An ethno biopsychosocial human rights model for educating community counsellors globally

Abstract

This paper presents a nine-dimensional model for community health care that is based on the recognition of human rights and is consistent with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with its emphasis on the respect and dignity of individuals. The model is multi-faceted in that is takes into account biological, psychological, social and spiritual aspects of functioning, within the context of ethnic and cultural identities. The model is further consistent with the client-centered approach of counselling and health care grounded in a humanistic theoretical framework. Designed for application with individuals of diverse ethnic backgrounds, this model can be implemented in countries throughout the world. Such an approach contributes to the growing field of human rights education. The model was presented at the midday workshop on “Grassroots & Professional Community Mental Health Education Models of Human Rights” at the Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental Organizations Conference on “Reaffirming Human Rights for All: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 60,” 3 September 2008 at UNESCO in Paris, France.

Keywords:

• human rights education
• client-centered human rights
• psychological humanism and human rights education
• biopsychosocial models of human rights

Acknowledgements

I am deeply grateful to Dr Judy Kuriansky for the valuable contributions she made in improving the quality and scope of this paper and in introducing me to the important and exciting field of Human Rights Education. I am also grateful to Paul Ahmed and Renee Fraser for my adaptation of their original ethnomedical model (© Plenum Press: London) which I first promoted to the counselling world in Alladin (1993). The sections on the adapted ethnomedical model contains material that has been previously published in Alladin (1993) and © Routledge Publishers to whom grateful acknowledgements are also due.

Declaration of interest : The author reports no conflicts of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of the paper. In keeping with journal policy, the final version of this paper was reviewed by Dr Judy Kuriansky as Guest Editor.