IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v21y2024i5p650-d1398219.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A ‘Cultural Models’ Approach to Psychotherapy for Refugees and Asylum Seekers: A Case Study from the UK

Author

Listed:
  • Mohaddeseh Ziyachi

    (Department of Sociology, Durham University, Stockton Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
    Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing, Durham University, Stockton Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK)

  • Brian Castellani

    (Department of Sociology, Durham University, Stockton Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
    Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing, Durham University, Stockton Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
    Durham Research Methods Centre, Durham University, Stockton Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
    Centre for the Evaluation of Complexity Across the Nexus, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK)

Abstract

Despite the existence of significant research on the mental health care challenges of migrants, particularly refugees and asylum seekers, less attention has been paid to treatment approaches. We used a case study from the UK to look at the topic from a cultural models approach (which comes from cognitive anthropology) to analyse migrants’ experiences with mental health care. Twenty-five refugees and asylum seekers living in North East England and Northern Ireland were interviewed who had used at least six sessions of talking therapy during the last three years. Our results suggested that adopting a ‘cultural models’ approach, which offers a new conceptual and methodological framework of migrants’ experiences and their underlying schemas and expectations, would significantly contribute to building therapeutic alliances and provide relevant and appropriate treatments for migrant clients, particularly for unrecognised pre- and post-migration traumatic experiences.

Suggested Citation

  • Mohaddeseh Ziyachi & Brian Castellani, 2024. "A ‘Cultural Models’ Approach to Psychotherapy for Refugees and Asylum Seekers: A Case Study from the UK," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(5), pages 1-20, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:21:y:2024:i:5:p:650-:d:1398219
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/5/650/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/5/650/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Garro, Linda C., 1994. "Narrative representations of chronic illness experience: cultural models of illness, mind, and body in stories concerning the Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ)," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 38(6), pages 775-788, March.
    2. Carl Stempel & Nilofar Sami & Patrick Marius Koga & Qais Alemi & Valerie Smith & Aida Shirazi, 2016. "Gendered Sources of Distress and Resilience among Afghan Refugees in Northern California: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-22, December.
    3. Douglas Gruner & Olivia Magwood & Lissa Bair & Liezl Duff & Shiva Adel & Kevin Pottie, 2020. "Understanding Supporting and Hindering Factors in Community-Based Psychotherapy for Refugees: A Realist-Informed Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-27, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jia Lu & Shabana Jamani & Joseph Benjamen & Eric Agbata & Olivia Magwood & Kevin Pottie, 2020. "Global Mental Health and Services for Migrants in Primary Care Settings in High-Income Countries: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-28, November.
    2. Lonardi, Cristina, 2007. "The passing dilemma in socially invisible diseases: Narratives on chronic headache," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(8), pages 1619-1629, October.
    3. Joseph Benjamen & Vincent Girard & Shabana Jamani & Olivia Magwood & Tim Holland & Nazia Sharfuddin & Kevin Pottie, 2021. "Access to Refugee and Migrant Mental Health Care Services during the First Six Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Canadian Refugee Clinician Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-11, May.
    4. Werner-Lin, Allison & Forbes Shepherd, Rowan & Young, Jennifer L. & Wilsnack, Catherine & Merrill, Shana L. & Greene, Mark H. & Khincha, Payal P., 2022. "Embodied risk for families with Li-Fraumeni syndrome: Like electricity through my body," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 301(C).
    5. Sirpa Sarlio-Lähteenkorva, 2001. "Weight Loss and Quality of Life among Obese People," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 54(3), pages 329-354, June.
    6. Shaked, Michal, 2005. "The social trajectory of illness: Autism in the ultraorthodox community in Israel," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(10), pages 2190-2200, November.
    7. Inge M Brokerhof & Jan Fekke Ybema & P Matthijs Bal, 2020. "Illness narratives and chronic patients’ sustainable employability: The impact of positive work stories," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(2), pages 1-17, February.
    8. Madden, Sue & Sim, Julius, 2006. "Creating meaning in fibromyalgia syndrome," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(11), pages 2962-2973, December.
    9. Eaves, Emery R., 2015. "“Just Advil”: Harm reduction and identity construction in the consumption of over-the-counter medication for chronic pain," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 147-154.
    10. Dassieu, Lise & Kaboré, Jean-Luc & Choinière, Manon & Arruda, Nelson & Roy, Élise, 2020. "Painful lives: Chronic pain experience among people who use illicit drugs in Montreal (Canada)," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    11. Elin Lampa & Anna Sarkadi & Georgina Warner, 2020. "Implementation and Maintenance of a Community-Based Intervention for Refugee Youth Reporting Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress: Lessons from Successful Sites," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-13, December.
    12. Olivia Magwood & Azaad Kassam & Dorsa Mavedatnia & Oreen Mendonca & Ammar Saad & Hafsa Hasan & Maria Madana & Dominique Ranger & Yvonne Tan & Kevin Pottie, 2022. "Mental Health Screening Approaches for Resettling Refugees and Asylum Seekers: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-41, March.
    13. Travers, Michele Kerry & Lawler, Jocalyn, 2008. "Self within a climate of contention: Experiences of chronic fatigue syndrome," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(2), pages 315-326, January.
    14. Azaad Kassam & Olivia Magwood & Kevin Pottie, 2020. "Fostering Refugee and Other Migrant Resilience through Empowerment, Pluralism, and Collaboration in Mental Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-3, December.
    15. Jimmy T. Efird & Pollie Bith-Melander, 2018. "Refugee Health: An Ongoing Commitment and Challenge," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-3, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:21:y:2024:i:5:p:650-:d:1398219. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.