Presentation Information
[SY-69-03]Serving the Mental Health Needs of a Culturally and Geographically Diverse Faith Community
*Azaad Kassam (University of Ottawa(Canada))
Keywords:
Culture,Faith,Global,Training,Collaboration
The Ismaili community traverses multiple countries, cultures, and languages served by a common leadership and ethic. In this session, I will describe the work of a Global Mental Health Task Force that was formed to support the well-being and resilience of this dynamic community. Connections were fostered in order to assess local cultural idioms of distress and mental health needs, followed by collaborative efforts to build capacity. In partnership with the Aga Khan University Brain and Mind Institute, a global mental health course was developed and delivered in person to mental health professionals coming from 22 jurisdictions. The project is built on a foundation of collaboration, cultural safety, humility, pluralism, trauma-informed care, contextuality, best practice, and sustainability.