Leveraging community-based mental health services to reduce inequities for children and families living in United States who have experienced migration-related trauma.

OBJECTIVE: Trauma systems therapy for refugees (TST-R) is a trauma-focused, culturally responsive mental health prevention and intervention model designed to meet the needs of children and families who are fleeing their home countries and seeking humanitarian refuge. TST-R provides trauma-focused mental health treatment and addresses problems in part exacerbated by harsh U.S. immigration policies (e.g., poor mental health, stigma, fear) that have implications for the psychosocial well-being of immigrant children and families, especially those who have experienced migration-related trauma. METHOD: Informed by a community-based participatory research approach, TST-R was developed as an adaptation of trauma systems therapy to address common barriers to care experienced by those of refugee and immigrant backgrounds, including mental health stigma, distrust of service systems, and cultural and linguistic barriers. RESULTS: TST-R is a multitiered and phase-based intervention that strategically addresses stressors and needs across levels of the social ecology. Most TST-R services are delivered in easily accessible, nonstigmatizing settings (e.g., school) by a cultural broker and a clinician who work in partnership. TST-R has been disseminated and implemented with multiple cultural groups (e.g., Somali, Bhutanese) across the United States and Canada. CONCLUSIONS: Given the unique stressors, strengths, and needs of immigrant children and their families, mental health services must be equitable, community based, and sustainable. TST-R demonstrates promise as a prevention and intervention model especially for those experiencing immigration policy-related stressors and may serve as a guide for developing child mental health policies and immigration policies that promote mental well-being for immigrant families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Developing Advisory Boards within Community-based Participatory Approaches to Improve Mental Health among Refugee Communities.

BACKGROUND: Community-based participatory approaches to research and intervention with ethnically and racially diverse minority groups demonstrate great promise to address health disparities. Refugees as a group have experienced a disproportionate amount of trauma, experience on-going resettlement and acculturative stressors, and have been shown to be at a heightened risk for psychological distress. OBJECTIVE: This article aims to extend current knowledge by examining best practices for use of community advisory boards (CABs) and youth advisory boards (YABs) to achieve mental health equity among refugee communities. METHODS: In order to improve outcomes in refugee communities, public health and mental health research and interventions should aim to engage refugees as active partners on advisory boards. Employing trauma-informed care principles through cultural humility, authentic engagement and power-sharing, recognition of the stigma of mental illness and mental health care, respect for community norms and preferences, and acknowledgement of acculturative and generational differences within refugee communities epitomize best practices in establishing and maintaining meaningful community advisory boards. CONCLUSIONS: Inclusion of trauma-informed CABs community adult and YABs in refugee mental health research and interventions ensures that the work is relevant and meaningful to those who are intended to benefit from these efforts.