PSY496 Week 5
Read the articles “Applications in Social Justice Counselor Training: Classroom Without Walls” and “The
Multicultural Workplace: Interactive Acculturation and Intergroup Relations” and review the APA Guidelines
for Providers of Psychological Services to Ethnic, Linguistic, and Culturally Diverse Populations prior to
considering the following scenario.
You are a psychologist in an urban community that has seen a 200% growth in its immigrant population over
the past 3 years. Eighty-seven percent of this population speaks a language other than English at home. You
work for a community mental health center, which is seeing an increase in referral from this population
primarily because of the children’s interactions with the school system. The children typically become bilingual
quickly. The parents are typically less fluent in English than their children; however, approximately 30% of the
adults in this immigrant population are fluent in English and hold advanced degrees and middle- to uppermiddle class jobs. The remaining 70% primarily hold jobs that do not require higher education although many
do have degrees from their country of origin.
Based on the reading, evaluate research and practice aspects in this applied context and use elements from
previous learning in your program to address the following:

What types of staffing and training recommendations would you make for the community mental health
center?

How would you facilitate intergroup work relations among staff at the community mental health center?

Would you support the use of the DSM-5 to diagnose clients with limited English proficiency?

How would you evaluate whether or not your staff is competent to work with this population?

Explain the rationales for your answers by providing evidence from the required readings.

Communications Competency: Presenting Mental Health Information

Read the “Numbers Can be Worth a Thousand Pictures: Individual Differences in Understanding Graphical and
Numerical Representations of Health-Related Information” article prior to answering. Informed decision
making in the mental health and medical professions requires the ability to understand and effectively
communicate statistical information. For this discussion, address the following in your post:
•

Select one mental health disorder of your choice based on a valid diagnostic category in the DSM-5.

•
Research the disorder and locate relevant statistics obtained within the past 7 years regarding overall
prevalence, gender and age differences, and treatment options.
•
Present this information in the discussion forum in two formats: Format 1 for individuals with high
graph literacy; Format 2: for individuals with low graphic literacy but high numerical literacy. Information
regarding each of these two formats is discussed in the assigned article.
•
Be sure to include your references in your discussion post, that are formatted according to APA style as
outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.