Beyond Cultural Competence: Addressing Mental Health Needs in Youth of Color, Immigrant, Lgbt, and Refugee Populations in Schools

ABSTRACT

Objectives: The current pandemic has disproportionately affected the mental health of already-vulnerable young people youth of color, immigrant, LGBTQ+, and refugee populations, and others who traditionally experience healthcare inequities. Financial hardships, systemic discrimination, cultural stigma, and lack of skilled practitioners are among the numerous global barriers to youth mental health and culturally competent care. Importantly, vulnerable populations have particularly limited access to mental health care, yet most continue to attend some form of school in person or virtually. Child and adolescent psychiatrists are uniquely positioned to transform these barriers by partnering with schools to provide culturally sensitive mental health services. Method(s) After the panel introduction, a brief review of the impact of COVID-19 and systemic discrimination on the mental health of youth will be presented by Kristie Ladegard, MD, and Anna Ordonez, MD, MAS (8 minutes). Presenters (18 minutes each) will discuss their specific school-based mental health service (SBMHS) initiatives and outcomes, including unique vulnerabilities, stigmas, and barriers that their patient populations face Kristie Ladegard, MD, "Culturally Informed Training Lessons from Denver School-Based Clinics";Brandon Johnson, MD, "Addressing LGBTQ+-Related Mental Health in Schools";Mina Fazel, MD, "Lessons in Belonging Tools to Help Refugee Children in Schools";and Jane Ripperger-Suhler, MD, and Puja Patel, PhD, "Reaching At-Risk Youth by Telehealth in Texas Experience From the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine Program." Shashank Joshi, MD, and Dr. Ordonez, as our discussants, will review each program's cultural dimensions and identify persistent challenges and their solutions (20 minutes), followed by panel questions and answers (20 minutes). Result(s) Models of SBMHS varied in their approach to cultural engagement, health promotion, school partnership, and treatment modalities. All demonstrated successful outcomes with youth who traditionally experience healthcare inequities. Conclusion(s) Providing culturally competent mental health care in school settings is essential to improving health equity to vulnerable and underserved communities. Child and adolescent psychiatrists must lead the way in advocating for culturally competent and evidence-based methods that increase global access to mental health treatment for all youth across the world. DEI, SC, CUL Copyright © 2022