This resource is supplemental material to the webinar Customizing Wellness Tools for the Cultures in Your Community. The fact sheet provides guidelines for community organizers and professionals implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs) to ensure they meet the needs of the communities they serve.
Social factors such as poverty, racism, and discrimination impact an individual’s well-being. Culture also affects how patients seek help or express symptoms and may also influence how providers perform diagnoses or patient care. For all these reasons, cultural and social factors must be taken into consideration by community organizers and providers when implementing EBPs in the communities they serve.
EBPs are not one-size-fits-all when it comes to different cultural groups, and aspects of them may need to be adapted to fit the needs of the community. SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices catalogs a comprehensive list of EBPs for consideration. Kleinman’s Exploratory Model and the Kluckhohn’s Value Orientation Model can help community organizers determine which EBPs would be most appropriate for the cultural group(s) served. These models help identify the needs and preferences of these groups and which EBPs would be most effective. Cultural factors to consider are views and understanding of mental illness, family relationships and values, and worldview. Finances, resources, and other local organizations may also influence how the EBP is modified and implemented. These factors will determine the most appropriate EBP and what factors should be modified to meet the clinical and cultural needs of clients.
This resource was first shared in 2017.