CRC Cultural Competency & Diversity in Relationships Flashcards

A relationship coach working with a couple from a collectivist cultural background should primarily recognize that:

Answer: Family and community expectations may hold equal or greater weight than individual desires

In collectivist cultures, family and community expectations are central to relationship decisions and identity, and a culturally competent coach honors this framework.

Which term best describes a coach's ongoing process of examining their own cultural assumptions and biases as they affect client work?

Answer: Cultural self-reflection

Cultural self-reflection is the intentional, ongoing practice of examining one's own cultural lens, biases, and assumptions to prevent them from negatively influencing coaching.

When a client uses a term from their cultural or religious tradition to describe their relationship structure, the most culturally competent coach response is to:

Answer: Ask the client to explain what the term means to them personally

Asking clients to define culturally specific terms in their own words respects their expertise about their own experience and prevents the coach from imposing outside definitions.

A coach notices they feel uncomfortable when working with a same-sex couple. The most ethical and culturally competent action is to:

Answer: Engage in supervision or personal development to address the discomfort

Seeking supervision or personal development addresses the coach's own bias and ensures it does not harm the client, which is the ethical standard in culturally competent practice.

The concept of 'intersectionality' is important in relationship coaching because it recognizes that:

Answer: Multiple overlapping identities shape a client's relationship experiences simultaneously

Intersectionality, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, acknowledges that race, gender, class, sexuality, and other identities overlap to create unique and complex relationship experiences.

A client from a culture with high power distance norms may struggle most with which coaching approach?

Answer: Collaborative goal-setting where the coach positions themselves as a peer

High power distance cultures expect clear hierarchies, so a peer-based, egalitarian coaching style may feel uncomfortable or confusing to clients from those backgrounds.

Which of the following best illustrates cultural humility in relationship coaching?

Answer: Maintaining an attitude of lifelong learning and openness about cultural differences

Cultural humility, as defined by Tervalon and Murray-García, is a lifelong commitment to self-evaluation and remaining open to learning from clients, rather than claiming cultural expertise.