UPDATED: Feb. 13, 2020 at 12:30 p.m.
Rashmi Gangamma wantsto expand what it means to provide therapy to refugee families in central New York.
Gangamma, an associate professor in Syracuse Universitys Marriage and Family Therapy department, oversees the refugee mental health program. The Ph.D. program is now offering greater clinical services to better communicate with local refugee families, focusing on the effects displacement can have on mental health.
In Syracuse, there are a lot of programs that provide resources, but what I found there is a lot of strength in building collaborative efforts rather than each person doing their own thing, Gangamma said.
About 10,000 refugees settled in Onondaga County in the last decade. A 2018 study of mental health disorders in refugees found a substantial lack of data, on the full extent of psychiatric disorders within these communities, but stated there is an urgent need for intervention services.
Students in the Ph.D. program provide therapy to Syracuse residents for a year. The original intent of SUs program was to make mental health resources available to refugees, but it has since evolved to focus on training students and language interpreters to provide effective treatment, Gangamma said.
The department realized in fall 2019 that there was a need for interpreters who had medical training in addition to an understanding of the spoken languages and experiences of refugees who experience mental health issues, said Tracey Reichert Schimpff, director of clinical services for SU Marriage and Family Therapy.
Gangamma created a training program for therapists and interpreters to more effectively bridge the gap between medical and cultural knowledge, she said. Therapists in the program are now able to communicate with refugees about mental health, she said.
The department is also developing a program to train future clinicians about how to engage in discussions with refugees about mental health in more sensitive and appropriate ways, Reichert Schimpff said.
Seeking support for mental health is institutionalized in western countries, but may be looked down upon within the cultures some refugees come from, Gangamma and Reichert Schimpff said.
The biggest difficulty with offering mental health services to refugee families is establishing trust, Reichert Schimpff said. Students in research universities tend to leave after a few years, which makes it hard to establish connections with patients, she said.
Certain populations and certain people who have multiple challenges might not think of therapy being an option, whether culturally, in their family or just in terms of safety and being recognized, Reichert Schimpff said.
Resettlement agencies help refugees find employment in Syracuse and develop language skills within the first 90 days after arrival. Housing often becomes the first conflict for refugees after moving to the area, Reichert Schimpff said.
Some refugees also struggle to adjust to changes in their economic and social statuses, Gangamma said. Finding suitable jobs and a place to live can be challenging, she said.
There are these post-migration factors related to poverty and underemployment, Gangamma said. Some of them, when they are resettled to a place like Syracuse, they are often put in places where poverty levels are really high or neighborhood factors are not entirely favorable.
SU Marriage and Family Therapy sends student therapists to different locations to educate refugee families and provide therapy. Gangamma sent students to interview farmers who are part of the Syracuse Refugee Agriculture Partnership Program, which provides refugees with agricultural training and education.
The students used the interviews to compare the experiences of refugees who are not in the program and to analyze how farming affects their mental health, Gangamma said.
Marriage and Family Therapy also partnered with PEACE, Inc., a Syracuse organization that aims to help residents become self-sufficient, to collaborate on mental health services, offer translation services and find medical interpreters.
The partnership provided SU with a site close to the citys refugee communities to send student therapists, said Maria Taddeo, a coordinator for PEACE Inc.s Head Start program, which provides childhood development and family services.
Finding refugees and admitting them into Head Start programs was easy, but trying to communicate with families to provide support was complicated due to the costs associated with hiring interpreters, Taddeo said.
Head Start surveyed the needs of communities throughout Onondaga County and became aware of the educational, economic and health concerns among Syracuses refugee population, Taddeo said.
We see a lot of family needs that go unserved because we dont have the capacity to do that, Taddeo said. There might be children that are diagnosed with disabilities or going undiagnosed for the lack of communication effectively through the English language.
Taddeo said that a lack of knowledge of American culture and persisting language barriers contribute to the stress refugee families go through. It is more difficult to teach an adult English as a second language than it is to teach children, which often elevates stress, she said.
The problem is not lacking mental health awareness, but rather the ability of mental health service providers to communicate with and reach refugee communities, Gangamma said. Going into the field and finding firsthand what the communitys needs are has been the focus of SUs program, she said.
If you dont have training for therapists to work with refugees, you cant build an intervention, Gangamma said.
CORRECTION: In a previous version of this post, RashmiGangammas title was misstated.The Daily Orange regrets this error.
Published on February 12, 2020 at 11:37 pm
Contact Richard: rjchang@syr.edu | @RichardJChang1
See original here:
Therapy program seeks outreach to improve mental health of refugees - The Daily Orange
- Mental Health - June 23rd, 2018 [June 23rd, 2018]
- Mental Health - Harvard Health - July 26th, 2018 [July 26th, 2018]
- Mental Health UK :: Home - July 26th, 2018 [July 26th, 2018]
- Mental Health : NPR - July 26th, 2018 [July 26th, 2018]
- Mental Health | Youth.gov - July 26th, 2018 [July 26th, 2018]
- Mental Health - Orange County, Florida - November 2nd, 2018 [November 2nd, 2018]
- Care Manager - Tarrytown, NY | MHA - November 3rd, 2018 [November 3rd, 2018]
- Home - Henderson Behavioral Health - November 16th, 2018 [November 16th, 2018]
- Adult Mental Health | Georgia Department of Behavioral ... - November 23rd, 2018 [November 23rd, 2018]
- A Digital Home - Mental Health Partners - November 23rd, 2018 [November 23rd, 2018]
- Mental Health | Health & Wellness - November 23rd, 2018 [November 23rd, 2018]
- Mental Health UK - Working together for everyone's mental ... - November 23rd, 2018 [November 23rd, 2018]
- Mental disorder - Wikipedia - December 20th, 2018 [December 20th, 2018]
- Mental Health | NCAA.org - The Official Site of the NCAA - December 26th, 2018 [December 26th, 2018]
- Home - SAMHSA Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator - December 26th, 2018 [December 26th, 2018]
- Volunteers of America's Mental Health Services | Volunteers ... - December 26th, 2018 [December 26th, 2018]
- Mental Health CSG Justice Center - December 26th, 2018 [December 26th, 2018]
- WHO classifies 'gaming disorder' as mental health condition - CNN - December 26th, 2018 [December 26th, 2018]
- Adult Mental Health - December 26th, 2018 [December 26th, 2018]
- Mental health - Wikipedia - December 27th, 2018 [December 27th, 2018]
- What Is Mental Health? | MentalHealth.gov - December 27th, 2018 [December 27th, 2018]
- New York State Office of Mental Health - December 27th, 2018 [December 27th, 2018]
- Mental Health and Mental Disorders | Healthy People 2020 - January 1st, 2019 [January 1st, 2019]
- Mental Health - CHOC Children's - January 1st, 2019 [January 1st, 2019]
- Mental Health Care | Health.mil - January 1st, 2019 [January 1st, 2019]
- Outpatient Mental Health Facilities programs City of ... - January 2nd, 2019 [January 2nd, 2019]
- Mental and Behavioral Health - AAP.org - February 11th, 2019 [February 11th, 2019]
- Sleep and mental health - Harvard Health - February 11th, 2019 [February 11th, 2019]
- Mental Health: American Diabetes Association - February 11th, 2019 [February 11th, 2019]
- Mental Health Problem Symptoms, Causes and Effects - February 11th, 2019 [February 11th, 2019]
- Promoting Childrens Mental Health - AAP.org - February 11th, 2019 [February 11th, 2019]
- Ten Things You Can Do for Your Mental Health | University ... - February 11th, 2019 [February 11th, 2019]
- Mental Health | MS Department of Mental Health - February 11th, 2019 [February 11th, 2019]
- Mental Health Screening Tools | Screening 2 Supports - February 11th, 2019 [February 11th, 2019]
- What is mental health - February 11th, 2019 [February 11th, 2019]
- MS Department of Mental Health - February 11th, 2019 [February 11th, 2019]
- Mental Health Hotline | 24 Hour Mental Health & Illness Helpline - February 12th, 2019 [February 12th, 2019]
- 50 Mental Health Quotes for Happiness and Success (2019) - February 12th, 2019 [February 12th, 2019]
- Mental illness - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic - February 21st, 2019 [February 21st, 2019]
- Home Page | Department of Mental Health - March 8th, 2019 [March 8th, 2019]
- Mental Disorders: MedlinePlus - March 23rd, 2019 [March 23rd, 2019]
- Mental Health | Healthy People 2020 - March 23rd, 2019 [March 23rd, 2019]
- Health - lds.org - April 13th, 2019 [April 13th, 2019]
- Mental Health | ADA - September 11th, 2019 [September 11th, 2019]
- Faces of Loudoun: Mental Illness Just Means I Need Help Now and Then - Loudoun Now - September 27th, 2019 [September 27th, 2019]
- Youth mental health work more important than ever after tornadoes, shooting - Dayton Daily News - September 27th, 2019 [September 27th, 2019]
- BOMBARDED Part 3: Mental health struggles weigh heavily on LGBTQ+ youth - Keizertimes - September 27th, 2019 [September 27th, 2019]
