Cathy
Content warning: discussion of suicide.
LFS has recognized, through years of working with newcomers with mental health issues, that cultures conceptualize mental health and suicide differently.
Cathy is leading our Culturally Aware Suicide Prevention Program for Newcomer Youth. This new program explores how we can support newcomer youth, their families, and their support systems to respond compassionately and effectively to mental health concerns.
"We're learning from the various communities in and around Lethbridge what language and needs are culturally acceptable, so they don’t shy away from discussing suicide and mental health. The goal of this program is to reduce mental health stigma and enhance help-seeking,” says Cathy.
This program completed its first step by holding focus groups to help us understand what specific language, cultural knowledge, and skills are needed to develop the program curriculum. Our next step is to create a culturally sensitive curriculum for newcomer youth, their caregivers, interpreters, and other supports such as physicians, nurses, and social workers.
"We want to teach youth and their support systems to identify when someone is going through a mental health issue or experiencing suicidal ideation. What are the signs to look for, and how to approach that conversation. From there, we teach skills to enhance peer-to-peer support or caregiver-to-youth support," Cathy explains.
Cathy is no stranger to the newcomer experience. Born and raised in Kenya, she has lived in many different countries, including Uganda, Israel, Ethiopia and Syria, before moving to Canada in 2018. She also speaks four languages. Because of the nature of the program, her work intersects with multiple departments within LFS, including Counselling, Outreach and Education, and Immigrant Services.
