The Mental Health Services Conference 2021: On Demand-Structural Trauma in Communities

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this video, Dr. Sarah Vincent is the moderator for a session on the sociopolitical determinants of health and their impact on trauma in individuals and communities. The session explores the limitations of psychiatry's focus on individual traumas and interventions and discusses the need for a broader approach to trauma that includes political violence, community violence following disasters, and detention and immigration. The first speaker, Dr. Denise Shervington, discusses trauma as a social determinant of health and the need for a healing justice framework to address racial traumas. She emphasizes the importance of supporting policies that promote maternal and child health, as well as healthy communities. Dr. Shervington also highlights the impact of trauma on mental health and calls for the adoption of a social ecological model that considers social, community, and societal factors in addition to individual behaviors. Dr. Jack Saul, the second speaker, discusses the concept of community-level trauma and the role of community resilience in understanding, addressing, and recovering from trauma. He highlights the importance of collective healing and promoting social connections and support networks within communities. Dr. Saul introduces the concept of integrative community therapy (ICT) , which originated in Brazil and focuses on enhancing social connection and emotional solidarity through large group dialogic therapy sessions. He explains the various stages of an ICT session and how it encourages emotional literacy and mutual support within a community. Dr. Kenneth Thompson then discusses ICT as a form of solidarity care and mutual aid. He describes the origins of ICT in a Brazilian favela and its emphasis on inclusivity, diversity, and community building. Dr. Thompson contrasts ICT with traditional psychiatry, highlighting its focus on collective healing and addressing societal challenges. He suggests that ICT can be a valuable tool in addressing the effects of collective trauma and promoting resiliency within communities. Overall, the session emphasizes the need for a comprehensive and inclusive approach to trauma that goes beyond individual interventions and takes into account the sociopolitical determinants of health. The speakers emphasize the importance of supporting policies that promote maternal and child health, address structural oppression, and foster community resilience. They also highlight the value of integrative community therapy in fostering emotional literacy, mutual support, and collective healing within communities.

Keywords

sociopolitical determinants of health

trauma

individuals

communities

healing justice framework

racial traumas

community resilience

integrative community therapy

mutual support

collective trauma

emotional literacy