Managing Diversity

As a psychologist, you are expected to:

• Demonstrate respectful, open engagement with diverse others (e.g., cultural, individual, and role differences, including those based on age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socioeconomic status)

• Work to adapt approaches flexibly to context. This could entail articulating and using alternative and culturally appropriate repertoire of skills and techniques and behaviours

• Adapt professional behavior in a manner that is sensitive and appropriate to the needs of diverse others

Adapted from: American Psychological Association

Individual and cultural differences can be taught through courses, workshops, and literature reviews.

We found a research paper - In Pursuit of Cultural Competency in Social Work Practice by Nur Hilyah Bte Saparin at AMKFSC. This paper discusses cultural competency in social work practice, and emphasizes its importance within Singapore’s multicultural framework. While this paper is written for the social work practice, there are valuable learning points for a psychologist practising in the community, too.

However, managing diversity is best learned through experience. Here are some ideas and suggestions for you to consider:

Self Exploration

Self-exploration of your attitudes, beliefs and culture, exposure to diverse populations, and intervention with diverse clients is essential.

At CPH, we are advocates of job rotations across different populations for beginning psychologists. We believe it is meaningful to have exposure across different settings and populations, before you consider specialising as a psychologist. We encourage you to continue exploring working with diverse populations, especially in the early stages of your career.