Global Mental Health: A Call for Increased Awareness and Action for Family Therapists |
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| Authors: | Jo Ellen Patterson Todd M. Edwards Susanna Vakili |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Marital and Family Therapy Program, University of San Diego, San Diego, CA.;2. University of California at San Diego, School of Family Medicine Global Health and Psychiatry;3. University of California at San Diego Health System, San Diego, CA. |
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| Abstract: | Global mental health (GMH) is an emerging field that focuses on the need for culturally sensitive mental health services in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). While many new initiatives have been established worldwide to understand GMH needs and to provide care in LMICs, family therapists have primarily worked with families in high‐income countries. The few existing family‐based initiatives in GMH focus on psychoeducation and are typically not based on general systems theory. However, emerging trends in family therapy may enable family therapists to impact mental health issues in LMICs. These trends, which are shared interests of both family therapy and GMH, include collaborative care, a growing emphasis on the importance of culture in understanding and treating mental health issues, recognition of the ability of families to support or impede recovery from mental illness, and the use of strength‐based and evidence‐based treatments. This paper describes ways for family therapists to become active in the GMH community. |
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| Keywords: | Global Mental Health Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries Family Therapy salud mental mundial paí ses de ingresos bajos y medianos terapia familiar 全 球 精 神 健 康 中 低 收 入 国 家 家 庭 心 理 治 疗 |
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