Haitian Mental Health (HMH) Network
The Haitian Mental Health (HMH) Network is a Boston-based organization comprised of a group of mental health providers, including psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, mental health counselors, psychiatric nurses, and pastoral counselors. Members of the HMH Network work collaboratively with community-based agencies as well as local, national and international institutions to improve access for Haitians to mental health services that are comprehensive, integrated, culturally sensitive, and developmentally appropriate. The HMH Network’s vision is to reduce stigmas and raise awareness about mental illness; and promote access to quality, culturally-oriented and evidence-based mental health services for members of the Haitian community locally, nationally and internationally.
The HMH Network facilitates access to culturally- and linguistically-competent mental health services for Haitian communities through collaborative partnerships, coordination of resources, education, research and advocacy. The HMH Network aims to:
- Increase the community’s awareness about mental health as an important part of overall health.
- Reduce stigmas about mental illness in the Haitian community.
- Support the professional development of Haitian mental health providers through education, training, and networking.
- Inform the work of non-Haitian mental health providers through education, training and consultation on relevant cultural factors in meeting the mental health needs of the Haitian community.
- Provide a forum for exchange of information and ideas relevant to the Haitian community’s mental health
- Engage in research that can guide and improve clinical care, training, educational practices and policies as well as improve the overall quality of clinical services provided to the Haitian community.
- ​Influence policies on the mental health needs of the Haitian community both at the local and national levels.
Bosten Based Programs
Bosten Based Programs
The HMH Network offers a range of services in Boston including the following:
- Clinical consultation & training on the topics of culturally-oriented, trauma-informed mental health interventions with Haitians; Psychological First Aid; and disaster mental health.
- Conferences, community forums and other professional events.
- School-based initiatives to provide psychoeducation to Haitian students on PTSD and other psychiatric illnesses.
- Facilitation of consumers’ access to mental health and social services in the Haitian community.
- A Directory of local Haitian Mental Health Providers.
- Community-based research on the mental health needs of the Haitian community.
Haiti Service Learning & Summer Immersion Program
Haiti Service Learning & Summer Immersion Program
The Haiti Service Learning and Summer Immersion Program is a graduate-level course in partnership with the Haitian Mental Health Network. The primary goal of the course is to provide students with increased knowledge, skills, and experience in working with Haitian and Haitian-American individuals and families; and in becoming more skilled as practitioners to serve Haitian communities in the U.S. and Haiti. Students take part in didactic activities to learn about the history of Haiti, cultural belief systems and practices, and their impact on help-seeking behaviors among Haitian immigrants. Additionally, students travel for a week-long service learning and summer immersion experience in Haiti where they gain a deeper appreciation of the language, customs, and cultural practices of Haitian society. While in Haiti, students engage in service learning activities and multidisciplinary collaborations with schools, grassroots organizations, and health care and social services agencies. They also participate in cultural excursions, and visit historical sites and other points of interest in the host community.
Haitian Heritage Month
Haitian Heritage Month
Haitian Heritage Month is a celebration in the United States, during the month of May, of Haitian heritage and culture. The month-long celebration has continued with such activities as parades, flag raisings, and exhibits organized by Haitian organizations in the New England area and elsewhere. Its purpose is threefold: to:
- Raise awareness and understanding about Haitian culture and traditions;
- Strengthen the self-esteem and ethnic pride of Haitian and Haitian-American youth; and
- Celebrate Haitian achievements across the globe.
Haitian Art Exhibition
Haitian Art Exhibition
The Haitian Mental Health (HMH) Network hosted the 4th Annual Haitian Art Exhibition, which featured artworks from young artists in Jacmel, Haiti, and Haitian artists from the New England region. This art exhibition is the result of an on-going partnership between the HMH Network,William James College (formerly Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology) and the Haitian Artists Assembly of Massachusetts (HAAM) and its cultural partner Brockton Arts, which started one year after the Haiti earthquake of 2010.
Mental Health Capacity Building ProgramÂ
Mental Health Capacity Building ProgramÂ
The HMH Network has collaborated on a mental health capacity building project. The goal of this initiative is to provide intensive psycho-educational training to teachers on the signs, risk factors, and symptoms of various mental illnesses among children and adolescents. The project’s aim is to assist teachers in identifying early signs of mental health problems in young people so that proper interventions can be implemented. This initiative is being conducted in partnership with Rebâti Santé Mentale and Ogier-Fombrun Museum. In addition to providing mental health training to school personnel, the program will incorporate an educational curriculum based on the only local historical museum in Archaie, the Ogier-Fombrun Museum, which houses artifacts from the pre-Colombian Indian era to colonial times.
Organisation
Country: United States of America
Email: HMHnetwork@gmail.com
