Strategies for promoting mental health
The mental health needs of immigrant and refugee communities are diverse, and mental health promotion strategies and solutions need to account for this diversity. Growing evidence shows that the best results are achieved by initiatives that target specific groups and settings, including in the home, school, workplace and community (MHCC, 2012) (Im & Rodriguez, 2019).
The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion identifies five action areas that are essential for health promotion strategies:
A mental health promotion strategy should:
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Build healthy public policy
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Create supportive environments
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Strengthen community action
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Develop personal skills
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Reorient health services
Building strong public policy and advocacy that promotes equity
Advocacy and policy strategies should include a combination of individual and social actions designed to gain political commitment or support for a particular health goal or program (Nutbeam, 1998).
With the exception of Alberta, none of the provinces or territories currently has health promotion strategies that focus specifically on immigrants and refugees. The Mental Health Strategy for Canada (2012) offers recommendations to improve the mental health and well-being of immigrants and refugees in Canada with its Strategic Direction 4, Priority 4.2: Improve mental health services and supports by and for immigrants, refugees, ethnocultural and racialized groups.
These recommendations include the following:
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1
Expand use of standards for cultural competency and cultural safety, including through accreditation bodies and professional associations.
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2
Increase access to information and mental health services, treatments and supports in diverse languages.
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3
Better evaluate the potential of traditional knowledge, customs and practices to address mental health problems and illnesses, and improve access to those that work.
This includes examining the barriers to accessing care: stigma, family shame, fear, history of trauma, negative experience from earlier attempts of seeking help, distrust in the health system or providers, drug therapy and side effects, challenges of self-disclosure, etc.
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4
Support immigrant, refugee, ethnocultural and racialized community organizations in assessing local mental health needs and strengths and in taking action on local priorities, in collaboration with mental health and other service systems.
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5
Develop and implement mental health plans in all jurisdictions to address the mental health needs of immigrants, refugees, ethnocultural and racialized groups, with their full involvement.
Organizations looking to promote mental health among immigrant and refugee populations should use the five recommendations of Priority 4.2 as a guide when developing their advocacy strategies.
Featured resource
The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), through their "Simplifying the Journey" project, developed a framework that organizations can use to improve equity of access to services for marginalized populations. Organizations can use the framework to help determine their organization's health equity needs, and what steps they can take to address these needs.