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Cultural Immersion Reflection

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Cultural Immersion Reflection
Cultural Immersion Reflection Paper

From the social workers perspective, I do not have any personal bias toward this population (as mentioned earlier I have a deep connection to Puerto Rico). I do feel that one important area of concern would be the need to be educated about would be the way I would recognize problems, based on their culture and strong family ties and be able to relate and create a bond of trust with a Puerto Rican client. Mental health issues that are commonly reported among Latinos in the Caribbean based on a study conducted in 2014 is “attack of the nerves” or ataques de nervios. Ataques represent a reaction to acute, severe distress, and are often the result of actual or threatened loss, the death or injury of a loved
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welfare system and that of Latino values and culture. The U.S. emphasizes individualism and personal responsibility. By focusing on the individual, it often overlooks the needs of the family as a whole, which is of upmost important to Puerto Rican families. A social worker needs to carefully examine their own understanding of their own individualist worldview and how to approach a client with a collectivist worldview. It’s also important for the practitioner to develop the knowledge of cultural heritage, background and history. This can enhance a social workers effectiveness in working with clients that come from different backgrounds than their own. According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2006, by the year 2050 nearly one-quarter of the U.S. population (or 102.6 million people) will be Latino origin. A recent study argues that nearly 90% of graduate schools agree that preparing future social workers culturally sensitive practice with Latinos is important and yet only 40% believed that students were prepared for this population. Holding a cultural lens to human behavior allows for sensitivity to cultural differences (Rich, et. al., …show more content…
1995. "The legislative history of colonialism: Puerto Rico and the United States Congress, 1898 to 1950." Journal Of Third World Studies 12, no. 1: 265-287.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/12/florida-puerto-rican-influx-hurricane-maria

http://www.history.com/topics/puerto-rico-history

https://www.frommers.com/destinations/puerto-rico/in-depth/religion

Pérez, C., & Ailshire, J. A. (2017). Aging in Puerto Rico: A comparison of health status among island puerto rican and mainland U.S. older adults. Journal Of Aging And Health, 29(6), 1056-1078.

Rich, F., Nalini Junko, N., Derek Kenji, I., Diana, R., Allison, S., & Jennifer, G. (2009). Social work practice with Latinos: Key issues for social workers. Social Work, (2), 167. doi:10.1093/sw/54.2.167

Rubens, S. L., Felix, E. D., Vernberg, E. M., & Canino, G. (2014). The role of peers in the relation between hurricane exposure and ataques de nervios among Puerto Rican adolescents. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, And Policy, 6(6), 716-723. doi:10.1037/a0036701

Torres, K. M. (2017). Puerto Rico, the 51st state: the implications of statehood on culture and language. Canadian Journal Of Latin American & Caribbean Studies (Routledge), 42(2), 165-180.

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