ODE Resources

View the SMC BHRS Cultural Competence Plan 2025 in the resource library below.

Each year the State of California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) requires county mental health departments to develop a Cultural Competence Plan (CCP) as per the DHCS Cultural Competence Plan Requirements (CCPR) intended to move toward the reduction of mental health service disparities and works toward the development of the most culturally and linguistically competent programs and services to meet the needs of California’s diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural communities in the mental health system of care. At San Mateo County (SMC) BHRS we have tied this requirement to the paths we take to support our workforce, our CBO’s and those we serve.

For fiscal year 20-21, our SMC CCP and updates submission (includes FY 20-21 Plan: 3-year review & redlined Updates for FY 20-21) reflects how BHRS continues to deepen its efforts to develop a culturally responsive and inclusive system in support of the behavioral health and recovery needs of San Mateo County’s increasingly diverse population, while also supporting our communities through the COVID-19 pandemic.

We want to first express our deep gratitude to our entire workforce and stakeholders, without whom none of these advancements would be possible, for your honesty and input on how we can improve these efforts in the future. Our goal is for this document to inform and guide our work, for cultural competence and the principles of cultural humility to remain at the forefront of BHRS. We have seen over the past two years how anything is possible when we come together. This document exemplifies those efforts. Again, Thank You for the work, passion, thoughtfulness, and time that so many of you have dedicated to creating meaningful change!

Download the “Dealing with Community Stress” Card in the resource library below.

Feeling overwhelmed? The Dealing with Community Stress resource card, offered in Spanish and English, helps offer tips for how to manage your own stress and create safer communities.

Designed by the BHRS Office of Diversity and Equity in San Mateo County.

On 1/28/25, the San Mateo County BOS shared its commitment to equity, safety, and inclusion for all communities, reaffirming previous efforts to ensure that every individual is welcomed, valued, and included.

Helping kids and teens with their emotions during family changes, like separation or transitions, can make them feel safe, strong, and better able to handle change. Showing love and support, along with giving them access to behavioral health resources, helps them develop good coping skills, build strong relationships, and stay emotionally healthy. 

Before

• Keep a routine to provide stability and comfort.
• Be patient—this is a difficult time.
• Remind them that their safety is the top priority.
• Teach healthy coping skills that respect their culture.
• Reduce media exposure to help lower anxiety.
• Get support from mental health professionals if needed.
• If appropriate for their age, include them in planning and encourage them to express their thoughts and feelings.

During

• Follow a daily routine to create a sense of normalcy.
• Show love, give reassurance, and provide a safe space to share feelings.
• Stay in touch with teachers, counselors, coaches, and support services.
• Make sure they continue receiving mental health care if needed.
• Encourage healthy coping skills that respect their culture.
• Help them maintain a positive relationship with caregivers.

After

• Keep familiar routines to create stability.
• Pay attention to emotional changes and get help if needed.
• Talk openly and let them know their feelings matter.
• Make sure they continue receiving mental health care.
• Think about family therapy or support to help with healing and communication.
• Share updates in a way that is clear, comforting, and right for their age.
• Focus on their strengths and celebrate their progress.

How to support our Muslim Clients and Families during the Islamic Holy Month of Ramadan

During this month, Muslims worldwide will abstain from food & drink during daylight hours. This year, Ramadan can fall during some of the longest days of the year so please be aware that fasting Muslims will abstain from food & drink (including water) for up to 15 hours daily.

It is important that we understand what this month means to Muslims & how we can better serve our Muslim clients & families

The following are steps that we can take to better accommodate our Muslim clients & families:

1. Hold phone meetings in the morning rather than in the afternoon or early evening.
2. Ask how you can provide support during this month. This may mean pushing meetings back until a later date (after Ramadan).
3. Understand that your Muslim clients & families may sleep less during this month since they get up early in the morning (between 4-5 a.m.) for prayers & to eat breakfast. They also may stay up late to engage in optional nighttime prayers starting at 9 p.m.
4. Muslims are encouraged to be self-reflective during this time, they may be engaged in more religious-based behaviors (e.g. performing extra nightly prayers, reading the Qur’an, etc.), which may impact their sleep, energy, & overall psychiatric presentation. Thus, please be mindful when evaluating changes in their sleep, energy, or behavioral patterns, within the context of this month.
5. COVID-19: Decreasing cases have allowed some Muslim clients to have more access and comfort to go to the mosque, visit with family & break their fast with others. Others, however, may wish to be more cautious, & may experience increased anxiety, isolation & stress during this time. Clinicians can help by brainstorming ways to reduce feelings of isolation such as planning Zoom “iftars” (meals to break the fast) with family members or finding televised taraweeh (nightly prayers) & Jummah (Friday) prayers.
6. For prescribers: Clients may prefer to observe the fast while on their medications. Please talk with your clients about the impact of their medications while fasting & consider what measures can be taken to support them in completing their fast (e.g. adjusting their medication times, emphasizing hydration, addressing potential heightened med side effects). Exemptions from fasting exist for certain groups of people (e.g. children) or those with particular conditions (e.g. pregnancy), & includes those who have health conditions that would be severely affected (e.g. risk to life) by fasting. Thus, the clinical conversation may include whether your clients can safely fast without risk of severe health decompensation.
7. When the month of Ramadan is over, Muslims celebrate with a festival known as “Eid al-Fitr” (or just “Eid”; estimated to be in the first week of May). This festival may last a couple of days so don’t hesitate to ask them about their plans for Eid & understand they may not be available for meetings at this time or kids may not attend school.
8. Because Ramadan starts & ends with the sighting of a new moon, your clients & their families may not know exactly when Eid al-Fitr will begin, so please be mindful that schedules may need to be modified at the last minute.
9. Lastly, & most importantly, do not hesitate to talk with individuals about Ramadan & their plans for the month & the celebrations that follow. Educating yourself about this month & your clients’ plans are the most important tools you have to work effectively & competently with your Muslim clients & families.

