22 The Linguist Vol/62 No/4
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Nahed Arafat outlines vital training initiatives that support
healthcare professionals working in multilingual settings
I
t is well documented that mental health
services are less well accessed by people
from minority ethnic backgrounds. Yet
the need for mental health support is
paramount in these groups, with many
suffering trauma as a result of experiences
beyond their control. While awareness of this
issue may be high among health and social
care (HSC) professionals (who include social
workers, psychiatrists and community mental
health nurses), the role played by language
and culture is less understood and addressed.
My interest in this area started while I was
working with patients from diverse cultural and
ethnic backgrounds as a transcultural mental
health worker. I realised that the distress of
migrants and refugees is often the result of
having to adjust to a new culture that is very
different from their own. Cultural differences
and a poor command of the new language
can further their suffering and negatively
impact their mental health and wellbeing.
My PhD research showed that developing
an understanding of the cultural and religious
beliefs of patients from diverse backgrounds,
and becoming familiar with their concepts of
mental illnesses, can help HSC professionals
to generate a dialogue with them about their
mental health experiences and to minimise
the risk of misunderstandings.
1
There was a need for cultural competency
courses to equip HSC professionals with
relevant knowledge and skills. To develop
such a course it was important to explore the
experiences of HSC professionals in clinical
and non-clinical settings. The opportunity was
provided by a training project at the University
of Sheffield aimed at improving intercultural
awareness among mental health staff so they
can tailor their practices to meet patients'
needs. I joined as a research associate.
The main objectives were to clarify the
scope of interest in engaging with
intercultural training for HSC professionals
and to propose a range of solutions to suit
the required outcomes, as identified through
research and conversations. To achieve this
we undertook a systematic review of existing
literature on intercultural communication
training in mental health settings, and invited
key partners in Sheffield to take part in a
questionnaire and in-depth interviews.
Areas that presented significant challenges,
and that participants hoped would be covered
In better health
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