CULTURAL-COMPETENCE TRAINING FOR STAFF SERVING HISPANIC FAMILIES WITHA CHILD IN PSYCHIATRIC CRISIS

As part of a research demonstration pro)ea focusing on children's psyc hiatric crises and their families, a cultural-competency training prog ram was developed for staff delivering home-based crisis intervention. The authors describe the training program, which was intended to teac h culturally competent practice with Hispanic children and families. T raining consisted of a day-long workshop, follow-up meetings with staf f, and a half-day 'booster' session six months after the Initial works hop. The workshop covered essential elements of Hispanic cultural dive rsity, values, family structure, Interpersonal relations, child-rearin g beliefs and practices, and points of interventions. Follow-up meetin gs provided counselors with the opportunity to discuss Issues and expe riences not covered in the first workshop and allowed trainers to moni tor the counselors' Incorporation of culturally competent principles o f practice In the booster session, trainers addressed issues raised by counselors at the fat low-up meetings in a more organized manner and addressed new, emergent issues.