Beyond cultural ‘competency’: A somatic approach to building authentic client relationships

Do you ever struggle to connect with clients from different cultural backgrounds? Have traditional cultural competency trainings left you feeling unprepared to engage meaningfully with diverse clients? While cultural competency has long been a cornerstone of healthcare and mental health services, it often frames providers as “experts” on another’s culture—limiting authentic, relational engagement.

This experiential webinar invites participants to move beyond competency and into cultural humility—a lifelong, reflective practice rooted in curiosity, openness, and embodied awareness. Participants will engage in somatic exercises such as body-based mindfulness to explore how culture is housed within the body. We will also use narrative strategies, such as storytelling, and creative practices like art and body mapping, to deepen our understanding of cultural experiences.

By shifting focus from “knowing” to meaningful engagement, this webinar aims to foster a more nuanced, relational approach to working across cultural differences. Additionally, participants will learn practical strategies to create culturally safe teams and workspaces that support ongoing learning and genuine connection.

This session is ideal for mental health professionals, healthcare workers, and service providers seeking to transform their approach to culture from one of expertise to one of humility, openness, and collaboration.

Learning objectives:

Gain practical tools to embody cultural humility and confidently engage with diverse populations, while learning strategies to promote cultural humility within teams and organizations for inclusive, continuous learning environments.

Expand understanding of culture as a dynamic, nuanced concept and develop a more complex view beyond seeing it as a singular entity.

Learn experiential methods to create safer spaces for clients to explore their cultural experiences and engage in meaningful discussions.