Reaching Out
Increasing agency engagement and outreach
Using Self-Assessment to Improve Cultural Competence
Self-Assessment Tool Goals
We have created this form to assist in self-assessment of the cultural competence of mental health agencies. This measurement is intended to point out strengths and highlight areas in which an agency’s cultural competence can be improved. The development of cultural competence is an ongoing process; therefore, this assessment should be considered as a tool to continue positive and constructive advancement of the ways in which your agency serves diverse populations.
Utilizing the Self-Assessment Tool

This assessment is primarily designed to be completed by agency staff, including clinicians and administrators. We recommend establishing a team meeting that can take place after each assessment window. At these meetings, we recommend that the team outline specific concerns that the assessment identified as areas of weakness, identify appropriate consultants and resources, and develop a timeline to address these concerns. We recommend that this assessment be completed on a regular basis (e.g. quarterly) as part of an ongoing plan to address multicultural competence within your agency.
A PDF of the agency assessment tool can be found below:
A scoring template for the agency assessment tool can be found below:
Additional Resources
If you would like a more detailed self-assessment that your agency can use to assess its cultural competence, we recommend the Mason, J. L. (1995). Cultural competence self-assessment questionnaire: A manual for users. Portland, OR: Portland State University, Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health, which can be found here.
If you are looking for guidelines regarding how to implement strategies to improve your agency's cultural competence, once you have identified areas for improvement, we recommend utilizing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Think Cultural Health website found here.