Background: Clinicians are advised to provide culturally competent care but little is known about how this directive translates into clinical practice. we investigated how this directive was implemented by describing how clinicians utilize sociocultural (SC) information, and how it impacts the clinical encounter.
Method: Data were collected in clinics in the Northeast of the U.S. Clients (N=129) and clinicians (N=47) participated in three components of the study: videotaping of the clinical intake, a qualitative interview, and reporting on sociodemographics. thematic analysis of interviews was conducted using NVivo7.
Results: Clinicians used sociocultural information to understand clients' clinical presentation; inform diagnosis; differentiate psychopathology from contextual circumstances that influence behavior; create empathy; and individuate clients.
Limitations: Since the study only included data from public clinics, the results may not generalize to other settings.
Conclusions: Integrating SC information appears critical to client engagement and to bonding between client and clinician, particularly for diverse populations utilizing public clinics.