Building capacity for public urban mental health – example of Reflecting Citizens workshops

Abstract Novi Sad is a shelter of six languages, and the place of encounter of different cultures, of nurturing diversity through jokes, recipes, literature, music, works of art. Diversity and colourful customs in Novi Sad are not just the reflection of positive movements, but also serious events, wars, big migrations, internal and external migrations. Today Novi Sad (and our region) are home of 21 ethnicities, with six official languages, complicated administration, and wish to live in peace. Having in mind the contents and matrix which are developing in the Reflective citizens (RC) workshops, the idea was born that RC could become part of all activities of the city of Novi Sad, as tool to develop the dialogue of citizens in cultural spaces of Novi Sad, the European capital of culture in 2021. The idea that Reflective Citizens migrate (move) through different cultural spaces and that thus (in contact with cultural contents) hypotheses, ideas and actions are born, which will in positive communication make contributions to the significance of all cultural values, is justifiable and in time gives a visible, positive result. Reflecting citizens workshop could be seen as a method for building capacity concerning developing innovative concepts for public urban mental health. Reflective Citizens workshops contribute in improving health in community through fostering dialogue and mutual reflection. Also, Reflective Citizens workshops are open space for all citizens who want to contribute to dialog, multiculturalism, tolerance, thus contributing quality of life, social environment and mental health also.

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Recovery and Cultural Values: On Our Own Terms (A Dialogue)

International Perspectives in Values-Based Mental Health Practice ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-47852-0_23 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 197-205

Author(s):

Justine Keen ◽

Richard J. Shaw

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Cultural Values ◽

Good Practice ◽

Health Issues ◽

Extensive Experience ◽

Key Drivers ◽

And Control ◽

Different Cultures

AbstractThe chapter is about recovery in the sense of achieving a good quality of life as defined by what is important to (i.e. the values of) those concerned rather than by professional and service delivery priorities (Allott, P., What is mental health, illness and recovery, Ch 1. In: Ryan T, Pritchard J (eds) Good practice in adult mental health. Good practice series 10. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London, 2004; Slade M., et al., World Psychiatry 13:12–20, 2014). The narrative is in the form of a dialogue between two people, both with extensive experience of severe long-term mental health issues. Unscripted and unedited the dialogue captures both the challenges and resources for recovery arising from the different cultures in which the authors have found themselves. Their experiences reinforce the well-established but too often unheeded conclusion that key drivers of recovery are factors such as companionship, having somewhere to live, and control over what happens to you (including what if any medication may be helpful).

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Cross-cultural psychiatric assessment

Advances in Psychiatric Treatment ◽

10.1192/apt.3.2.103 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 103-110 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Dinesh Bhugra ◽

Kamaldeep Bhui

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Health Services ◽

Cultural Values ◽

Ethnic Minorities ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Cultural Backgrounds ◽

Patient Interaction ◽

Cultural Expectations ◽

Different Cultures

Different cultures vary in their perceptions of mental illness (Karno & Edgerton, 1969), which can affect their utilisation of orthodox psychiatric facilities (Padilla et al, 1975; Sue, 1977). Mental health services may be seen by ethnic minorities as challenging the value of traditional support systems, reflecting dominant Western cultural values and harbouring implicitly racist psychological formulations. The clinician-patient interaction may become fraught with misunderstandings if the two parties come from different cultural backgrounds and bring distinct cultural expectations to the encounter.

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Reflective citizens as a tool for well-being and public health achievement (Novi Sad, Serbia)

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckz186.573 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽

Author(s):

M Jevtic ◽

I Flasar ◽

M Mojovic

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Quality Of Life ◽

Social Environment ◽

Open Space ◽

Group Analysis ◽

Well Being ◽

Team Work ◽

Cultural Dialogue ◽

Novi Sad

Abstract Issue/Description Reflective Citizens (RC) as ’psycho-social transitional spaces’ - were established in 2005, when Serbia joined the International Listening Posts (LP) Network of OPUS (Organization for Promoting Understanding of Society). Recognizing the need for more reflective citizens’ spaces, for continuously ongoing work through social trauma, Psycho-Social section (PSS - GAS Belgrade) began organizing them more often and in different cities. Serbian RC developed specific conceptualization and methodology, carefully integrating aspects of LP, group analysis, group’s relations, and social dreaming, which are still in the process of evaluation and improvement. Results RC in Novi Sad have started in 2014, with a huge enthusiasm, as a team work of PSS. It is recognized that Novi Sad, as a multinational and specific multicultural environment could develop Applied Reflective Citizens - Citizens’ dialogue in cultural spaces in Novi Sad, as supportive and open space for all citizens who wish to develop themselves, multiculturalism, tolerance and better social environment. At the seven workshops organized by now, the beginning was marked by a session of social dreaming. Free psychosocial associations in thinkrooms have defined the topics: loneliness, helplessness, walls and borders, migrations, diversity, mental malnutrition, the presence of evil and the need for goodness, lack of communication... and on the basis of them, the corresponding hypotheses. Lessons Applied Reflective Citizens have become the support and open space for all citizens who want to contribute to multiculturalism, tolerance, a better social environment, understanding the environment and building incentive bridges in communication through dialogue and also to contribute to a positive cultural climate, building cultural capacities and fostering cultural dialogue through mutual reflection, thus contributing the quality of life, which is of public health significance. Key messages Reflective Citizens can be a contribution for improving health in community through fostering dialogue and mutual reflection. Reflective Citizens give an open space for all citizens who want to contribute to multiculturalism, tolerance, better social environment, thus contributing quality of life, and to public health, also.

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