Early Childhood Mental Health Treatment: Training Reference Guide

Fact Sheet
Cultural Diversity
Impact of immigration – the following factors may contribute to a resistance or distrust
of a professional:
- loss of professional and economic status
- new stresses in the family
- lack of informal support
- lack of awareness of and comfort with seeking formal support system
- racism and discrimination
• Signs that “culture” possibly may be an issue:
resistance to participate
disagreement about the main components of the therapeutic interventions
clinician is working too hard
avoidance, “You don’t understand”
the therapist observes problem behaviour but can identify no explanation for it
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