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Course page How to navigate the course Course syllabus Glossary Course intro Details and logistics CoP SMEs Course agreements and conditions Acknowledgements

Module 1: Immigration and social determinants of health
1.1 — Understanding mental health in Canada
1.1.1. General prevalence and impact + 1.1.2 Legislation affecting the rights of clients
1.2 — Understanding immigration in Canada
1.2.1 A brief history + + 1.2.2 Temporary Residents 1.2.3 Permanent Residents + + 1.2.4 Immigration Trends + 1.2.5 Demographic trends + + + +
1.3 — Mental health of immigrants and refugees
1.3.1 Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health 1.3.2 The healthy immigrant effect 1.3.3 The determinants of mental health + 1.3.4 The migration journey 1.3.5 Social determinants in the post-migration context + + +
Case study: Ibraheem Summary

Module 2: Intro to Mental Health
2.1 Understanding mental illness
2.1.1 Understanding mental health and mental illness 2.1.2 The continuum of mental health and mental illness 2.1.3 Prevalence of mental health problems and illness among immigrants and refugees
2.2 Common mental disorders
2.2.1 Depressive disorders 2.2.2 Anxiety disorders 2.2.3 Posttraumatic stress disorder + 2.2.4 Psychosis 2.2.5 Substance abuse
Summary

Module 3: Key populations - women
3.1.1 Social risk factors affecting women 3.1.2 Gender-based violence + + 3.1.3 Pregnancy + 3.1.4 Barriers to seeking help 3.1.5 Clinical considerations 3.1.6 Providing mental health support + Summary

Module 4: Key populations - children
4.1.1 Immigrant and refugee children 4.1.2 Needs of adolescents and youth 4.1.3 Mental illness and mental health problems + + 4.1.4 Needs of adolescents and youth 4.1.5 Post-migration and social determinants of mental health 4.1.6 Risk and protective factors + + 4.1.7 Distress vs. mental disorder in refugee children + 4.1.8 Providing mental health support + + Summary

Module 5: Key populations...
5.1 Older adults
5.1.1 Older adults 5.1.2 Risk factors for mental health problems and illnesses 5.1.3 Clinical considerations 5.1.4 Promoting mental health
5.2 Survivors of torture
5.2.1 Survivors of torture 5.2.2 Effects of torture 5.2.3 Clinical considerations + + 5.2.4 Mental health interventions +
5.3 LGBTQ2+ immigrants and refugees
5.3.1 LGBTQ2+ immigrants and refugees 5.3.2 Risk factors for mental health 5.3.3 Clinical considerations 5.3.4 Mental health interventions
5.4 People living with disabilities
5.4.1 People living with disabilities 5.4.2 Risk factors 5.4.3 Clinical considerations 5.4.4 Providing mental health support
Summary

Module 6: Treatment and support
6.1 Treatment
6.1.1 Treatment 6.1.2 Providing newcomers with mental health services 6.1.3 Treatment models 6.1.4 Cultural competence in mental health care 6.1.5 Trauma-informed care 6.1.6 Resilience
6.2 Treatment interventions
6.2.1 Treatment interventions 6.2.2 Psychosocial interventions
6.3 Psychotherapy and counselling
6.3.1 Psychotherapy and counselling 6.3.2 Cultural factors 6.3.3 Psychotherapeutic interventions
6.4 Pharmacotherapy
6.4.1 Pharmacotherapy 6.4.2 Cultural factors 6.4.3 Practical issues
Summary

Module 7
7.1 Health equity
7.1.1 Health equity 7.1.2 Why health equity matters
7.2 Anti-Racism
7.2.1 Racism 7.2.2 Anti-Black racism 7.2.3 Racism and mental health + 7.2.4 Social inclusion and exclusion 7.2.5 Bias + + (SW) + (HP) + (SW) + (HP) Anti-oppression framework (SW) + (SW)
7.3 Intersectionality
7.3.1 Intersecting identities 7.3.2 Intersectionality and mental health (HP) 7.3.2 Intersectionality and mental health (SW)
7.4 Anti-oppression and allyship
7.4.1 Inclusive practice and how to work inclusively 7.4.2 Moving from cultural awareness to cultural humility + (HP) 7.4.2 The process of unlearning 7.4.4 Power and privilege +
Summary

Module 8: Service delivery + pathways to care
8.1 Pathways to Care
8.1.1 Navigating mental health services + 8.1.2 Factors that influence help-seeking + 8.1.3 Connecting with primary care
8.2 Facilitating effective service use
8.2.1 Facilitating effective service use 8.2.2 Make changes to programs, policies and institutions 8.2.3 Consider the impact of culture +
8.3 Working with interpreters
8.3.1 Language and its effects on access to care 8.3.2 Translation and interpreting + + + 8.3.3 Types of interpreters 8.3.4 Mental Health Interpretation +
Summary

Module 9: Partnerships + mental health promotion
9.1 Strategies for promoting mental health
Strategies for promoting mental health + +
9.2 Social Supports
9.2.1 Social Supports 9.2.2 Formal organizations 9.2.3 Informal social networks +
9.3 Community development and partnerships
9.3.1 Community development and partnerships 9.3.2 Asset-based community development + 9.3.3 Community partnerships + + +
Summary

Module 10: Self-care
10.1.1 Self-care 10.1.2 Compassion fatigue 10.1.3 Secondary trauma 10.1.4 Burnout and its effects + 10.1.5 Boundary issues + 10.1.6 Seeking help +
Summary Glossary
4.1.4

Pre-migration and migration experiences and mental health

Refugee children are more likely than immigrant children to experience adversity in the pre-migration and migration periods, increasing their risk for mental health problems and illnesses post-migration. These pre-migration, migration and post-migration factors do not act in isolation; rather, they are closely intertwined, often interacting with one another (APA, 2010).

During pre-migration, refugee children usually encounter interruptions to or the ending of their social and educational lives. The experience of armed conflict or organized violence has additional negative effects, including the breakdown of families and communities, the destruction of trust among people and the interruption of education and health services. All these effects are destabilizing to children's lives, creating stress and hardship that can increase their risk of developing mental health problems and illnesses. In turn, this affects their emotional, cognitive and social development (APA, 2010; Fazel & Stein, 2002).

In addition, in the process of migration, youth can become separated from parents and no longer have the buffer of physical, financial and emotional support from relatives. Unaccompanied children and youth, as well as those with unstable living conditions, are at an increased risk for mental health problems and illnesses (Kahn et al, 2020).

Displaced children can also be exposed to peri-immigration traumatic experiences where they experience victimization and violence in transient spaces, such as in refugee camps or while being smuggled across borders or detained away from their families (Mares, 2021).

Still, studies also reveal that many children coping with a history of exposure to war and political violence manage to have relatively good mental health (Betancourt, 2008; Rousseau et al., 2003). Even with a greater vulnerability to mental health problems and illnesses, refugee children demonstrate profound strength and resilience in their ability to overcome difficult situations and adapt to new environments (Ellis et al, 2019).

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Recognizing that children have different requirements from adult refugees when they are seeking refugee status, the Immigration & Refugee Board (IRB) of Canada has issued Guidelines on Child Refugee Claimants.

click For more information, visit the IRB Chairperson's Guidelines