ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the cultural influences and ethical implications, concerns, and dilemmas that arise when providing care to individuals with mental health-substance use issues. World populations have become more mobile and communicative and there is even more need for understanding the complexities of ethical issues that are interpreted differently by different cultures. This increasing mobility and potential complexity has created even more risk for cultural dilemmas that overlap with ethical principles. Developing cultural awareness is a process of self-identification and reflection about the populations engaged in treatment and the environment where care is delivered. It is essential that culture be considered when providing care to populations seeking services for mental health-substance use problems. Cultural influences are bi-directional in interactions between those seeking care and the professionals offering that care. The changing mobility of the world population necessitates that even more awareness of differing cultures be operative when providing care.
