The NETWORKER. Did You Know? What s in this Issue? Haitian Mental Health Network

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1 1 The NETWORKER Promoting access to culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services for Haitian communities locally, nationally and internationally. Did You Know? May is Haitian Heritage Month. Haitian Heritage Month is a celebration in the U.S. of Haitian heritage and culture. It was first celebrated in Boston in Tele Kreyòl, one of the Boston Haitian Access Television programs, celebrated the whole month of May with a series of programs on Haitian history, culture, and contributions to the world. The month-long celebration has continued with such activities as parades, flag raisings, and exhibits organized by Haitian Americans United in collaboration with several Haitian organizations in the New England area. May 18 is Haitian Flag Day. The first purely Haitian flag was adopted on May 18, 1803, on the last day of the Congress of Arcahaie, located about 50 miles north of Port-au-Prince. Historians indicate that, after winning a fierce battle against the French army, the newly appointed revolutionary leader Jean-Jacques Dessalines created the flag by taking a French tricolor (red, white and blue) and ripping out the white center. He then asked Catherine Flon, his goddaughter, to sew the remaining bands together. The blue represents Haiti s black citizens and the red symbolizes the gens de couleur. What s in this Issue? HMH Conference.. 2 Celebrating Haitian Heritage Month.. 3 Upcoming Training 3 The Arcahaie Project. 4 Service Learning Trip. 4 Announcements. 5 Members Corner 6 The last clause of Haiti s National Anthem is dedicated to the National Flag.

2 Highlights from the 2 nd Annual Conference on Haitian Mental Health The 2 nd Annual Conference on Haitian Mental Health was held on May 3-4, 2013 at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP) in Newton, MA. The two-day conference drew about 150 attendees from Haiti, Canada, Miami, New York, California and other cities throughout the U.S. The conference began with Welcoming Remarks from the Presidents of the HMH Network and MSPP, followed by remarks from Dr. Jill Bloom, Consul Weslyne Nicolas and Former State Representative Marie St. Fleur. Mr. Charlot Lucien presented the HMH Network with an award from the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for the Network s on-going advocacy efforts and psychosocial services provided to victims of the January 12, 2010 earthquake. This year s theme was Weathering the Storm like Bamboo: Rethinking the Concept of Resilience in the Haitian Community. Dr. Suze Prudent delivered a thought- provoking Opening Address and offered an alternative framework for conceptualizing the notion of resilience as it applies to the Haitian context. Dr. Prudent posited that the behaviors exhibited by Haitians in coping with life s adversities need to be viewed as habits of survival. She stated, Adversity and suffering have been an on-going part of life for major segments of the population for a long time. Any lens for studying Haitian resilience must take into account its people s long history of suffering. During her presentation, she referenced a number of proverbs to exemplify the daily survival skills that have prepared Haitian individuals and communities to cope psychologically with the repeated assaults of life. On the first day of the conference, Professors Marjory Clermont-Mathieu and Ronald Jean Jacques presented the findings from a state-of-the-art research study that they conducted with more than 1,400 children and adolescents aged 6 to 20 years who lived in camps in Haiti following the January 2010 earthquake. The panelists discussed the strategies and mental resources used by young survivors to cope with traumatic life experiences. The program also included presentations by Dr. Jean B. Tropnas; Dr. Patrick Bellegarde-Smith; and panelists Mel Schmid, Carline Jean- Baptiste, Michele Klau, Betsy Sherwood, Carine Luxama and Lauren Easton. The second day began with Welcoming Remarks from Dr. Castagna Lacet and Dr. Frances Merwyn as well as Dr. Ed K.S. Wang, a representative from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. Throughout the course of the day, there were several individual and panel presentations that focused on a range of topics, including faith and spirituality, healing and recovery, mindfulness, and social expectations of resilience as well as programs that are addressing the psychosocial needs of women and youth in Haiti. Dr. Guerda Nicolas delivered the Closing Remarks. She argued that it is erroneous to label Haitians and other ethnic groups as resilient. She remarked that if being resilient is to overcome poverty, misfortune and negative life experiences, it is inconceivable to apply this term to the Haitian context given the current circumstances under which many Haitians continue to live. 2 2

3 Conference Highlights (cont.) Other highlights from the conference include an Art Exhibition, The Colors of Resilience, organized by the Haitian Artists Assembly of Massachusetts. In addition, during the Networking Hour, some conference attendees engaged in a self-care activity on Haitian music and dance hosted by EJ Dance Studio while others chatted with Professors Clermont-Mathieu and Jean Jacques about their newly-published book La Santé Mentale en Haiti après le 12 Janvier 2010: Traumatismes, Approaches et Traitements. The conference concluded with a magnificent Celebration of Haitian Heritage Month with performances by OAMEC, Pierre Gardy Fontaine, Gifrants and Mirlande Butler. To obtain copies of the presentations delivered at the 2 nd Annual Conference on Haitian Mental Health, please visit our website at BOSTON-BASED PROGRAMS Upcoming Training: As Haitians and Haitian-Americans in the mental health field, we are often called upon to speak on issues of mental health in the Haitian community. The Steering Committee wants to encourage HMH Network members to feel prepared and confident to address these issues. To that end, we have designated two meetings a year for training and discussion on aspects of mental health in our community. Two of the Network s Committees, Education & Training and the Clinical Service Delivery, will be responsible for facilitating these meetings. We will kick off this new initiative at the next Network meeting on June 21, with the workshop Building a Talk on Haitian Culture and Mental Health. The workshop will be facilitated by Suze Prudent and Joel Piton. The group will work together to develop a broad outline that members can continue to build upon and use to respond to requests for consultation and training in their work settings and beyond. Please come and let us share and learn together. Celebrating Haitian Heritage Month! Haitian students, teachers, administrators and clinical staff at West Roxbury Academy (WRA) and Boston International Newcomers Academy (BINCA) organized a series of cultural events to celebrate Haitian Flag Day. West Roxbury Academy and BINCA are among several Boston Public Schools where clinicians from the HMH Network offer socialcultural activities and provide counseling services to Haitian youth. Please visit our website ( for more information. 3 3

