Visual Art: A Tool for Facilitation of Cultural Competence and Antiracism when Training Helping Professionals

The concept of cultural competence is widely referred to within the helping professions, alongside issues of social and racial identity and the determinants of life outcomes. This article presents a personal account of the experiences of a Black, British, educational psychologist practitioner. From this vantage point, the concept of cultural competence is described drawing on the sense made within the literature. Visual artworks, grounded within the conceptual art movement, are presented as a tool for cultural competence pedagogy, and a psychological interpretation of the works is presented for reflection on issues of race, racism and racial identity. These novel tools are presented with the aim of contributing to the growing body of knowledge and to support a reconceptualisation of the responsibilities of helping professionals’ culturally competent practice. The article concludes with an invitation to colleagues to discuss and collaborate, using the tools presented.