point-for all intercultural efforts. It is the most difficult concept to find widespread agreement on, yet it is central to everything”
- - - Mitchell R. Hammer, Ph.D.
The IDI Baseline Assessment Competency Guide, Michel R. Hammer, PhD, Copyright 2013, 2015

14. A balanced focus on valuing our differences can produce innovation such as new ideas, practices and values because culturally differences perspectives and practices contribute to the life of your learning and the development of organization. An overemphasis on difference across cultural diversity can produce fragmentation, which can cause barriers for growth.
The IDI Baseline Assessment Competency Guide, Michel R. Hammer, PhD, Copyright 2013, 2015

15. A balanced focus on identifying and establishing accurate commonalities in goals, need, interest and motivation can produce a shared experience and shared focus in our organizations. However, an overemphasis on commonalities across cultural diversity can produce conformity in organization, which can hinder grow.
The IDI Baseline Assessment Competency Guide, Michel R. Hammer, PhD, Copyright 2013, 2015

16. The 4 Premises of Multicultural Helping
All cultures represent meaningful ways
of coping with problems of their groups.
All helping is multicultural helping,
if defined broadly.
Sociocultural conditions are responsible
for the problems for which people seek help.
Helping/counseling is a form of cultural intervention.
All helping is multicultural helping, if defined broadly. enough to include race, nationality, ethnicity, social class, gender, sexual orientation, identity, and ability.

17. It recognizes client identities & practices inclusion
Multicultural helping can be defined as both a helping role & a process that uses various modalities. It defines goals consistent with the life experience & cultural values of clients.
It recognizes client identities & practices inclusion
It advocates the use of culture-specific strategies
& roles in the healing process
It balances the importance of individualism & collectiveness in the assessment, diagnosis & treatment of client & client systems.
When working across culture it is important to be open, warm and able to use curious and uses humble questions. This includes being able to adapt the various helping theories and methods that the clinician uses.
Formal helping/counseling is a particular form of cultural intervention developed in the West to deal with psychological distress, but every culture has its own way of dealing with human misery – ask about their way.
Multicultural helping can be defined as both a helping role and a process that uses various modalities and defines goals consistent with the life experience and cultural values of clients.
It recognizes client identities to include individuals and groups and the surrounding environment. It advocates the use of culture-specific strategies and roles in the healing process and balances the importance of individualism and collectiveness in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of client and client systems.
When working across culture it is important to be open, warm and able to use curious and humble questions. This includes being able to adapt the various helping theories and methods that the clinician uses.

18. Multicultural Helping Skills (continued)
The use of unconditional positive regard
Empathy is displayed by the use of active listening
What is the client’s experiences of discrimination and/or immigration adjustment
How has the environment been viewed and experienced?
(includes appreciation of the client’s point of view, emotional understanding and sensitivity), displayed by the use of active listening and showing careful to what the client is saying. Remember that non-verbal expressions are very important and differ, such as eye contact, touch, Also look at the client’s family Structures. What are the clients experiences of discrimination and immigration adjustment? How has the environment been viewed and experienced?

19. Multicultural Skills to Develop
Ability to see the client from their side.
Ability to note language patterns, nonverbal signs.
Ability to be curious, without judgment about different beliefs, ritual and reward systems.
Multicultural helping skills have:
a more active helping style – often working outside the office
reaching into the homes, community and spiritual support institutions
Look at the client as an insider would view it., what are the natural approaches to helping. Ask how they will know that they are being helped.
Look at language patterns, nonverbal signs. Look up and discuss proverbs, beliefs, ritual and reward systems.
How does the culture of the client view the helping relationship and what skills are utilized.
Remember that subcultures exist in what appears to be a common shared belief system.
When asking questions, do so with no judgment of right or wrong, but out of respectful Environmental settings are important.
and deep interest in gaining an understanding.
Multicultural helping skills have a more active helping style – often working outside the office- reaching into the homes, community and spiritual support institutions. Environmental settings are important.
Environmental settings are important.

