Cultural Sensitivity for
Health Service Providers

Immigrants and refugees often face challenges adjusting to life in Canada.
Sometimes, the challenges are poverty, language barriers, or difficulty finding adequate employment.
Other times, it’s a lack of social support caused by distance from family and friends.
It can also involve past trauma or settlement-related discrimination and exclusion experiences.

These difficulties can cause significant personal and family distress and can lead to mental health or addiction issues.

Navigating the Canadian health system can be challenging for newcomers. Additionally, due to the cultural complexity, it can be challenging for practitioners and service providers to deliver services to patients who are accustomed to a different system, have different expectations, and evaluate the Canadian system through their own cultural lens.

This can lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations of the best way to address an issue, the correct interpretation of a diagnosis, and how to approach a problem and prepare for the healing process.

We offer training for health practitioners and mental health and addiction service providers to develop and implement a culturally sensitive lens in their professional practice.

Benefits include the ability to serve the increasing population of newcomers better, prevent situations from becoming more severe and costly for patients and the system, and create a more favourable environment for both patients and staff members.