Cultures and Psychology APS IG Newsletter - APS Member Groups

Cultures and Psychology APS IG Newsletter 

April 

2012 

Welcome to our Cultures and Psychology 

APS Interest Group 

Our Committee members are: 

Nigar Khawaja: Chair 

Jasmine Sliger: Secretary 

Isabel Stepanik: Professional Development Officer 

Bill Johnson II: Treasurer 

Trisha Carter 

Bernadette Wright 

Rohita Atri 

Estela Hutchings 

Letter from the National Convener 

Dear Members, 

Welcome to the first newsletter for 2012. You will find in this issue a variety of 

articles ranging from film reviews to serious issues of working with prison 

inmates. You will find articles written by the committee members and others. 

One of our goals is to pass on “helpful tips” to you in your psychological 

practice. You will find a tip sheet on cultural competence. 

At the beginning of the year, the committee came up with a strategic plan for 

the year. Some of our goals include: Facilitating communication for members in 

our group in accordance with the terms of reference that were sent to you last 

year, developing resources for our group members to improve their practice 

with their CALD clients, and addressing anxieties, fears, prejudices, bias or 

misinformation of the broader community about CALD communities. We also 

will develop, plan and organise events to enhance the practice of psychology 

and the competencies of psychologists providing services to CALD clients. We 

would hope that such events would be an opportunity for our members to 

network and support one another. We would like your assitance in achieving 

these goals. Please forward to us articles for the newsletter. Please let us know if 

you can help in organising a presentation / seminar. 

Culture and Psychology APS IG Newsletter July 2011 Page 1


April 

2012 

Our next newsletter will focus on the “issues related to the assessment of CALD 

clients”. We intend to prepare some articles and tip sheets on this topic. You can 

submit for the next newsletter, your dilemmas, ideas and tips associated with 

“assessment of a CALD client. 

Finally, Dr. Johnson, who has been on the committee, is returning home to the 

USA. The committee thanks him for his contribution and wishes him well in his 

future career and life. 

Regards, Nigar G. Khawaja. 

THREE VANACANCIES ON THE COMMITTEE 

Please join the committee 

Members from Qld, Vic and WA are particularly requested to consider joining 

the committee (email n.kahawaja@qut.edu.au) 

By Nigar G. Khawaja 

Film review: Live and Become 

“Live and Become” is a French film with subtitles. It is directed by Radu 

Mihaileanu. The film portrays the childhood and the adulthood of Sholomo, a 

young Ethiopian boy, who has fled Ethiopia due to famine and unrest. He is 

stationed at a Sudanese camp along with his mother. The camp also has many 

Ethiopian Jews, who are airlifted to Israel as part of “Operation Moses”. 

Sholomo’s mother pushes him to leave with other Jews, as a Jewish boy, when 

in reality he is a Christian. It shows the dilemmas of parents, who push their 

children to flee and also reveals the pain of the minors, who are in another 

country without any family. The film depicts the boy’s pain of being separated 

from his mother and his culture. The boy is adopted by a family in Telaviv. It 

also reveals his interactions with the Jewish faith and Western society. The boy 

faces cultural shock and internal turmoil over letting go of his own beliefs and 

practices and adopting the new ways of life. He is torn between identities. The 

locals also find it difficult to accept a black Jew. He finds it very hard to 

develop a sense of belonging. The film also has themes of prejudice, religious 

intolerance, and sense of self and the complex realities of immigrant experience. 

Moreover, the harsh reality of refugee experience is presented in a very 

effective manner. The film has won many awards and is a must for all those 

who are interested in the theme of acculturation stress, migration, refugees, and 

identity crises. It is also useful for academics and trainers who cover culture 

related courses and topics. 

I have given the film 5 stars. 



April 

2012 

Film review: The separation 

By Nigar G. Khawaja 

“The separation” is an Iranian film that won awards for the best foreign 

film. It is written and directed by Asghar Farhadi, starring Leila Hatami, 

Peyman Moaadi, Shahab Hosseini, Sareh Bayat and Sarina Farhadi. The movie 

is in the Persian language with subtitles. It shows the separation of an uppermiddles 

class educated Iranian couple living in one of the Iran’s larger city and 

who are on the verge of separation after 14 years of marriage with an eleven 

year old daughter. The complexity arises when the husband hires a lower socio 

economic class woman to take care of his father, who is suffering from 

Alzheimer disease. Some of the themes are similar to the rest of the world in 

the pain of separation and the way the children are affected by this tragedy. The 

issue of rights and justice are also global in nature. It shows how some 

situations and emotions are common around the globe. However, many other 

unique features of an Iranian culture are depicted in an exceptional manner. 

