Training Refugee Mental Health Providers: Ethnography as a Bridge to Multicultural Practice

As the number of forced migrants increases, so does the number of programs established to provide psychological help to refugees and victims of wartime violence. The expansion of such programs both in the West and in nonwestern countries indicates the prominence of mental health professionals in the refugee field. There is a widespread assumption that armed conflict and civil strife constitute mental health emergencies and all refugees and victims of wartime violence need to have an immediate access to psychological counseling and trauma programs. The role of mental health interventions in addressing refugee suffering begs the question whether existing training programs adequately prepare mental health professionals to serve diverse refugee populations. This article attempts to answer this question by analyzing the tenets of Western training programs for the helping professions. It also explores the contributions that anthropology can make to the field of refugee mental health.