To train, educate, mentor, and prepare a cadre of professionals to address mental health disparities, and serve culturally diverse individuals and communities locally and across the globe.
The mission of the Center is to train, educate, mentor, and prepare a cadre of professionals to address mental health disparities, and serve culturally diverse individuals and communities locally and across the globe.
The Center's vision is to inspire and empower students, clinicians, educators, and other providers as agents of social justice with a passion for and commitment to serving historically marginalized populations.
CMGMH is comprised of academic programs at William James College that focus primarily on historically marginalized groups and underserved communities.
CMGMH offers transformative immersion experiences that will expose, inform, and deepen students' knowledge, cultural awareness and sensitivity, and cultural fluency.
The Center for Multicultural and Global Mental Health (CMGMH) aims to be a preeminent academic, clinical training, and research center in promoting social justice and addressing mental health disparities among disenfranchised populations in the U.S. and abroad. CMGMH is comprised of academic programs at William James College that focus primarily on historically marginalized groups and underserved communities. These programs include the Latino Mental Health Program (LMHP), the African and Caribbean Mental Health (ACMH) Program, the Asian Mental Health Program, and the Global Mental Health (GMH) Program.
Programs offered through the Center for Multicultural & Global Mental Health will incorporate the following five components:
The terms multiculturalism and diversity are used interchangeably to refer to the broad scope of dimensions of age, class status, disability, education, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, immigration status, language, nationality, race, sexual orientation, religious and spiritual orientation (APA Guidelines, 2002), and veteran/military status.
“Cultural perspective plays a greater role in psychological treatment than ever before, and the center is a testament to our school’s expansion toward progressive, innovative approaches to psychology education. In our globalized world, we as psychologists cannot afford to see the world through a narrow lens. This center will help to broaden our perspective as teachers, and as professionals.” – Dr. Jill Bloom
The primary goal of the Haiti Service Learning & Summer Immersion course is to provide students with increased knowledge, skills and experience in working with Haitian and Haitian-American individuals and families. Students enrolled in the course will take part in didactic activities to learn about the rich history of Haiti, cultural belief systems and practices, and their impact on help-seeking behaviors among Haitian immigrants. Additionally, students will travel to Haiti for a week-long service learning experience where they will gain a deeper appreciation of the language, customs, and cultural traditions and practices of Haitian society. While in Haiti, students will engage in service learning activities and multidisciplinary collaborations with schools, grassroots organizations, or health care and social services agencies. They will also participate in cultural excursions, and visit historical sites and other points of interest in the host community.
In July 2016, a team of nine students and faculty from William James College traveled to Vallue (Petit-Goave), Haiti for a 10-day Service Learning and Cultural Immersion Experience. They provided training and conducted group workshops for educators, adolescents and young adults, with a particular focus on youth community engagement.
For more information on our support of Haitian Mental Health, please read these articles:
William James College’s established the Serving the Mental Health Needs of the Underserved Scholarship to recognize the achievements and promise of students committed to pursuing Master’s (MA), Certificate of Advance Graduate Studies (CAGS) or Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) degrees at the college. The award is 2/3 of tuition costs throughout students’ enrollment in the program. Applicants will be evaluated based on a combination of academic achievement, leadership, and financial need. The scholarship is renewable annually, subject to students’ continued satisfactory academic progress, fulfillment of responsibilities (described below), and demonstrated financial needs. Please click here to learn more.
For more information about the Center for Multicultural & Global Mental Health and its activities, please email: cmgmh@williamjames.edu or sign up for our newsletter.
Dr. Jill Bloom, Co-Director, CMGMH; Core Faculty, Clinical Psychology Program, jill_bloom@williamjames.edu
Dr. Gemima St. Louis, Co-Director, CMGMH; Director, PATHWAYS Program, gemima_stlouis@williamjames.edu
Learn about our $15,000 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Initiative (CAMHI) scholarship for eligible Bachelor’s completion students. Learn more here.