The film portrays many dimensions of a culture with masculinity and 

femininity dimension being prominent. The two separate worlds of men and 

women are depicted in a superb way. The dimension of power and hierarchy in 

the society is also presented. Politics of gender and class are highlighted. People 

from different socio- economic classes are not supposed to mix. However, 

innocent children are shown oblivious to these rules. The impact of culture on 

communication styles are also interesting to observe. The film depicts in an 

excellent manner many aspects of the present Iranian culture for those who are 

keen to learn about cultures,. The film is recommended for those who would 

like to know about Iranian culture. It is a good training tool to show some 

dimensions of culture. 

I have given the film 5 starts. 



April 

2012 

TIP SHEET- Competence 

By Bill Johnson 

The growing ethnocultural diversity within Australia has significantly increased 

the interaction between different cultural groups. As a result of this trend there 

is a growing need for practitioners to implement a more culturally sensitive 

approach to clinical practice. Several scholars have specifically echoed the 

necessity for practitioners to implement a culturally sensitive approach to 

working with CALD groups. Indeed, there is a large body of research which has 

operationalised the essence of cultural sensitivity. This includes cultural 

awareness, understanding one’s own cultural background and belief system as 

well as that of CALD groups, understanding, sensitivity, and competence. 

However, the question remains as to specifically what therapist’s behaviors 

exemplify cultural sensitivity? Confronted with this question, we have identified 

several important elements in facilitating culturally competent 

counselling/therapy 

During an assessment interview, embed the interview questions in a 

conversational flow – avoid an interrogatory questioning style 

Use the questions on the Cultural Awareness Tool to elicit the client’s 

explanatory model 

Be open about your own lack of knowledge of the client’s culture – do 

not be reluctant to ask about what you don’t know 

If you know who your client will be, do some reading about the client's 

cultural background, but do not assume it will fit the client. Be prepared 

for a client who varies from his/her cultural groups. 

Openly ask the client about his/her experiences of cultural adjustment. 

Be prepared to explore any cultural differences which exist between you 

and the client, such an exploration may offer an opportunity to gain more 

insight into the client’s own background as well as reduce distance 

between therapist and client 

Be honest about your lack of knowledge about the client’s culture, it is 

not realistic to know everything. 

Take a curious approach; ask the client what would help him/her discuss 

openly about difficult issues 

Express genuine concern through verbal and non-verbal behaviour after 

taking into account the silent communication style. 

DO NOT make unrealistic promises, 



April 

2012 

It may be helpful to offer practical support prior to tackling deeper 

psychological issues 

Be prepared to change your style to suit the client's needs. For example, 

you may have to do a home visit, even if normally this is not the way you 

work. 

It is important to have a cultural informant around you so that you can 

maximise your cultural awareness and sensitivity and therefore heading 

toward a level of cultural competence which is the final stage of being 

able to work effectively across cultures 

Cultural competence goes beyond awareness and knowledge and it’s the 

integration of skills to work effectively with other cultural groups. It is 

embracing complexity and change at every turn. 

Keep in mind that the above list is by no means comprehensive and as with any 

counseling it is important to assume that the client is the expert on his/her 

cultural background. Finally, it is important that any therapist working with 

CALD groups sustains consistent supervision from a culturally competent 

supervisor. 



April 

2012 

The Jewslim and Me “In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is best 

teacher”. Dalai Lama 

By Lyn Benson 

Counselling Psychologist, Melbourne 

Mobile 0417 114520 www.lynbenson.com.au 

I always thought of myself as tolerant, unbiased and accepting. And then the 

phone call came. My first clue that something was up was the colour of my 

son’s face. Puce if I remember correctly. He handed the phone to me and my 19 

year old daughter announced from Lombok Island that she was engaged to 

marry her Muslim boyfriend - a chicken farmer to be exact. 

