Facilitating effective service use

Newcomers often have many of the same needs as other groups in Canada. As such, mental health treatment programs and services for immigrants and refugees should be based on models shown to be effective for the general population. Refugees, however, may need more of a focus on psychosocial needs, and some immigrants or refugees from certain cultural groups might prefer alternative or traditional methods of healing.

Overall, improving services for newcomers requires the following:

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  Recognizing that service delivery models are based on a Western health philosophy.

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  Making changes to programs, policies and institutions.

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  Considering the impact of clients' cultural backgrounds.

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  We discuss these factors in this section.