Therapeutic Cultural Competence in Theory and Practice Following Hurricane Katrina: Culturally Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Disaster Relief.

There are many challenges that arise during highly stressful ordeals, especially natural disasters. Dealing effectively with the psychological effect of natural disasters requires that the providers of mental health services work together to create a supportive and healing environment. Cultural proficiency combined with therapeutic strategies is essential for mental health providers engaged in restoring mental health to those directly affected by the tragedy and adversity associated with a natural disaster. The most culturally responsive healing process requires mental health professionals equipped with culturally sensitive principles and best practices to enable effective therapeutic and cultural support, particularly among the population of Hurricane Katrina survivors. Healthcare providers need to be especially aware of the culturally specific issues salient for the African American survivors while contextualizing the universally appropriate responses to traumatic stress to effectively utilize those therapeutic strategies. This paper explores these issues and assesses the importance of cultural competence in providing mental health assistance to survivors of Katrina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]