
- This event has passed.
Cultural Differences in Crisis Intervention
January 28, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am PST
This program will focus on the importance of cultural competence in working with children and families to address mental health concerns. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study found that children who experience serious abuse or neglect, later have a much higher risk of developing mental health issues of depression, suicidality, and chemical dependency.
Efforts to respond to crisis situations across national and international boundaries have presented challenges to the cultural and contextual appropriateness of available interventions that have been developed. Promising practices and guidelines related to cultural competence are developing across various mental health fields, and international collaboration among professionals in response to crisis is growing. However, empirical studies are still few and far between on evidence-based strategies and interventions. Culture- and context-specific approaches are challenging to develop and measure, but they are essential for effective intervention. The identity of a child, family history, and relationships between the child and the school make each incident a unique case. A promising area of theory and research has been developing since the 1990s in the US on trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive schools (SAMHSA, 2014; Plumb et al., 2016). Research in this area overlaps with the goal of primary level crisis prevention and intervention in the outcome goal of ensuring resilience and well-being of children at risk.