The Garcia Family

This paper will examine the dynamics of the Garcia family, who faces a cultural divide within their household. Ana, the daughter, is greatly influenced by the American culture, while her parents are influenced by the Mexican culture. Two skills that would be needed to help this family, is the ability to be culturally competent and having the understanding of acculturation. Obtaining both of these skills is very important when working with families like the Garcia’s, because as social helpers we come from varying backgrounds that influence our ability to help. By being culturally competent and understanding acculturation, we would be able to effectively find the most appropriate resources to help families like the Garcia’s. The Garcia family

She is heavily influenced by the American culture, which creates a divide between her and her parents. Ana is very open and focuses on her future success, not as mother and wife, but as an independent women. Carmen Garcia, Ana’s mother, is influenced by traditional Mexican culture. She believes Ana needs to work to help support her family, and she needs to make sure she is fit to be a perfect wife. Carmen is very critical of Ana’s body and has a difficult time understanding Ana’s standpoint on topics like going to college. Estella, Ana’s sister, is a very hard working women who is not married, which is very frustrating for her mother Carmen. Estella operates a dress factory, where she can barely make ends meet. She struggles every day to make sure she can pay rent and her employees. Raul Garcia, Ana’s father, is very hardworking as well. He has multiple labor jobs in order to provide for his family. He is more understanding of Ana’s desire to go to college and is always willing to help out his children. Within the Garcia household, there is also Ana’s grandfather who is supportive of Ana’s decisions. Overall, the Garcia family’s problems are a result of the generational and cultural divide between Ana and her parents, specifically her

Cultural competency involves being able to appropriately interact with people of different cultures other than one’s own culture. Not only is it being able to work effectively with other cultures, it is being able to work effectively with other socio-economic backgrounds and ethnicities. A main component of being culturally competent, is being able to be culturally sensitive. This mean that the person helping would have to be aware of other cultures and how those cultures effect an individual’s or family’s values and behaviors. Being culturally competent is important because it helps bridge the divide between professional’s culture and their client’s culture. Understanding the clients culture allows for the person helping to find the most appropriate resources to help the family. If I were to help the Garcia family, I would need to examine how their Mexican heritage and circumstances drive their family structures, values, behaviors and their ability to adapt to a new culture. Understanding and being aware of my own culture and their culture would help me see what barriers might stand in their way and ways to overcome those