of services that understand his/her lan-
guage or background?
CULTURAL FACTORS AFFECT ING CURRENT HELP SEEKING
PREFERENCES
Clarify individual’s cu rrent perceived needs and 
expectations of help, broadly defined, from the 
point of view of the informant.
Probe if informant lists only one source of help (e.g., 
“What other kinds of help would be useful to 
[INDIVIDUAL] at this time?”).Now let’s talk about the help [INDIVID-
UAL] needs.
15. What kinds of help would be most useful to 
him/her at this time for his/her [PROB-
LEM]?
Focus on the views of the social network regarding 
help seeking.16. Are there other kinds of help that [INDI-
VIDUAL’S] family, friends, or other people 
have suggested would be helpful for him/
her now?
CLINICIAN -PATIENT  RELATIONSHIP
Elicit possible concerns abou t the clinic or the clini-
cian-patient relationship, including perceived rac-
ism, language barriers, or cultural differences that 
may undermine goodwill, communication, or care 
delivery.
Probe details as needed (e.g., “In what way?”).
Address possible barriers to care or concerns about 
the clinic and the clinician-patient relationship 
raised previously.Sometimes doctors and patients misunder-
stand each other because they come from 
different backgrounds or have different 
expectations.
17. Have you been concerned about this, and is 
there anything that we can do to provide 
[INDIVIDUAL] with the care he/she 
needs?Cultural Formulation Interv iew (CFI)—Informant Version (continued)