Why culture matters in mental health
PDF | EPUB | Vol. 21, No. 3 (2026)
"Don’t Erase Me: Why Culture Matter’s in Mental Health" explores the role culture plays in shaping the experiences of people with lived experience in British Columbia. This issue examines what happens when mental health systems overlook culture and what can become possible when cultural competencies are incorporated. Through personal stories, reflections and professional perspectives, this issue highlights how cultural stereotypes can give way to prejudice and mistreatment, how there isn’t a one-size-fits-all model when working with diverse populations and what happens when there is a disconnect between predominant Western mental health approaches in BC and the people interacting with them. Contributors also share reflections, tips and suggestions on cultural humility, building cultural competencies, and broadening the horizons so that everyone can feel seen and understood when seeking mental health care.
The Big Picture
- Editor's Message
(Bakht Anwar) - The Answers are Within: Supporting those from collectivist backgrounds
(Saira Sabzaali) - Huckleberries, Moose Trails and Healing: Culture humility and the cultural foundations of mental wellness
(Sheila Blackstock) - Language That Helps Everyone Feel They Belong: Why cultural humility matters in counselling
(Kara Ko)
Stories + Strategies
- Healing Within Group: Facilitating men’s groups in Punjabi
(Gary Thandi) - Inside the Walls I Once Envied
(Erfan Khaleghi) - I Value my Heritage, but also my Individuality
(Nupur M.) - Delivering Culturally Competent Mental Health Care: Gaps, barriers and pathways forward
(Tricia-Kay Williams) - Schizophrenia Solutions
(Paul Bhushan) - Indigenous Mental Health Programming: How community input can lead to respectful help
(Rebecca Watts, Jolan Farkas, Bonnie Spence-Vinge, and Robert Brooks) - The Wrong Shade of Brown in a Small Town
(Nirbhau Kaur) - Ask for Help: Evolving in a new country while living with PSTD
(José Guillermo Flores)
Looking Ahead: Community and Social Connection in Substance Use
- Roshni, a New Light to Culturally Relevant Recovery
(Bavenjit Kaur Cheema) - Beyond Harm Reduction
(Sharon Karsten and Christopher Hauschildt)
