ATC 515 Social and Cultural Foundations
This course provides students with the opportunity to understand the relevance of cultural competence to strategies for working with diverse communities, understanding of privilege and oppression and reflective thinking in regard to the therapist’s own attitudes and beliefs. Includes studies of social change, ethnic groups, subcultures, mores, urban and rural societies, population patterns, use of leisure time, work, and differing life patterns. Students will approach art therapy and counseling from a multicultural perspective that takes into consideration the specific values, beliefs, and actions influenced by a client’s race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, religion, socioeconomic status, political views, sexual orientation, geographic region, physical capacity or disability, and historical or current experiences within the dominant culture. They will recognize the impact of oppression, prejudice, discrimination, and privilege on access to mental health care, and develop responsive practices that include collaboration, empowerment, advocacy, and social justice action.