- The Uses and Abuses of the Term Mental Illness - National Review - September 27th, 2019 [September 27th, 2019]
- Natures Role in Mental Illness: Prevention or Treatment? - Psychology Today - September 27th, 2019 [September 27th, 2019]
- Meghan Markle Says There Is a Global Consciousness Crisis Regarding Mental Health - TownandCountrymag.com - September 27th, 2019 [September 27th, 2019]
- Letter from the Editor: Michigans mental health crisis is affecting all of us. Something must be done - MLive.com - September 27th, 2019 [September 27th, 2019]
- Voices For Mental Health: Clodagh, on how Ireland has changed its perspective on mental health #NowWereTalking - hotpress.com - September 27th, 2019 [September 27th, 2019]
- Timberlake Jr. High teacher's focus on mental health earns her Idaho Teacher of the Year award - KXLY Spokane - September 27th, 2019 [September 27th, 2019]
- New rule could leave tens of thousands in Michigan without their mental-health counselor - MLive.com - September 27th, 2019 [September 27th, 2019]
- Lawmakers and law enforcement officials push for more mental health beds in northwest Wisconsin - WEAU - September 27th, 2019 [September 27th, 2019]
- One Way to Think About Mental Health: Zero-Proof Cocktails - Houstonia Magazine - September 27th, 2019 [September 27th, 2019]
- Evaluating Jumaane Williams' proposal to reform mental health crisis response - City & State - September 27th, 2019 [September 27th, 2019]
- How to talk to children about their mental health - TODAY - September 27th, 2019 [September 27th, 2019]
- NC bill aimed at providing more mental health resources in schools - WSOC Charlotte - September 27th, 2019 [September 27th, 2019]
- Northeastern University researcher studies the use of social robots in mental health and well-being research - News@Northeastern - September 27th, 2019 [September 27th, 2019]
- 'The way universities are run is making us ill': inside the student mental health crisis - The Guardian - September 27th, 2019 [September 27th, 2019]
- TC's Greg Epstein and Kate Clark talk mental health startups and the 'Cult of the Founder' - TechCrunch - September 27th, 2019 [September 27th, 2019]
- Key resources: Shining light on mental health in New Hampshire - WMUR Manchester - September 27th, 2019 [September 27th, 2019]
- Mental-health issues hit home for lots of Michigan families. Including mine. - MLive.com - September 27th, 2019 [September 27th, 2019]
- Voices For Mental Health: Kano, on telling his truth - hotpress.com - October 3rd, 2019 [October 3rd, 2019]
- See which Michigan counties have highest, lowest ratio of mental-health providers - MLive.com - October 3rd, 2019 [October 3rd, 2019]
- The Politician: why the Netflix show is being criticised by mental health charities - iNews - October 3rd, 2019 [October 3rd, 2019]
- In survey of working women in Japan with mental health issues, a third blame harassment at work - The Japan Times - October 3rd, 2019 [October 3rd, 2019]
- Brexit is affecting our mental health, warn doctors - cosmopolitan.com - October 3rd, 2019 [October 3rd, 2019]
- Odd Socks Day helps to tackle stigma and discrimination around mental health - The Sector - October 3rd, 2019 [October 3rd, 2019]
- Statehouse Online: Rep. Puppolo advocates for mental health and education funding - WWLP.com - October 3rd, 2019 [October 3rd, 2019]
- Living By The Coast May Be Better For Your Mental Health, Study Finds - CBS Boston - October 3rd, 2019 [October 3rd, 2019]
- Jumaane Williams: De Blasio and McCray have failed on mental health crisis - New York Post - October 3rd, 2019 [October 3rd, 2019]
- Family of accused Woodfield Mall driver says his mental health is to blame, not terrorism - WGN TV Chicago - October 3rd, 2019 [October 3rd, 2019]
- Supes Haney And Ronen Unveil Sweeping Mental Health Bill, Mayor Is Quick To Oppose It - SFist - October 3rd, 2019 [October 3rd, 2019]
- Discord in SF City Hall over ambitious mental health system overhaul - Mission Local - October 3rd, 2019 [October 3rd, 2019]
- Your Mental Health and Your Work - Harvard Business Review - October 3rd, 2019 [October 3rd, 2019]
- Mental health and the court system - WCBI - October 3rd, 2019 [October 3rd, 2019]
- Artists to work on mural downtown in support of mental health - pacificsandiego.com - October 3rd, 2019 [October 3rd, 2019]
- Providence St. Patrick Hospital How to know if you have a mental illness? - KPAX-TV - October 3rd, 2019 [October 3rd, 2019]