Mark A. Fairfield, LCSW, BCD
Los Angeles, California
April 25, 2008

Background

At the end of the last millennium, the U.S. Surgeon General reported that culture is a concept not limited to patients; clinicians view symptoms, diagnoses, and treatments in ways that sometimes diverge from their clients’ views, especially when the cultural backgrounds of the consumer and provider are dissimilar. “This divergence of viewpoints can create barriers to effective care. Clinicians and service systems, naturally immersed in their own cultures, have been ill-equipped to meet the needs of patients from different backgrounds and, in some cases, have displayed bias in the delivery of care" (Surgeon General’s Report, 1999).