Credit: Taha Abdelwahhab, RN MSN, Community Mental Health Nurse, North County Clinic & Muhammad Elbgal, Psychiatric Social Worker, BHRS School Based Team

Download the “How Can I Hold a Racial Equity, Trauma-Informed Lens?” Card in the resource library below.

Racial Equity – Goal of just & fair inclusion in a society in which all can participate, prosper & reach their full potential

Trauma Informed –

• Recognize the widespread impact of trauma and potential paths for recovery
• Recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff, and others involved with the system
• Respond by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices, and seeks to actively resist re-traumatization. (SAMHSA, 2023)

Implementing a racial equity, trauma-informed tool is a vital step to realizing our SMC Behavioral Health & Recovery Services goals. It is part of transforming our system & holding our values at our core. To do this we must normalize conversations about race, organize by building capacity and partnering with others, and operationalize by utilizing racial equity tools that are data driven. This lens can be utilized in many of our decision making capacities, including with clients, workforce or community members.

Utilizing race equity & trauma informed practices are a continual process to acknowledge, prevent and eliminate inequities & traumatization in order to advance racial justice & paths to recovery/ healing.

What did/do we do? 

• What is the decision under consideration?
• What are the desired outcomes?

Who benefits/ who is burdened/ who is missing/ how have inequities caused the problem? 

• Based on stakeholder input & data, will the proposal increase or decrease racial equity?
• What are possible unintended consequences?
• What modifications can be made to reduce negative impacts (consider marginalized communities)?
• Has a similar idea been successfully implemented, while holding a racial equity & trauma-informed lens?
• Have you considered all impacted by this decision?
• What are the long-term positive changes to all?
• How has structural oppression, racism & trauma shaped the issue addressed?
• Did you include the community impacted in planning, brainstorming and implementation?

How do we know? 

• How will you evaluate results, communicate with stakeholders (during and after the process) & ensure accountability?
• Is there room for modifications in response to feedback or results?
• How will you continue partnering to advance racial equity, trauma-informed systems & sustainability?
• How will feedback be solicited and incorporated?

Credit: Adapted from Government Alliance on Racial Equity (Racial Equity Toolkit: An Opportunity to Operationalize Equity) & Arlington County, Framework for a Racial Equity Action Plan

For more info: Racial_Equity_Toolkit.pdf

Designed by the BHRS Office of Diversity and Equity in San Mateo County.

Download the “Be Prepared – Federal Immigration Protocol for Employees ” in the resource library below.

Cultural Humility at Work

Challenge your and others’ biases and prejudices in the workplace. Print this card out and place by your workstation as a reminder that cultural humility is an everyday, lifelong process that requires bravery, empathy and open and respectful crucial conversations.

• Create a safe space: Recognize biases in the workplace, including micro-aggressions, prejudices and –isms. Use the “oops” and “ouch” method. If someone says something they subsequently want to take back, they are encouraged to say “oops”. If someone is hurt, offended, or negatively impacted by something someone else says or does, they are encouraged to say “ouch”. If necessary, there can be further dialogue about this exchange.

• Engage in open and crucial conversations: Invite people into a dialogue that prioritizes a common purpose and benefit to all parties involved rather than correcting or labeling. Ask open ended questions and be empathetic towards the responses; be curious about others experiences. Ask the other person to give their own interpretation, present your interpretation as a hypotheses rather than fact, and imply that you could be wrong.

• Listen for what matters and self-reflect: Pay attention to a person’s words, what’s important to them and not what you think you want to hear. Check your prior assumptions with the information you are hearing. Ask yourself: How do I know what I know? Is an early experience conditioning me into wrong assumptions about similar but different situations?

• Advocate: Recognize that your advocacy and allyship can help transform culture and norms in the workplace. The Diversity & Equity Council services as a forum to address issues of cultural humility, equity, inclusion and diversity. If you notice a practice or policy that is excluding of cultural groups, open a dialogue about it. 

Cultural Humility and Leadership

Acknowledge that power and privilege exists in relationships. As a leader it is important to understand how this impacts your staff. Print this card out and place by your workstation as a reminder that cultural humility is an everyday, lifelong process that requires bravery, empathy and open and respectful crucial conversations.

• Model lifelong learning and self-reflection: Practice principles of cultural humility for your staff by understanding and respecting different points of views and challenging both personal and institutional biases. Ask yourself: What biases may be impacting your decisions about the team, priorities and resources?

• Engage in difficult crucial conversations: Engage with others humbly, authentically, and from a place of learning. Learn to have difficult conversations with staff and to give/receive real time feedback. Uphold staff to the values of respect and cultural humility.

• Practice inclusive leadership: As a manager or supervisor you are inherently in a position of power. Don’t just acknowledge the power imbalance but also challenge its impact. Especially in the context of race, ethnicity, class, linguistic capability, and sexual orientation, managers or supervisors must repeatedly identify areas where cultural humility and inclusion need to be prioritized. Involve others in decision making by asking for their input.

• Advocate for diversity and staff development: Advocate for opportunities, policies and procedures that promote well-being, engagement and development for diverse staff. Ask your staff: what do they want and need to thrive at work?

Designed by the BHRS Office of Diversity and Equity in San Mateo County.

Download the “Cultural Humility Group Agreements ” in the resource library below.

To order prints, email ODE@SMCGov.org.

Available in English, Spanish, Chinese Traditional, Russian, Tagalog and Tongan.

Download the “We Welcome All” poster in the resource library below.

To order prints, email ODE@SMCGov.org.