Cultural Immersion Reflection

Cultural Immersion Reflection Paper

From the social workers perspective, I do not have any personal bias toward this population (as mentioned earlier I have a deep connection to Puerto Rico). I do feel that one important area of concern would be the need to be educated about would be the way I would recognize problems, based on their culture and strong family ties and be able to relate and create a bond of trust with a Puerto Rican client. Mental health issues that are commonly reported among Latinos in the Caribbean based on a study conducted in 2014 is “attack of the nerves” or ataques de nervios. Ataques represent a reaction to acute, severe distress, and are often the result of actual or threatened loss, the death or injury of a loved
welfare system and that of Latino values and culture. The U.S. emphasizes individualism and personal responsibility. By focusing on the individual, it often overlooks the needs of the family as a whole, which is of upmost important to Puerto Rican families. A social worker needs to carefully examine their own understanding of their own individualist worldview and how to approach a client with a collectivist worldview. It’s also important for the practitioner to develop the knowledge of cultural heritage, background and history. This can enhance a social workers effectiveness in working with clients that come from different backgrounds than their own. According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2006, by the year 2050 nearly one-quarter of the U.S. population (or 102.6 million people) will be Latino origin. A recent study argues that nearly 90% of graduate schools agree that preparing future social workers culturally sensitive practice with Latinos is important and yet only 40% believed that students were prepared for this population. Holding a cultural lens to human behavior allows for sensitivity to cultural differences (Rich, et. al.,
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