We had met him once on a holiday to Lombok Island and thought he was quite 

sweet, kind, came from a huge family and had a brother who was some kind of 

Medicine Man, but of no significance really. My daughter would grow tired of 

him or he would realize that they were two different people from two different 

worlds. I never actually entertained the idea that we would have to "accept" 

him as one of our own. Out of the range of possibilities and therefore out of my 

conscious awareness. 

A year later, I found myself suddenly and abruptly filled with fear for my only 

daughter and with a formidable Jewish family in the background; I became 

overwhelmed with challenges to my own belief system, the pull of the 

obligations of my history and culture, and the desire to be comfortable but 

stagnant in the company of the familiar. 

This was pre 9/11 but we still had our stereotypes, not the least being Sally 

Fields’ rendition of a mother trying to rescue her kidnapped children from Iran 

in "Not without my Daughter”. In fact my sister even kindly dropped over a 

copy of the video for me to watch just in case I was unaware of the dangers my 

daughter now faced if I “allowed” her to marry this boy from Mars. Anyway 

what would a 19 and 20 year old know about love? 

But this was not a story being related to me in my office by a distraught client 

or an academic piece of research. This was about me, my only daughter, my 

family, my world. 

I decided that I needed to find out what we were dealing with so my son 

organized an interview with the Indonesian Consulate who tried to allay my 

fears. It never once occurred to me how patronising I must have sounded to this 

gentleman who was confronted with an educated, passionate and now somewhat 



April 

2012 

irrational woman asking ignorant and insensitive questions about his country, 

his belief system, and his Political ideologies. 

My psychology training had not prepared me for the unspoken but very 

powerful implicit values which were lurking just under the radar of my middle 

class Jewish persona. How would we cope with what others’ thought? What 

about the gossip and innuendo from well meaning but interfering friends and 

relatives? What if my daughter had children and he kidnapped them? What if 

she went to live in Indonesia and was living in poverty and with domestic 

violence? My thoughts became fused with images and never before imagined 

prejudice. He was not like me or mine or us, he was of the “other”. He WAS 

“them”. 

Family members literally became hysterical and a few friends stayed away, 

clearly even more lost in their own frame of reference than I was. Eventually 

my daughter and her fiancé came to live with us. His first impression of our way 

of life was our adored German Shepherd who he honestly thought was a robot! 

Dogs in his village in Indonesia were considered vermin and because of the 

poverty in Lombok are rarely kept as pets, let alone have the run of the house. 

However, over time, instead of treating us as foreign and alien he embraced us, 

cooked for us, taught me how to grow fresh herbs and make a banquet from left 

over scraps of food. I realized with some sense of shame that just because his 

skin was a different colour, his religion was different from mine and his English 

skills were charmingly limited, this young man was actually like me. I came to 

understand that genuine humility is more important than one’s ancestry, that 

generosity is more important than skin colour and that his family values are 

actually my family values. How amazing for me to be given this test of myself, 

thrown right out of my comfort zone, faced with a rendition of myself that I had 

no compass bearings for. 

Not without some cross cultural challenges, but 18 years and two amazing 

mixed race grandchildren later, I am now even more committed to encouraging 

tolerance, acceptance and humility in our dealings with people whose culture 

we may not understand, whose customs we may find strange and whose accents 

we find challenging to interpret yet have so much to offer us and ultimately, are 

all part of the same wonderful, intricate and fragile world we all call home. 

What I have come to learn is that the Jewish and Muslim religions and family 

values have more similarities than differences, that embracing a new son has 

been a priceless gift and that I have yet so much to learn about myself and the 

“others”. I am a work in progress. And I wouldn’t change a thing. 

(This story has been edited and blessed by my Jewslim daughter) 



April 

2012 

By Isabel Stepanik 

Working with CALD Inmates in NSW Prisons 

Spanish – Speaking Prisoners 

During my time working in Corrective Services I have had numerous interviews 

with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) inmates, particularly with 

Spanish-speaking inmates. The most frequent offences among Spanishspeaking 

inmates are drug –related. 

The great majority of Spanish-speaking inmates are ‘first-time offenders on 

remand’ and they are very much in shock. These inmates are more likely to 

exhibit severe depression, feelings of anxiety, isolation, loneliness, 

hopelessness, and feelings of great impotence. For this reason such inmates at 

this stage are quite vulnerable and very much at risk. 