20. CREATING YOUR OWN
CULTURE SKETCH

21. Cultural Influences
Dominant Group
Nondominant/Minority Group
Age and generational influences
Young/middle aged adults
Children, older adults
Developmental disabilities & other Disabilities
Nondisabled people
People with cognitive, sensory, physical, and/or psychiatric disabilities
Religion and spirituality
Christian & secular
Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, & other minority religions
Ethnic and racial identity
European Americans
Asian, South Asian,Laino, Pacific Islander, African, Arab, African American, & Middle Eastern People
Socioeconomic Status
Upper & middle class
People of lower status by occupation, education, income, or inner-city/rural habitat
Sexual Orientation
Heterosexuals
People who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual
Hays, P.A. (2008) Addressing cultural Influences

22. IDI Continuum
Denial mindset reflects a more limited experience & ability to understand & respond to cultural differences.
Monoculture Mindset
Intercultural Mindset
A Denial mindset reflects a more limited experience and/or capability for understanding and appropriately responding to cultural differences in values, beliefs, perceptions, emotional response and behaviors. Denial consists of a disinterest in other cultures and a more active avoidance of cultural difference. Reflected most often with individuals who have limited experience with other cultural groups.
The development strategy for Denial is to help individuals or groups to notice and engage cultural differences. Development is achieved by interacting more with people from different cultures - under supportive conditions. One idea is learning about the element on the tip of the iceberg.
On average, 3.05% of people have Denial as their primary orientation..
The IDI Baseline Assessment Competency Guide, Michel R. Hammer, PhD, Copyright 2013, 2015

23. Polarization can take two forms: Defense & Reversal
IDI Continuum
Polarization can take two forms:
Defense & Reversal
Monoculture Mindset
Intercultural Mindset
Polarization can take two forms:
Defense- sees cultural differences frequently as divisive and threatening to one’s own “way of doing things”. An example is “My cultural practices are superior to other cultural practices.”
Reversal – values may be idealized, while other cultural practices denigrating one’s own culture groups. An example is “Other cultures are better than mind”
When Polarization is present in an organization, diverse groups typically feel “uncomfortable”.
The development strategy for people at Polarization is to help them recognize when they are overemphasizing differences without fully understanding them; and second to help them search for commonalities and adopt a less evaluative stance towards understanding differences.
On average, 15.55% of people have Polarization as their primary orientation.
The IDI Baseline Assessment Competency Guide, Michel R. Hammer, PhD, Copyright 2013, 2015

24. IDI Continuum
Minimization is a transitional mindset between the Monoculture Mindset and Multicultural Mindset
Monoculture
Mindset
Minimization is a transitional mindset, between the more monoculture orientations of Denial and Polarization and the more intercultural/global worldviews of Acceptant and Adaptation. Minimization highlights commonalities that can mask a deeper understanding of cultural differences. Minimization can take two forms:
(1) the highlighting of commonalities due to limited cultural self-understanding, which is more commonly experienced by dominant group members with a cultural community  
(2) the highlighting of commonalities as strategy for navigating the values and practices largely determined by the dominant culture group, which is more often experienced by non-dominant group members with a larger cultural community. This latter strategy can have survival value for non-dominate culture members and often takes the form of “go along to get along”.
For Minimization the developmental strategy is to increase cultural self-understanding, including awareness around power and privilege as well as other patterns of cultural difference.
On Average, 65.25% of people have Minimization as their primary orientation.
Intercultural Mindset
The IDI Baseline Assessment Competency Guide, Michel R. Hammer, PhD, Copyright 2013, 2015

