Piedmont Behavioral Healthcare will host its first Cultural Competency Conference Wednesday at the new Embassy Suites Conference Center at Speedway Boulevard in Concord.

The purpose of the conference is to enlighten participants on the importance of understanding diverse cultures, values, belief and traditions in order to better serve consumers.

Among the nationally recognized mental health professionals scheduled to speak are: Dr. Edwin Nichols, a nationally renowned clinical and industrial psychologist; Dr. King Davis, director of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health; Wilma Townsend, president of WLT Consulting firm which specializes in mental health recovery, consumer involvement and cultural competency; and Dr. Peggy McIntosh, associate director of the Wellesley Center for Women at Wellesley College in Massachusetts.

Piedmont Behavioral Healthcare is aware that culture makes up the fabric of society and that it sculpts an individual’s decisions, experiences, perceptions and interactions with others. The conference is being co-hosted by the Charlotte Area Health Education Center (AHEC) to educate all allied health professionals about the best practices in serving people with mental illness, developmental disabilities and substance abuse problems.

Objectives of the conference are to increase awareness and sensitivity toward diverse populations; to recognize how culture shapes experiences, perceptions and relationships; to identify cultural, behavioral and social factors which commonly impact mental health; and to understand how dysfunctional stereotypes are developed and maintained.