[Symposium 44] Family and culture

[SY-44] Family and Culture: Resilience and Mental Health

Vincenzo F. DiNicola¹, Carlos Zubaran Jr², Sergio J. Villaseñor Bayardo⁷, Kenneth Fung⁵, Ted Lo⁶, Tamaki Saito⁴, Yoko Kamio³ (1. University of Montreal (Canada), 2. Sunnyside Clinic (Australia), 3. Ochanomizu University (Japan), 4. Tsukuba Dialogue House (Japan), 5. Toronto University (Canada), 6. University Health Network (Canada), 7. Universidad de Guadalalara. Mexico. (Mexico))

キーワード：

xxxxx、xxxxxx、xxxxxxx

Family and culture have always been integral to human existence. This symposium explores the diverse connections between family relationships, cultural values, and mental health. Carlos Zubaran examines how social unrest, deprivation, and war disturb family life and harm well-being. Families often face a crossroads: some seek comfort in nostalgic memories, while others pursue change and redemption. He emphasizes how these directions influence resilience and mental health. Sergio J. Villaseñor-Bayardo discusses the cultural aspects of family life in Mexico and beyond. Drawing on historical, religious, and indigenous views, he demonstrates how families serve as mediators of cultural values, spiritual practices, and community resilience, shaping both the understanding of illness and pathways to healing. Kenneth Fung and Ted Lo present “When Clinics Are Families: Lessons from the Closure of the Asian Initiative in Mental Health.” For more than twenty years, AIM in Toronto offered culturally responsive care and a sense of belonging for patients, families, and the wider community. Its closure highlighted the symbolic and practical importance of “family” in mental health care and raised concerns about depersonalized service models that diminish meaning, equity, and resilience. Vincenzo F. DiNicola discusses “A Stranger in the Family: Culture, Families, and Therapy.” He introduces a cultural family therapy model for working with diversity, especially with immigrants, refugees, and minorities in mainstream societies. Tamaki Saito reports on Dialogical Practice in Japan. Adapted from the Finnish Open Dialogue approach to psychosis, it involves clients and families in dialogue sessions. While still limited in medical settings, its reach is expanding, including prisons and randomized controlled trials. Overall, these presentations show how family—both lived experience and guiding metaphor—shapes resilience, continuity, and cultural meaning in mental health.