Factors Affecting Spanish-Speaking Prisoners 

The trauma of imprisonment for many Spanish-speaking inmate, or CALD 

inmates generally, is increased by the following factors: 

. Lack of communication, due to little or no understanding of the English 

Language, resulting in lack of knowledge of the prison and legal system; 

. Isolation, the cause of most of the psychological difficulties mentioned 

above; and 

. Differences in values 

Lack of Communication 

Lack of English language is a major problem not only for the Spanish-speaking 

inmates but also for any CALD inmates, since they cannot defend themselves 

when facing the legal system. Therefore, the sentences may be harsher, worse 

or more severe because they cannot take advantage of their legal options. 

For those who do not speak English, the system does not provide or clarify 

sufficiently the gaol’s rules and regulations, nor inmates’ privileges and rights 

while in custody. For example, if CALD inmates have grievances or 

complaints, they are often unable to speak to the Official Visitor (who listens to 

complaints of both staff and inmates in relation to personal, administration or 

management issues in the institution) or to the Ombudsman (who deals with 



April 

2012 

complaints from anybody in relation to the institution and who can conduct 

investigations in relation to such matter as deaths in custody, assaults in 

custody, and so on). 

To make rehabilitation progress inmates must be able to express themselves, 

disclose their history of offences, accept responsibility for their behaviour, and 

be willing to seek and accept counselling and therapy. In the absence of 

effective communication such aims are difficult to achieve. The problem is 

well illustrated by the situation faced by Rosita. 

Rosita’s case 

Rosita is in her late thirties, married with no children. With seven siblings, she 

was brought up in a close knit family in South America. After a short visit in 

Australia, she was arrested for possession of drugs. As she has no prior 

criminal record, this is Rosita’s first time in an adult prison. She is well 

educated and had a good employment position in her country of origin. Rosita 

cannot speak English and until the time of my visit two months after her 

incarceration, she had been unable to have access to professional staff such as a 

psychologist, a drug and alcohol counsellor, or a legal officer. 

The main issue here is Rosita’s lack of communication due to her limited 

command of the English language. This lack of communication has caused 

Rosita’s lack of confidence, having to rely on someone else (another inmate 

who speaks Rosita’s language) at all times, as she is not able to express her 

feelings. However, the most painful experience for Rosita is the fact that her 

inability to speak English causes her to be alienated from the rest of the inmates. 

This, in turn, has produced many psychological problems for her, such as 

depression, self-pity, and eating as well as psychosomatic disorders, such as 

stomach pains, headaches and insomnia. 

Isolation 

Many Spanish-speaking inmates have no family to visit them while imprisoned, 

either because they are overseas, because they never married or because the 

marriage had already broken down. 

Besides, a lot of these inmates are very lonely, because they are isolated from 

the rest of the inmate population (as in Rosita’s case) due to the lack of 

communication in the English language. The lack of news from their loved 

ones may produce outbursts of anger, feelings of anxiety, or periods of 

depression which need to be properly understood by custodial and non-custodial 



April 

2012 

staff. This is the case for many of my CALD clients. Such problems are 

illustrated by my client. Antonio. 

Antonio’s case 

Antonio is an educated middle –aged man, married, with two grown up 

children. On arrival from Latin America, he was arrested at the airport for 

possession of drugs. Antonio cannot speak the English language. He is from an 

upper middle class family and well established in his employment position. His 

crime, he said, attracted media attention. News of his crime was shown on TV 

and newspapers in his country of origin, bringing feelings of shame and 

disgrace to Antonio and his family. As a consequence of his imprisonment, 

both his wife and oldest son are currently undergoing psychiatric treatment. 

Antonio stated that he could only count on the emotional and financial help of 

his younger son, as he appears to be the stronger one in the family. The effect 

of Antonio’s isolation produces in him waves of anger and frustration. On top 

of that, with his family being far away, he is unable to receive any visits, and 

can only contact them by phone. The lack of emotional and financial support 

from his wife, parents and other relatives, drive him sometimes to despair and 

hopelessness. Not only does he experience alienation from other inmates due to 

his lack of English, but the separation from his family make Antonio’s prison 

days extremely painful. 