4 HAITI-BASED INITIATIVES Building Mental Health Capacity in Haiti: The Arcahaie Project In February 2013, Gemima St. Louis and Guerda Nicolas conducted a week-long mental health training program in Arcahaie. A total of 16 teachers took part in the training. There were 11 men and 5 women, representing different rural and urban areas, including Montrouis, St. Marc, Arcahaie, and Tibwa as well as both public and private schools. A curriculum, which has been translated into Haitian Creole and French, served as the primary training tool. As part of the training, all participants received a guided tour of the Ogier-Fombrun Museum and an overview of the history of Haiti from pre-colonization to Following the tour, a group discussion was held on the links between the history of colonization and mental health and mental illness in Haiti. Given that the primary focus of this project is on capacity building, at the end of the February training session, four teachers from the various regions of Arcahaie were selected to receive additional training that will further prepare them to become trainers. The Arcahaie Project, which was launched in January 2013, will run on a monthly basis through June The program is expected to draw a large number of teachers between 80 and 100 will participate in the training program. The ultimate goal is to identify a core group of teachers (12-15) to receive intensive training as trainers who will implement similar training programs in their respective communities. More information about the Arcahaie Project is available online at and atwww.hmhnetwork.org. Service Learning Experience in Arcahaie, Haiti The HMH Network is partnering with Wheelock College on a student immersion course this June. The social work course is offered by Dr. Castagna Lacet and focuses on the mental health and social well-being of Haitians and Haitian Americans. Graduate and undergraduate students attended the May Conference on Haitian Mental Health. They will also attend the Mental Health Summit in Miami before continuing on to Arcahaie, Haiti. Dr. Gemima St. Louis and Dr. Joel Piton will also be working with the group. The students will be immersed in the language, history, and culture of Haiti as they visit schools, organizations, and historic sites in Arcahaie, Tibwa and St. Marc. Drs. St. Louis and Lacet with Wheelock College Social Work Students 4 4

5 ANNOUNCEMENTS In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Network launched two Public Service Announcements (PSAs) on depression and stress during the month of May. The goal of the PSAs is to increase the community s awareness of mental health and mental illness, and promote access to services. The Network s Clinical Service Delivery Committee developed these announcements in collaboration with staff members at Youth and Family Enrichment Services (YOFES). The PSAs can be heard on Radio Planet Compas (89.3 FM), Radio Echo Evangelique (88.9 FM) and Radio Concorde. UPCOMING CONFERENCES Mark Your Calendars! Friday, June 7, 2013 Restoring the Haitian Psyche: Mapping Mental Health Programs in Haiti, 2 nd Haitian Mental Health Summit, University of Miami, Miami, FL More information: Rebati Sante Mentale; Rebatism@gmail.org Friday, June 14, 2013 Suicide Prevention & Resilience among New Bostonians Federal Reserve Plaza, 600 Atlantic Ave., Boston, MA More info and registration: 820ad46cceb8421fbda88d3f1f33574a.aspx Haiti Pathways to the 21 st Century, 10 th Annual Conference of the National Haitian American Health Alliance (NHAHA), October 9-12, 2013, New York City ( When Earth Meets Sky: Healing Rites & Sacred Knowledge in Haiti and Beyond, October 18-20, 2013, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA ( a/index.html) Diversity Challenge 2013: Intersection of Race and Culture and Health or Mental Health, Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture, October 19-20, 2013, Boston College, Boston, MA ( 130.html) International Conference of the Association of Haitian Psychology (AHPsy), January 9-12, 2014, Caribe Hotel, Port-au-Prince, Haiti 5 5

6 MEMBERS CORNER Meet. Jessica Pierre! Jessica is a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology program at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology where she is pursuing a Doctor of Psychology. She obtained a Master of Education in Counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is the newly-elected Secretary of the HMH Network. Jessica is interested in working with children, adolescents and families. She currently holds a practicum position at a therapeutic residential school in Rhode Island where she conducts individual, group and family therapy to address the social, emotional and behavioral challenges of adolescent clients. As a first-generation Haitian American, Jessica is interested in the bicultural ethnic identity development of Haitian Americans born in the United States. She is thrilled to be a part of the Network where Haitian mental health professionals are coming together to spread awareness of mental health in the Haitian community in culturally sensitive ways. The HMH Network welcomes the following new members: Claudine Bernadin Darline Cadet Edner Charles Emmanuel Dorvelus Mary Elizabeth Ford Florence Jacques Fabiola Jean-Felix Elizabeth Louis Carine Luxama Florence Saint-Jean REMINDER: Please submit your membership dues by July 1, Thank you! Monthly Network Meetings: June 21, 2013 July 19, 2013 August 16, 2013 Location: Codman Square Health Center, 637 Washington St., Dorchester, MA 02124