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.
A guide designed to accompany and expand on the training video series Windows of Opportunity in Early Psychosis Care: Navigating Cultural Dilemmas. These videos and guide address dilemmas around three common cultural themes: Religion and Spirituality, Family Relationships and Masculinity and Gender Constructs
We targeted a rural population near Bangalore, India to enhance knowledge about mental illness. We devised a script for a street play that would enhance knowledge, and shift attitudes and beliefs about mental illness. After identification of the villages in the catchment area, a professional theatre group conducted pilot shows and the script was modified […]
Objectives: This paper reports results from the evaluation of a cultural consultation service (CCS) for mental health practitioners and primary care clinicians. The service was designed to improve the delivery of mental health services in mainstream settings for a culturally diverse urban population including immigrants, refugees, and ethnocultural minority groups. Cultural consultations were based on […]
Summary Careful assessment of the cultural context of psychiatric problems must form a central part of any clinical evaluation. Lack of awareness of important differences can undermine the development of a therapeutic alliance, and the negotiation and delivery of effective treatment. Exploring the cultural context and meanings of identity, illness experience and coping is an […]
Assertive community treatment is a well-established model for providing intensive treatment and psychosocial rehabilitation services to people with severe and persistent mental illnesses (1). Use of this model has been shown to lead to significant reductions in psychiatric admissions and hospital stays and to improved housing stability, symptoms, and quality of life (2). Although assertive […]
Comprehensive evidence has established family intervention as a powerful tool in the treatment of schizophrenia. After a correlation was found between family tension and relapse ( 1 ), a range of interventions has been developed to improve family atmosphere and reduce relapse. Applying stringent methodological criteria, the Cochrane review of family interventions concluded that interventions incorporating an […]
Abstract This study evaluates the incorporation of Multi-Family Psycho-education Group (MFPG) to an Assertive Community Treatment Team developed to serve culturally diverse clients who suffers from severe mental illness. Participants included Chinese and Tamil clients and their family members. Family members’ well-being, perceived burden, and acceptance of clients were assessed before and after the intervention. […]
Abstract The authors apply two contemporary notions of culture to advance the conceptual basis of cultural competence in psychotherapy: Kleinman’s (1995) definition of culture as what is at stake in local, social worlds, and Mattingly and Lawlor’s (2001) concept of shared narratives between practitioners and patients. The authors examine these cultural constructs within a clinical case of an immigrant […]
