Experiences in global mental health.

Abstract

Participating in Global Mental Health program development and education and training efforts is rewarding and exciting work. The author describes several global experiences he has engaged in over the past 30 years, which has focused on teaching and encouraging family therapy and mental health care that support human rights and promote human development as innovated and promoted by the Global Alliance for Behavioral Health, formerly the American Orthopsychiatric Association. The author learned through participation that merely presenting mental health information and treatment approaches through lecture presentation was not adequate to help professionals and advocates in low- and middle-income countries to build sustainable mental health care systems in their home regions. The author engaged in several collaborative program development efforts with local professionals at their invitation. These programs, consisting of multiyear partnerships based on the needs and culture of the home region, will be described in the article. The programs, based on relationships between local professionals and a U.S. team of experts in child mental health care, had long-term positive effects and were highly rewarding. The basis for these programs was an invitation by local professionals, followed by collaboration in setting the agenda for the U.S. professionals' visits, an on-going relationship in which local professionals trusted that the visitors want and need to understand the local cultural environment, and improvements that will be most helpful and sustainable. In this process, the author learned about the cultures he worked in and was a part of extremely meaningful and enlightening relationships and experiences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).