Culturally-appropriate mental health services for African refugees: An innovative model

In order to provide culturally-appropriate mental health services to refugees who resettle in the U.S., it is important to adopt a holistic perspective on refugee well-being that takes into account the post-migration challenges faced by refugees, attends to refugees' specific cultural beliefs about mental health, builds upon refugees' strengths, and engages refugees in non-stigmatized settings. The objective of the African Refugee Well-being Project is to promote the mental health of African refugees through a 6-month program that brings together African refugee families and undergraduate students to engage in mutual learning and advocacy. The intervention emphasizes: a) increasing environmental mastery through individual and group learning opportunities; b) improving refugees' access to resources through advocacy; c) creating meaningful social roles by valuing refugees' culture, experiences, and knowledge; d) reducing refugees' social isolation; and e) improving intergenerational communication, respect, and understanding between refugee children and their parents. In addition, the community's responsiveness to refugees is improved through increased awareness and cultural sensitivity to the health and mental health needs of African refugees. The project also provides a unique service learning opportunity for undergraduates, through which they are able to apply their academic skills and knowledge to benefit their community. The study employs a within-group longitudinal design with five quantitative data collection points over a period of 12 months. Refugees also participate in two open-ended qualitative interviews. The intervention process and preliminary results from pilot implementation of the program with 52 African refugees will be presented and discussed.