Recommendations for Canadian Mental Health Practitioners Working With War-Exposed Immigrants and Refugees
Publication: Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
30 June 2017
Abstract
With the inception of the mental health strategy for Canada, Changing Directions, Changing Lives, the ever increasing ethnic diversity in this country demands re-examination of our approaches to mental wellbeing and illness in the immigrant and refugee population arriving from war-torn countries. Contemporary clinical practice among mental health practitioners is not reflective of the emerging literature in this field, which points towards meaningful and culturally competent care. This article seeks to bridge the gap between existing knowledge and current practice, and provides recommendations for mental health practitioners who work with this population.
Resumen
À la suite de la publication de Changer les orientations, changer des vies, la stratégie en matière de santé mentale pour le Canada, et devant la diversité ethnique toujours croissante du pays, il est essentiel de réexaminer l’approche que nous utilisons en matière de bien-être et de santé mentale avec les immigrants et les réfugiés qui arrivent de pays ravagés par la guerre. Les pratiques cliniques en place aujourd’hui ne reflètent pas ce que l’on trouve dans la littérature qui porte sur ce domaine, et qui indique la nécessité d’offrir des soins adéquats qui tiennent compte des contextes culturels. Dans cet article, les auteurs, dans le but de combler le fossé qui existe entre le savoir actuel et les pratiques courantes, font des recommandations à l’intention des praticiens en santé mentale qui travaillent avec cette population.
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Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Volume 36 • Number 2 • October 2017
Pages: 107 - 119
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Version of record online: 30 June 2017
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Pushpa Kanagaratnam, Clare Pain, Kwame McKenzie, Nelani Ratnalingam, and Brenda Toner. 2017. Recommendations for Canadian Mental Health Practitioners Working With War-Exposed Immigrants and Refugees. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health.
36(2): 107-119. https://doi.org/10.7870/cjcmh-2017-010
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1. A Scoping Review of Associations Between Ethno-Cultural Context and Mental Health in Canada
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