Differences in values 

In working with Spanish-speaking inmates and CALD inmates, they often 

suggest that they would like, and would benefit from, the spiritual support of 

their own religious faith. Knowing the nature of Spanish-speaking people, I am 

sure religious support would be so beneficial that in some cases it could even 

decrease the need for psychological support. 

Religious support is therapeutic and beneficial for the moral and mental health 

of inmates, preventing feelings of despair, hopelessness, stress and isolation. 

Another area in which there appears to be a difference in values is the question 

of conjugal visiting. Since the 1940s some Latin Americans countries have 

allowed conjugal visits. In Mexico, for example, prison visits took place in 

private cubicles throughout the 1950s and 1960s. It has been claimed that in 

Mexican prisons from 1941 to 1949: 

not only does (conjugal visiting) combat homosexuality, it often changes the 

entire behaviour of a convict. It should be remembered that Mexico has a 



April 

2012 

very strong tradition. Even more than in the United States… anything that 

tends to destroy the family meets with opposition. It is believed that conjugal 

visits keeps couples together (Caugn, 1958, p. 133). 

On asking a high-ranking custodial officer from one of the NSW metropolitan 

gaols about conjugal visits, he stated that in his opinion allowing conjugal visits 

would not reduce the incidents of sexual abuse and assaults inside the prison 

system. Therefore, inmates will be given a privilege which, he believes, they 

are not entitled to and with no gain to themselves or the system. He also 

believes that conjugal visits are not conducive to rehabilitation, nor will they 

contribute to the good order of the institutions. 

Conclusions 

I believe in a prison system that assists, humanizes, educates and helps the 

inmates put their lives back on track. Imprisonment is a punishment in itself 

and only those who have been deprived of their freedom can understand the 

depth of their experience. We do not need to add any more pain to it. Rather, 

my intention is to create awareness that our goal is to help these individuals 

become productive law-abiding citizens. 

In order to achieve such a system, there is a need to address cultural factors that 

are currently ignored; or, if not ignored, there are no facilities or resources 

available to CALD inmates to provide adequate services such as: 

. A prompt accurate Interpreters Services available for CALD inmates from the 

time they come to gaol, particularly at reception and screening; 

. Bilingual staff, such as welfare workers, psychologists, drug and alcohol 

Counsellors and chaplains; 

. Translations of all gaol rules and regulations, particularly concerning 

Legal rights; 

. Establishing a Community Visiting Program to help inmates cope with 

isolation; and 

. The provision of a liaison officer for CALD inmates to express their 

particular needs 

Therefore, all services provided to inmates, as alluded to in this paper, should be 

equally applicable to all CALD inmates in their own languages. The service 

should make allowance for their values and cultural needs. In addition, some 



April 

2012 

practices such as conjugal visits, which are not currently available in Australia 

and which seem to work well in other countries, should be considered for all 

inmates whether English speaking or non-English speaking. 



April 

2012 

The outlook to be more culturally responsive mental health workforce in 

Western Australia: Building bridges instead of walls 

By: Dr. Bernadette Wright 

Australia has an increasingly diverse population with almost a 25 per cent born 

overseas from over 200 countries. However, cultural diversity presents some 

challenges for mental health services. Access can be a serious issue for people 

of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities while language, 

culture, traditions and beliefs can impede accurate understanding of mental 

disorders and appropriate pathways to services. A mental health service that is 

not culturally competent can have serious negative effects on a CALD client by 

failing to provide appropriate care. 

Western Australia has recently launched a pilot initiative to facilitate the 

integration of cultural responsiveness strategies through the implementation of 

the National Cultural Competency Tool (NCCT) into the routine quality 

improvement (QI) processes across all mental health programs funded by the 

State’s Mental Health Commission (WA). 

Developed with Commonwealth funding, the NCCT is a practical resource 

designed to assist mental health services work transculturally and improve 

equity for mental health consumers from CALD backgrounds. The benefits to 

the community of providing culturally competent care include more accurate 

diagnosis and increased rate of positive clinical outcome. The tool contains a set 

of eight National Cultural Competency Standards which were developed to be 

aligned with those in several relevant national Standards and Plans. These 

include the National Standards for Mental Health Services, the National Mental 

Health Policy, and the 4 th National Mental Health Plan. A series of practical 

aids, including an organizational self-assessment checklist to support services in 

enhancing their cultural competency, are also included. 

