2006 Summer Program

12th Annual Summer Program
May 1 to June 2, 2006

2006 Summer Program

You can download the 2006_summer_program_brochure.pdf.

In 1995, the Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University inaugurated an annual summer school in social and cultural psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology. The program provides the conceptual background for research and clinical work in social and cultural psychiatry and will be of interest to:

  • postdoctoral trainees, researchers, and clinicians in psychiatry and other mental health disciplines
  • residents and graduate students in health and social sciences
  • physicians, psychologists, social workers and health professionals

The summer program forms part of the training activities of the Montréal WHO Collaborating Centre and is endorsed by the Canadian Academy of Psychiatric Epidemiology.

General information

Director: Laurence J. Kirmayer, MD

Administrator: Dianne Goudreau

Administrative Office:
Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry,
Department of Psychiatry
McGill University
1033 Pine Avenue West
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 1A1

Tel.: 514-398-7302
Fax: 514-398-4370
Email: tcpsych [at] mcgill.ca

All courses take place in the Research & Training Building of the Department of Psychiatry, 1033 Pine Avenue West, Room 138, unless otherwise specified.

Courses and workshops

Courses

PSYT 711 Cultural Psychiatry 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

L. Kirmayer, A. Young, & Faculty (3 academic credits)

This seminar surveys recent theory and research on the interaction of culture and psychiatric disorders. Topics to be covered include: cross-national epidemiological and ethnographic research on major and minor psychiatric disorders; culture-bound syndromes and idioms of distress; culture, emotion and social interaction; ritual and symbolic healing; mental health of indigenous peoples; mental health of immigrants and refugees; psychiatric theory and practice as cultural constructions; methods of cross-cultural research. [Prerequisites: Courses in psychiatry and anthropology.] Text: Course readings are available at the McGill bookstore. Begins: May 2, 2006 (4 weeks) T·Th 4 13h30-18h00.

PSYT 713 Psychiatric Epidemiology 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

G. Galbaud du Fort, & N. Frasure-Smith (3 academic credits)

This course offers an overview of the application of epidemiology in the field of psychiatry. Topics include: epidemiologic research methods in psychiatry; instruments and methods used in community studies; study of treatment-seeking, pathways to care and use of services; interaction between psychological distress and physical health; methods used in specific populations and for specific disorders; evaluation of treatments, interventions, needs for care and research on quality of life. [Prerequisites: Courses in psychiatry and/or epidemiology.] Text: Course readings are available at the McGill bookstore. Begins: May 1, 2006 (4 weeks) M·W·F 4 13h30-16h45.

Workshops

Working with Culture: Clinical Methods in Cultural Psychiatry
C. Rousseau, J. Guzder & Faculty

This workshop for mental health practitioners provides an overview of clinical models and methods in cultural psychiatry. Topics include: working with translators and culture brokers; attending to culture, ethnicity, racism and power in individual and family interventions with migrants and ethnocultural minorities; how cultural work transforms the therapist; ethical issues in intercultural work; strategies for working in different settings including schools, community organizations and refugee immigration boards. Invited lectures will frame the basic issues of clinical intervention through the paradigms of cultural voices and languages of symptoms, art, and play. The clinical intersection of healer, culture, diagnosis, and therapy will be approached by a review of developmental theories, identity and life cycle variations in migrant or minority experience.  Text: Course readings are available at the McGill bookstore.  Begins: May 2, 2006 (24 hours/4 weeks) T·Th 4 09h00-12h00.

Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods
D. Groleau, C. Rodriguez & Faculty

This workshop provides an introduction to qualitative research methods and data analysis in social science. It begins with an introduction to research as a “problem-solving process,” and proceeds to articulate relevant questions for qualitative research, and processes for gathering, analyzing and interpreting data. Topics include: positivist versus constructivist paradigms; validity and reliability as applied to qualitative and quantitative methods; conceptual framework and bias issues; overview of different qualitative methodologies and their relevance for cultural psychiatry; advantages of software for qualitative analysis. Students will get a chance to practice ethnographic interviewing. Particular emphasis will be given to ethnographic and participatory research methods using illustrative examples. May 01 to 12, 2006 (24 hours) M·W·F 4 08h30-12h30.

Quantitative Methods ni Cultural Psychiatry
A. Ryder, A. Drapeau & V. Kovess

This workshop will provide an overview of the statistical bases and limitations of methods to assess the transcultural validity of mental health scales (including: coefficients of reliability and factorial invariance, and patterns of factor loadings and symptom endorsement) and diagnostic interviews used in epidemiological research. These methods will be illustrated with validation studies from recent literature and with practical exercises. Other topics selected from: research design (univariate vs. multivariate statistical approaches, culture comparison vs. acculturation strategies, quasi-experimental designs); IRT methods for scale construction, and for separating item-bias from true-score differences; programmatic integration of quantitative and qualitative approaches. May 15 to 26, 2006 (20 hours) M·W·F 4 08:30-12-30.

Community-Based Participatory Research
A. Macaulay & Kahnawake Community-Researcher Team

This workshop, facilitated by Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project researchers and community members, will address participatory research based on their experiences. Topics will include: participatory research theory; building and maintaining healthy respectful partnerships; developing collaborative project strategies from design through dissemination; ownership of research data; maximizing benefits and minimizing community risks; capacity building and sustainability. The development and application of the Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project Code of Research Ethics will be highlighted. Obligations of researchers and community partners will be discussed in the context of the new ethic of respecting community. May 29, 2006 (8 hours) M 4 09h00-18h00.

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