What Immigrants Want Providers to Know About Their Communities and Culture: A Content Analysis

Although immigrants comprise more than 25% of the U.S. population, non-immigrant social workers serving immigrants may lack a sufficient understanding of immigrant communities. The current study explores information that immigrants ( N = 405) wanted social workers to know about their culture as social workers extensively serve this group of individuals. We used content analysis and generated five themes: (a) a sense of community; (b) identity; (c) cultural practices, values, and traditions; (d) intercultural living; and (e) racism, discrimination, and stereotypes. By highlighting immigrant voices, findings can help providers better support immigrant communities. We discuss ways to center cultural humility and interact with immigrant clients and communities in ways that contribute to their well-being and empowerment.