Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Beaver
Chapter 7
July 12, 2017
Just as human services professionals must work effectively with clients from unique and
distinctive cultures, they must also work within organizations with unique and distinctive
cultures (Kiser, 2016). The first cultural difference that I encountered at Horizon House, Inc.,
happened on my interview for my managerial position. I arrived at the site early, and my future
director had not arrived yet. I went to the door, and rang the bell. I was greeted by an African-
ensued as he looked at my hand. He then walked away from me without making eye contact, or
shaking my hand. I thought it was odd, and mentioned it to the director while we were
interviewing. It turns out he was Muslin, and didnt shake a womans hand, let alone make eye
contact with a woman who wasnt his wife! I was mortified! I had no idea. I had never met a
Throughout my career with Horizon House, I have learned about my own culture and
social location. I am a white woman who has Native American history, with strong cultural ties
to the gay community. My father and best friend were gay, so I grew up in the heterosexual
world, and the gay community. I benefited from white privilege in society, especially since my
Native American heritage does not show physically. My sister got the characteristics and was
bullied at school for them. Because I am a woman, I was viewed by some as less than and
because I was more of a Tom Boy, not thought of as a girl, either. Having a gay father caused
me much grief early on, with peers assuming that I was gay also. In working with my
participants, I have learned to let them tell me their story. I strive to be nonjudgmental and keep
my personal bias and values out of the conversation. Each participant is an individual, with their
own rich culture and heritage. It is to be respected and learned from, not mocked and ridiculed,
My greatest cultural challenge has been learning about the Transgender community. We
now have a Transgender participant, and my staff and I are learning all that we can to support her
and find resources to aid her in her transition and Recovery. I have assessed my skill level with
different cultures by researching the culture and speaking with members of that culture for
clarity. My goals are to continue to further my knowledge and experience with other cultures by
mingling and putting myself in situations where I will become more exposed to the culture and
its people.