Cultural differences automatically make it more difficult to create spaces of psychological safety. Power dynamics between your culture and those you serve, traditional gender roles, political interactions, and other factors can be dynamics that caregivers need to understand in order to overcome the potential inhibitors to creating a safe space.
For cross-cultural caregivers seeking to create environments of psychological safety for caring, they will need to take some steps to understand what such an environment looks like in a different culture.
What you consider a “safe” space may be different from what another considers “safe”. It is important for caregivers to put in the work that it takes to listen and understand what psychological safety means for those they serve and adapt their practice accordingly.
This is much easier said than done, and many caregivers have, with the best intentions, undermined their efforts to care by misunderstanding or presuming what psychological safety means in a cross-cultural context.
INSERT VIDEO CLIP- EXAMPLE OF CROSS CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT
