Cultural Lens on Mental Illness: Four Clients Share Their Perspectives

Abstract

People served by mental health providers represent diverse cultural groups. In-depth qualitative interviews were used to collect data to examine: “How do people, diagnosed with a mental illness, perceive their experience in a partial care mental health program from the perspective of their cultural context?” Four participants described cultural identities that included ethnic, health status, and sexual orientation identities. The participants' way of participating in the world was often in conflict with cultural values and expectations of the family and counselors. Cultural competence must include understanding how complex, multiple cultural contexts interact and influence a person's participation in the therapeutic process.

KEYWORDS:

• cultural competence
• cultural perspective
• mental health
• partial care programming

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We would like to thank our four participants for taking the time to share their experiences. We would like to thank Paul Ochman from Bridgeway Rehabilitation Services and Sonna Opstad.