The MHTTC Building Health Equity & Cultural Responsiveness Working Group (BHE+CRWG) provides guidance and identifies, adapts, and develops resources to support all MHTTCs and their constituents in enhancing their awareness, knowledge, and expertise to address cultural and linguistic capacity to achieve equity. Currently, the BHE+CRWG is focusing its efforts on bringing awareness to the mental health needs of asylum seekers and refugee populations. Recognizing and appropriately responding to mental health needs among asylum seekers and refugees poses a challenge because of differences in language, culture, as well as specific stressors and trauma associated with migration and resettlement. In addition to the need for culturally responsive approaches, we also lack the workforce capacity to adequately support these populations. These exponential effects challenge leaders trying to mitigate mental health conditions within our newfound community members.

The BHE+CRWG recently held a two-part panel series, Supporting the Mental Health of Refugee and Asylee Communities. Click here to access the recording and slides for Part I: Voices and Stories. Click here to access the recording and slides for Part II: Systems and Strategies.

The MHTTC Network also developed a compilation of MHTTC and external resources that may be utilized to support the mental health of refugees and asylum seekers. Check out the resource compilation here.