Mental health professionals increase cultural awareness through UCL training programme

UCL's Dr Sushrut Jadhav (Psychiatry & Behavioural Sciences), in collaboration with Ms Sue Salas (Camden & Islington Mental-Health & Social Care Trust), has developed a training programme to help mental health professionals become more aware of cultural issues relating to Muslim in-patients.

The results are hoped to translate into culturally sensitive care for Muslim patients.

Dr Jadhav's work is concerned with the psychology of discrimination and of the dispossessed. Following the September 11 attacks, the scale of the lack of understanding between Western society and Islamic culture became apparent. Dr Jadhav said: "Muslims in our local community, mainly Bangladeshi, felt discriminated against, and it came to our attention that many mental health staff from our own wards did not know much about Muslim culture, although they expressed a desire to learn."

The project secured funding from the Transcultural Nursing & Healthcare Award, with Ms Salas, and the Camden & Islington Health Authority. This enabled the employment of two project workers, Ms Khadija Zaidi and Mr Asim Hafiz, who have already conducted a comprehensive literature search of issues relating to Islam and mental health.

It is intended that 125 health professionals will participate in the programme. A one-day session, to be held at Regent's Park Mosque, will cover general issues relating to Islam in the UK and explore issues that might arise when managing Muslims as in-patients in psychiatric wards. A questionnaire that addresses clinical care for Muslim patients has also been developed. This will be administered before and after the session in order to evaluate the effectiveness of training.

To find out more about Dr Sushrat Jadhav use the link below.

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Link: Dr Sushrat Jadhav