Intersections of care: An analysis of culturally competent care, client centered care, and the feminist ethic of care

Issue title: Women, Work and Culture

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Black, Roxie M.

Affiliations: Director, MOT Program, University of Southern Maine/Lewiston-Auburn College, 51 Westminster Street, Lewiston, ME 04240, USA. Tel.: +1 207 753 6515; Fax: +1 207 753 6555; E-mail: rblack@usm.maine.edu

Abstract: Many of us work within a health carefield, but do we think about the meaning of the care that we provide? This paper examines three approaches to practices in the caring professions; culturally competent care, client centered care, and the feminist ethic of care, in an effort to discover if and where the three intersect. Although philosophically similar, the essence of caring practice discovered in this examination resulted in the simple equation: Provider knowledge and skills + client respect = client empowerment An examination of the meaning of this formula and its implication for practice is included.

Keywords: caring, culturally competent care, client centered care, feminist ethic of care, empowerment

Journal: Work, vol. 24, no. 4, pp. 409-422, 2005