25. IDI Continuum
Acceptance is an intercultural mindset, but is not fully able to appropriately adapt to cultural differences.
Monoculture Mindset
Acceptance and adaptation are intercultural/global mindsets. Individuals recognize and appreciate patterns of cultural difference and commonality in their own and other cultures.
Orientation is: curious to learn how a cultural pattern of behavior makes sense within the different culture communities. Involves contrastive re-reflection bet. ones own culturally learned perceptions and those of different cultures.
While curious, individuals with an Acceptance mindset are not fully able to appropriately adapt to cultural differences.
They may be challenged to make ethical and moral decisions across cultural groups.
Embraces a deeper understanding of cultural difference, this can lead to individual struggling with reconciling behavior in another cultural group that the person considers unethical or immoral from his/her own cultural viewpoint.
- when Acceptance is present in individual practice, organizations and educational institutions, diversity feels “understood.”
Developmental strategy:
Average of 14.65% of people have acceptance as their primary orientation
Intercultural Mindset
The IDI Baseline Assessment Competency Guide, Michel R. Hammer, PhD, Copyright 2013, 2015

26. IDI Continuum
Adaptation orientation have the ability to shift cultural perspectives & behavior in authentic & culturally appropriate ways.
Monoculture Mindset
Adaptation orientation consists of both Cognitive Frame Shifting (shifting one’s cultural perspective) and Behavioral Code-Shifting (changing behavior in authentic and culturally appropriate ways). Adaptation enables:
Deep cultural bridging across diverse communities using increased repertoire of cultural frameworks and practices in navigating cultural commonalities and differences.
While people with an Adaptation mindset typically focus on learning adaptive strategies, problems can arise when they are intolerant towards others who engage diversity from other developmental orientations. This can lead to them being marginalized in their workplace.
Development strategy: continue building on knowledge of culture difference and further develop skills for adapting to these differences;
Engaging in “cultural mediation” bet groups that are experiencing problems.
1.55% of people have adaptation as primary orientation.
Intercultural Mindset
The IDI Baseline Assessment Competency Guide, Michel R. Hammer, PhD, Copyright 2013, 2015

27. IDI ASSESSMENT INDICATORS
Perceived Orientation: Where the group/individual places itself along the IDC
Developmental Orientation: as assessed by the IDI
Orientation Gap: increases awareness of the degrees to which they estimated how competent they are in navigating cultural differences
Trailing Orientations: indicates whether the person, in certain situations, engage cultural differences
Leading Orientations: next step to take in further development of intercultural competence – Customized Individual Development Plan
Cultural Disengagement: reflects how disconnected an individual feels to a cultural community that has been or is currently important to them.
The IDI Baseline Assessment Competency Guide, Michel R. Hammer, PhD, Copyright 2013, 2015

28. Intercultural Development Continuum
The IDI Baseline Assessment Competency Guide, Michel R. Hammer, PhD, Copyright 2013, 2015

29. The IDI is a:
Cross-culturally validated assessment of intercultural competence
Cross-culturally validated with over 10,000 individuals across a wide range of cultures—both domestic & international diversity
50 item questionnaire, translated into 17 languages, available online
Includes open-ended questions
Customized to Educational and Organizational applications
Able to produce customized individual, group, sub-group & organization-wide IDI profile reports
All Individual IDI profile reports accompanied by customized, Intercultural Development Plans
Demonstrated content, construct and predictive validity in organizations and in educational institutions
The IDI Baseline Assessment Competency Guide, Michel R. Hammer, PhD, Copyright 2013, 2015

30. Who Uses the IDI – A Few Examples
Non-Profits – AARP, Boys & Girls Aid Society of Oregon, United Way Worldwide
Foundations – The Kellogg Foundation, Hamilton Community Foundation
Corporations – Disney, Boeing, Microsoft
Government – Federal Reserve Bank, State of Oregon, Minnesota State Supreme Court
Many primary & secondary schools &
universities
The IDI Baseline Assessment Competency Guide, Michel R. Hammer, PhD, Copyright 2013, 2015

31. Thank you, Questions & Comments
Ms. Minnie Battle Mayes Dr. Mary T. Lewis
(336) (857)
IDI website: