Greetings dear readers,

At MSPP we talk a great deal about becoming culturally competent and building our skills of understanding how others interpret and understand their world. In my studies, I have been reviewing the Cultural Information Interview (CFI) within the DSM-5. I believe the set of interview questions will be an extremely important tool for me as a clinician serving refugee communities.

Hello,

As a first year student in the Master in Counseling and Global Mental Health Program, I am honored to be a part of the MSPP community. Prior to matriculating into this program, I spent the last 11 years in Philadelphia in various service environments. I have spent 10 years working as a diversity trainer and facilitator within the context of non-profit and higher educational institutions. I have also provided technical assistance to immigrant and refugee entrepreneurs – providing wrap-around services in low and modest wealth communities. I am a Senior Fellow and the human rights organization, Humanity in Action and have engaged in social change work in Europe, Africa, and Asia.

I love the Global Mental Health Program at MSPP for many reasons. Firstly the program provides a space for me to synthesize my work as a global advocate with the practical skills of psychotherapy and healing. I have gained a tremendous understanding of the role mental health professionals play in providing support to refugees in the United States as well as their role abroad in disaster relief or following the devastation of mass violence. As challenging and intractable as these major problems sound, I have found courage and hope in the trauma informed treatment framework based on decades of experience among MSPP faculty.

So, I spent the past 10 months at a Marine Corps base in Afghanistan.