Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, “Making and Breaking Habits: Teaching (and Learning) Cultural Context, Self-Awareness, and Intercultural Communication through Case Supervision in a Client-Service Legal Clinic”

This article discusses the teaching and learning of cultural knowledge, awareness, and skills in clinical programs through a variety of methods, including research, reading, roleplay, case rounds, observation, and group discussion.

The article offers teaching objectives that can be used to focus supervision and education on effective representation of clients from a variety of cultures. Teaching objectives should include a focus on cultural context, self-awareness, and developing intercultural practice skills. Supervisors must ensure that students have opportunities to learn about structural issues in cultural differences and develop attitudes of respect, openness, and curiosity, ensuring that students address stereotypes and assumptions. Supervisors should share their objectives throughout the supervisory relationship to enhance student learning and allow them to be collaborative agents in their learning.

The article then discusses the context of student supervision and explains how case supervision can be an extremely effective moment to pursue teaching goals centred around cultural competence. Case supervision involves supervision sessions that are supportive and non-directive and seek to develop cogent plans to help students understand the full picture of their case and more effectively serve their clients. These sessions help students progress in the cognitive, affective, and skills-based areas that will be valuable in their careers. Case supervision is a vehicle to help students develop useful knowledge, attitudes, and skills in working with clients from different cultures.

Supervisors can help students by asking the student to use “parallel universe thinking” to see the case differently, such as asking students to consider potential reasons underlying a client’s behaviour. This is done in a supportive, non-directive manner. 

Case supervision is a useful way for supervisors to help students develop useful knowledge, attitudes, and skills in working with clients from different cultures.

Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, “Making and Breaking Habits: Teaching (and Learning) Cultural Context, Self-Awareness, and Intercultural Communication through Case Supervision in a Client-Service Legal Clinic” (2008) 28 Wash U J L & Pol’y 37.