Mental Health Resources for Newcomers to Canada
Moving to a new country is hard, and sometimes it’s nice to have help transitioning into your new life. Canada offers many mental health services that can be beneficial for newcomers who don’t want to discuss their situations with family and friends, or believe they need a little extra help.Â
Did you know that it is common to experience some difficulty after migrating to a new country? Anxiety and depression are common. Especially for refugees who have experienced war or violence before arriving in Canada. Listen to this interview for more information.
Talking to a clinician can be very helpful for managing these feelings. Canadians believe that treating mental health is beneficial and healthy. You can find interesting facts about mental health of Canadians on the CMHA website.
These services are confidential so that you are protected when you share personal information. For adults, not even your family can know if you are seeing a mental health care professional or what you talk about when you are there. More information about this can be found in our brochure.
Cultural Consultation Services: An Additional Resource for Newcomers
Canada is a very diverse country and many clinicians are used to working with diverse clients. However, sometimes clients doubt their clinicians or believe their clinicians do not understand their perspective. This can happen especially if you are used to a different social and cultural environment than your clinician. In these cases, it may be useful to ask them for a referral to a Cultural Consultation Service.Â
Cultural Consultation Services are offered by several clinics across Canada. They provide an extra assessment for clients who are from different countries, to help their clinicians better understand their culture and their individual beliefs. You can contact the CCS staff to find out how to access this type of service in your area. This website is not directly affiliated with CCS.
There are many reasons why it can be useful to involve CCS. For example, symptoms of certain difficulties can vary depending on which country you’re from. For example, people who hear voices usually report more negative experiences if they are from Canada than if they are from India. Understanding differences like this can change how you and your clinician understands your experience.Â
Additionally, certain problems are observed in higher rates in people who have migrated, such as autism in children, and it can be useful to talk to a professional to help with adjustment. However, sometimes these disorders are misdiagnosed in migrants because the clinician is not aware of certain cultural differences. For example, children who are taught to make less eye contact with adults may be at greater risk for misdiagnosis of autism, because reduced eye contact is one symptom clinicians look for when diagnosing autism.Â
In these circumstances, you may want to involve CCS to ensure the clinician is providing the best treatment for you. CCS know how to ask questions in order to better understand your experiences, and to advise your clinician. They essentially act as translators for your perspective and life experiences, and provide an additional resource to ensure you are happy with your mental health care.
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