The initiative is led by the Community Culture and Mental Health Unit of the 

University of Western Australia which has been commissioned to develop and 

deliver a training program that will support the integration of the NCCT across 

all targeted services. Services will be given the necessary ongoing support as 

they endeavour to embed the Tool in their policies and processes. 



April 

2012 

2012 APS International Tour of Vietnam and Combodia 

By Robyn Nolan MAPS 

Our group of 11 met in Hanoi in January for the 2012 APS study tour of 

Vietnam and Cambodia, led by Trang Thomas. 

Trang not only translated for us but provided historical and cultural information 

one would never receive from our very competent local guides. We bonded well 

making our trip very memorable. 

After an introductory presentation from Trang on the first night, the following 

morning we took the cyclo tour around the old city. We were immediately 

struck by the sheer density of population thronging the narrow, tree-lined, 

roughly-paved streets; single-room households spilling through the shopfronts 

onto the sidewalks to cook and eat the morning meal while gossiping with 

friends and neighbours. The sidewalks are clogged with parked scooters. 

Vietnam was preparing for Tet, the New Year, so there was much more 

decoration than usual— glorious floral arrangements and city lights. Among 

other tourist sites, we explored the Temple of Literature, both a Confucian 

temple and the first university in Vietnam established in 1076. Where better to 

begin a study tour of Vietnam? 

Next day we spent 3 hours at the Hanoi Institute of Psychology where we met 

and talked with Vietnamese psychologists, who are doing it tough in their 

efforts to provide treatment to a highly superstitious population which consults 

an army of fortune-tellers for guidance in every significant life decision. 

Problems faced by Vietnamese psychologists include lack of opportunities for 

clinical training and an extreme reluctance by potential patients to recognise 

psychological problems. 

We were assured that slow progress is being made and valuable professional 

links with countries like Australia are growing stronger. Australian 

psychologists’ training visits have been very well-received and we were asked 

when they will return. However, already it is clear that economic progress and 

better educational opportunities have not had much impact on traditional belief 

systems. This view is confirmed when we meet with psychology lecturers in 

Hue. They are not psychologists as they have not had access to appropriate 

training programs but research is conducted. There is a student counselling 

centre but again it is difficult for students to present for fear of loss of 

reputation. Psychology graduates in Hue move on to teaching, or working with 



April 

2012 

children with learning difficulties or disabilities. There is no registration of 

psychologists in Vietnam. 

When we travelled by bus, time passed more quickly as we listened to 

professional development presentations by the psychologists about aspects of 

their work – clinical, educational, family and organisational. We met regularly 

in the late afternoons for additional presentations and discussions. 

Of course it was not all study. We visited splendid tourist destinations in all the 

places we visited, Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An, and Saigon (Ho 

Chi Minh City). It was a wonderful time staying in carefully chosen 

accommodation and dining from a wide choice of traditional food in each area. 

Each day saw us visiting historic temples, fine art and ethnological museums, 

handicraft workshops and markets, soaking up art, traditional music and history 

like sponges and spreading a little cash around to do our bit for the economy. 

We acquired clothing made to order in Hanoi and Hoi An, cruised through 

markets on foot, on rivers and in the ocean in a variety of basic and luxury 

water-borne craft including sampans and dragon boats. We also visited art 

workshops for the disabled and ate at the KOTO (Know One Teach One) 

restaurant in Hanoi where street youth are offered training and support. Some of 

us travelled on to Siem Reap in Cambodia where we compared the cultures. The 

wonderful Angkor Wat and other temples were spectacular! 

The APS international study tours are a magnificent example of a benefit to 

members. Australia is already a multicultural country with immigrants and 

asylum seekers from many cultures. Cross-cultural knowledge is a must. It is so 

easy to misunderstand why people from other cultures do or don’t seek help and 

how it can be provided. Our tour was not “just a junket”. It truly offered the 

opportunity for professional development one would never gain from 

workshops. 



April 

2012 

The group at Ha Long Bay 



April 

2012 

A Visit to the Institute of Psychology

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