Cultural values must be respected

September 28, 2020

September 30, 2020 marks Orange Shirt Day, in recognition of the harm the residential school system did to Indigenous children. It is a time worth remembering that effective interventions for mental health issues can also be culturally relevant. For example, a Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) program was adapted to reflect the local culture in a remote Indigenous community in Ontario, with local practitioners receiving training and support to use the program. The adapted program succeeded, suggesting that local cultural values can be embedded within well-researched interventions such as CBT. For more information, see Vol. 10, No. 3, page 7 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.