Multicultural Counseling

Continuing Education

May 21, 2027

Registration Deadline: May 21, 2027

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This course explores how cultural differences shape mental health care and why evidence-based psychotherapies may need cultural adaptation to improve engagement and outcomes for diverse populations. Clinicians will learn practical strategies for implementing culturally tailored approaches, including considerations for migratory grief, single-session interventions, and organizational barriers.

Live Online

This course is taught online in real time.

Additionally, all sessions will be recorded and made available to participants for online viewing for 30 days after the end of the course.

This is the standard price, for a full list of profession pricing see below.
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Continuing Education

Earn up to:
7.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
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All evaluations and credit claims must be completed within 60 days of the course end date.

1 Day

Please view the Schedule for a full description of the program.

Overview

Rapid demographic shifts continue to impact and alter the clinical landscape in the U.S., with direct implications for health care delivery. Despite an increased emphasis on cultural diversity in health care professions training, significant disparities persist in mental health service utilization, premature termination, and clinical mental health outcomes among racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse populations. These disparities may be amplified due to the fact that standard Evidence-Based Psychotherapies (EBPs) are often developed and normed on Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic populations—and therefore require systematic cultural adaptation in order to maximize patient engagement, therapeutic alliance, and efficacy in diverse populations.

This new course will help clinicians better understand how mental health and illness is viewed through various cultural lenses; discuss foundational evidence supporting cultural adaptations to EBPs; and identify organizational barriers to implementing culturally tailored programs in various clinical settings. Faculty will also discuss the universality of migratory grief, explore how Single-Session Interventions (SSIs) may be an effective therapeutic option in certain circumstances, and review tips to help clinical teams successfully integrate tailored programs into their standardized care models. In addition, an interactive small group breakout session will promote deeper exploration and discussion of key implementation skills among participants. We invite all clinicians who provide counseling and therapy to diverse populations to join us in Spring 2027!

* Generative AI was used to draft this overview. HMS faculty course directors then reviewed and edited it to ensure factual and clinical accuracy.

Learning Objectives

Identify opportunities within the clinical assessment process to explore migration-related grief and loss while promoting resilience and connection.
Review the evidence on the effectiveness of single-session interventions (SSIs) for improving mental health outcomes, and describe ways SSIs can be adapted or tailored for different populations, cultures, and settings.
Consider and explain how various elements of the Unified Protocol may affect its effectiveness in ethno-cultural groups.
Describe several cultural adaptations to psychotherapy that have been shown to improve outcomes for Asian heritage populations.
Formulate organizational strategies to overcome multidisciplinary implementation barriers and facilitate interprofessional practice.
Apply deep-structure cultural adaptations to evidence-based practice (integrating cultural values, belief systems, and social determinants of health).
Discuss common team-level barriers to implementing culturally responsive clinical initiatives and identify strategies to promote clinician engagement and adoption.
Apply strategies to navigate multidisciplinary team dynamics and promote sustained adoption of culturally responsive clinical practices.

Developed and Offered By:

Continuing Education courses are developed by faculty from Harvard Medical School's teaching hospitals and accredited by Harvard Medical School. This course is offered by Cambridge Health Alliance.

Schedule

All agenda sessions are in Eastern Time.

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Friday, May 21, 2027

Faculty

Harvard Medical School Continuing Education attracts the best and brightest faculty from all around the world. As a student in this course, you’ll have access to outstanding course directors and faculty.

Course Directors

Treniece Lewis Harris

PhD | Course Director

Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Founder and CEO of CULTURA Psychotherapy & Consulting, LLC
Lecturer on Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry, Part-time, Harvard Medical School

Ingrid Sarmiento

PhD | Course Director

Instructor in Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Outpatient Adult Psychologist, Cambridge Health Alliance

Luciana Quintanilha

MSW, LICSW | Course Director

Clinical Social Worker, Outpatient Psychiatry and Perinatal Mental Health Team, Cambridge Health Alliance

Karen Kuc

MPH | Course Director

Director, Continuing Education in Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance
Associate in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Course Faculty

Wei-Chin Hwang, PhD
Private Clinical Psychology and Consulting Practice
Professor of Clinical Psychology, Claremont McKenna College

Yveton Isnor, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist, Recovery in Shared Experiences (RISE) program, Cambridge Health Alliance Instructor in Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Michelle Silva, PsyD
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Director, Connecticut Latino Behavioral Health System
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine

Juan Pablo Zapata, PhD
Clinical Psychologist
Associate Director, Lab for Scalable Mental Health and Research Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University and Institute for Adolescent Mental Health and Well-Being

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Course Fees

Registration Details

You may register through our secure online environment and will receive an email confirmation upon receipt of your payment. Session recordings are available 30 days after the course ends.

