Objectives:
A Guide that focuses on how culture affects the care of individuals experiencing a first episode of psychosis (FEP). It describes key concepts and principles, best practices, and case examples to help individuals with FEP, their supports, and providers work together to implement culturally competent early intervention services, prevent cultural misunderstandings, and enhance recovery outcomes.
The Guide was developed through a participatory process involving a series of workgroup meetings with OnTrackNY providers and focus groups with OnTrackNY participants and their families. Many of the case examples included in the Guide derive from assessments conducted with the DSM-5 Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI), a standardized set of open-ended questions used to identify the role of culture in a person’s and family’s experience of illness and care. The CFI has been incorporated into the OnTrackNY routine evaluation procedures.
Specific objectives:
- Define culture and present key principles of culturally competent care.
- Provide a framework for understanding the bidirectional relationship between symptoms of psychosisand culture to help providers conceptualize these issues within the framework of the OnTrackNYmodel and its various treatment components.
- Illustrate, via case examples, how culture shapes participants’ understandings of their experiencewith FEP and their treatment expectations, affecting the overall care of participants in CoordinatedSpecialty Care programs and their families.
- Outline key principles and best practices for delivering culturally competent care to participants andtheir supports within the OnTrackNY treatment model.
