Connecting cultures: A training model promoting evidence-based psychological services for refugees.

Abstract

Training clinical psychology graduate students in providing effective psychological services to refugees can be extremely complex. The training approach requires a culturally sensitive framework, potential modification of empirically validated techniques, and flexibility on the part of trainees and supervisors. Connecting Cultures is a program that creates a culturally sensitive context from which trainees can learn to effectively work with refugees within a social justice framework and the ecological model of human development. Connecting Cultures graduate students provide both community-based outreach and direct clinical services to meet the mental health needs of refugees in the Northeast region of the United States. The primary aim of this manuscript is to provide an overview of Connecting Cultures’ training and supervision model, highlight the importance of working with cultural consultants, interpreters, and community elders, and discuss the impact this work has on clinical psychology graduate students. A secondary aim is to describe our method for evidence-based psychological assessment and to present preliminary outcome data from our graduate students. Strengths of the Connecting Cultures program include its clinical and research efforts with refugees from over 20 countries, and its ability to flexibly incorporate alternative therapeutic frameworks such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Finally, the manuscript concludes by providing the implications of our work in attempting to meet the mental health needs of refugees after resettlement.

Culturally Effective Practice With Refugees in Community Health Centers: An Exploratory Study

“…Social workers are crucial players in knitting together services and supporting refugee communities. In addition to collaboration, outreach, and culturally-sensitive practice, work with refugees requires language services and experience in working with interpreters as cultural brokers (Decola, 2011;Fondacaro & Harder, 2014;Hsieh & Kramer, 2012;Njeru et al, 2016). The issues involved in working with refugees are complex.…”

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“…Reese, Norsworthy, & Rowlands (2009) Ebner-Priemer, 2015;Fondacaro & Harder, 2014). Conversely, advocates of common factors theory assert that several universal components (e.g., client factors and therapeutic relationship) are present in all effective counseling experiences (Budd & Hughes, 2009;Duncan et al, 2010;Grencavage & Norcross, 1990;Rosenzweig, 1936).…”

Bilingual and Multilingual Psychologists Practising in Australia: An Exploratory Study of Their Skills, Training Needs and Experiences

“…Because of the limited Australian research into the training and experiences of bilingual/multilingual psychologists, we reviewed the international literature, mostly deriving from the USA or Canada—each with unique cultural and language profiles. Fondacaro and Harder () commented that US psychology graduate programs failed to prepare trainees for effective practice with CALD clients, and the American Psychological Association () expressed ongoing concerns about the lack of formal graduate training for work with migrant clients and with interpreters (Wright, ). Most existing research into bilingual psychological training and service provision has been carried out in the USA, mainly with Spanish‐English bilingual psychologists (Biever et al, ; Castaño et al, ; Teran et al, ; Verdinelli & Biever, ).…”