At the end of the registration process, a $10 non-refundable processing fee will be added to your registration.

Review the cancellation policy.

Accreditation

In support of improving patient care, Harvard Medical School is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Live/Live Online Courses: To receive CME/CE credit, learners are required to complete the course evaluation. Once the evaluation is complete, you will be able to claim your credit and download your certificate. All evaluations and credit claims must be completed within 60 days of the course end date.

Online Courses: To receive CME/CE credit, learners must pass the course post-test and complete the course evaluation in order to claim credit before the final day of the accreditation period. Learners have access to the course for 60 days after the accreditation period has expired.

Physicians

Badge for Jointly Accredited Provider with Commendation Interprofessional Continuing Education

The Harvard Medical School designates this live activity for a maximum of 7.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurse Practitioners and Registered Nurses

For the purpose of recertification, the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board and the American Nurses Credentialing Center accept  AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ issued by organizations accredited by the ACCME. We would also suggest that learners check with their state licensing board to ensure they accept reciprocity with  AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for re-licensure.

Physician Assistants

The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) states that  AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are acceptable for continuing medical education requirements for recertification. We would also suggest that learners check with their state licensing board to ensure they accept reciprocity with AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for re-licensure.

Psychologists

Cambridge Health Alliance, Division of Continuing Education in Psychiatry is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Cambridge Health Alliance, Division of Continuing Education in Psychiatry maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This course offers 7.00 continuing education credits.

Please note: For psychologists, social workers, counselors, and LMFTs, this course has been approved for a set amount of credits and CHA is not able to issue CE certificates for partial credit. Participants must be present for all sessions to claim a certificate. For any questions regarding CE credit, please email cme@challiance.org.

Counselors

Cambridge Health Alliance is an Affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Cambridge Health Alliance, Division of Continuing Education in Psychiatry has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5444. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Cambridge Health Alliance, Division of Continuing Education in Psychiatry is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. This course meets the requirements for 7.0 continuing education hours and is also applicable for Commonwealth of Massachusetts Counseling/Allied Mental Health accreditation for 7.00 credits.

Marriage/Family Therapists

Application for LMFT continuing education credits has been submitted to NEAFAST. Please contact us at cme@challiance.org for the status of LMFT CE accreditation. The States of CT and RI accept NBCC and NASW approval for marriage and family therapy.

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC)

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada recognizes conferences and workshops held outside of Canada that are developed by a university, academy, hospital, specialty society or college as accredited group learning activities.

Union of European Medical Specialists

The American Medical Association (AMA) has an agreement of mutual recognition of continuing medical education (CME) credit with the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS). Additional information regarding this agreement may be found on the Union of European Medical Specialists website.

Competencies

IOM Competencies

This course is designed to meet the following Institute of Medicine Core Competencies:

Provide Patient-Centered Care
Employ Evidence-Based Practice

ABMS/ACGME Competencies

This course is designed to meet the following American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) / Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Educational (ACGME) competencies:

Patient Care and Procedural Skills
Medical Knowledge
Interpersonal and Communication Skills

Disclaimer & Disclosure

Disclaimer Policy

CME activities accredited by Harvard Medical School are offered solely for educational purposes and do not constitute any form of certification of competency. Practitioners should always consult additional sources of information and exercise their best professional judgment before making clinical decisions of any kind.

Note: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ is calculated based on submission of a preliminary agenda and may be subject to change.

Disclosure

In accord with the disclosure policy of the Medical School as well as standards set forth by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), course planners, speakers, and content reviewers have been asked to disclose any relationships they have to companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. In addition, faculty have been asked to list any off-label uses of pharmaceuticals and/or devices for investigational or non-FDA approved purposes that they plan to discuss.

Registration for courses managed by Harvard Medical School can only be completed through Harvard Medical School’s official registration portal: cmeregistration.hms.harvard.edu. Attendee registrations made through any other sites cannot be honored and will not be refunded. Please report any unauthorized websites or solicitations for registrations.

In order to comply with applicable U.S. export control and sanctions regulations, Harvard Medical School prohibits access to and use of Harvard Medical School educational offerings, programs and resources to individuals from certain sanctioned regions or who are otherwise subject to U.S. government sanctions, unless appropriate authorization is in place.

Program Topics

Clinical Practice

Multicultural Counseling

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