Department of Psychiatry

Faculty of Medicine

Building Cultural Competence for Mental Health Equity


Co-Created with the Black/African NS Community


Building Cultural Competence for  Mental Health Equity is a new course offered to faculty in the Dalhousie Department of Psychiatry.

Co-developed and co-delivered with Black and African NS community partners, this course used cultural competence as a framework to promote mental health equity. It was designed to advance departmental competence in anti-oppression, equity, and community allyship, in collaboration with partners.

Introducing the course

The Building Cultural Competence for Mental Health Equity course was introduced at the Department of Psychiatry’s Grand Rounds on January 7, 2026.

View the course introduction (Grand Rounds, January 7, 2026).

Format

The Building Cultural Competence for Mental Health Equity course was offered in two brief sessions in spring 2026:

  • Part 1: Foundation Session on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at Grand Rounds (8:30-9:30 a.m. - Recorded) View the recording. 
  • Part 2: Experiential Session – Friday, May 1, 2026 (in person)
    (Not recorded; Registration required).

Overall Course Learning Objectives

At the end of this course, participants will be able to: 

  1. Integrate cultural considerations into the psychiatric care of equity-denied groups, with a focus on responding to needs of the Black/African NS communities. (Collaborator, Medical Expert, Health Advocate, Professional, Scholar)   

Part 1 Learning Objectives

At the end of the Foundation session, participants will be able to:  

  1. Describe the Department of Psychiatry’s five Guiding Principles for equity work and community allyship. (Scholar)  
  2. Describe the “Building Cultural Competence for Mental Health Equity” course components and resources. (Scholar)  
  3. Describe at least two topics addressed in the “Cultural Formulation Interview” for use in psychiatric practice. (Communicator, Medical Expert, Health Advocate, Professional, Scholar)  
  4. Describe at least two key concepts from the Cultural Competence Guide for Primary Healthcare Professions in Nova Scotia for use in psychiatric practice with Black/African NS Community members. (Communicator, Medical Expert, Health Advocate, Professional, Scholar) 

Part 2 Learning Objectives

At the end of the Experiential session, participants will be able to: 

  1. Describe the Department of Psychiatry's five Guiding Principles and equity-denied groups in the 2026 Strategic Plan. (Scholar)
  2. Describe common mental health issues facing the Black/African NS communities. (Collaborator, Health Advocate, Professional, Scholar)
  3. Integrate the Cultural Formulation Interview into the psychiatric care of equity-denied groups including members of the Black/African NS communities (Collaborator, Medical Expert, Health Advocate, Professional, Scholar)
  4. List additional mental health equity learning resources on equity-denied groups including Black/African NS communities. (Scholar)

Part 2 Schedule

Time Activity Facilitator/Speaker(s)
1:00–1:05 PM Welcome remarks Dr. Vincent Agyapong
1:05–1:20 PM Facilitator opening remarks Mr. Robert Wright
1:20–1:40 PM Dyads to Practice Positionality using CFI Questions Mr. Robert Wright
1:40–2:25 PM “Fishbowl” Experience Mr. Robert Wright + community members
2:25–2:45 PM Interactive Break-out Tables Mr. Robert Wright
2:45–3:00 PM Interactive dialogue with refreshments Everyone in attendance
3:00–3:30 PM Expert Discussion Panel / Facilitated Q & A Interaction Dr. Cinera States, Dr. Ron Milne, Ms. Sharon Davis-Murdoch
3:30–3:45 PM Facilitator closing remarks Mr. Robert Wright
3:45–3:50 PM Closing remarks Dr. Vincent Agyapong
3:50–4:00 PM Session feedback Dr. Keri-Leigh Cassidy

Scientific Planning Committee Membership

Roles Member Name (affiliations)
Facilitator Mr. Robert Wright (African NS representative)
Community Contributor Ms. Sharon Davis-Murdoch (Black NS representative)
Community Contributor Dr. Ron Milne (African Nova Scotia primary care physician)
Departmental Co-Leads Drs. Vincent Agyapong, Keri-Leigh Cassidy (Department of Psychiatry)
Office of Community Engagement Dr. Gaynor Watson-Creed (Faculty of Medicine)
Quality Contributors Drs. Kim Good and Cinera States (Department of Psychiatry)
CME Expert Ms. Mandy Esliger (Department of Psychiatry)
Administrative Support Ms. Eleanor Kumahia (Department of Psychiatry)

Accreditation

Educationally approved by Dalhousie University Continuing Professional Development and Medical Education.

This activity meets the certification criteria of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and has been certified by Dalhousie University Continuing Professional Development and Medical Education for up to 4.75 Mainpro+® Certified Activity credits.


This activity is an Accredited Group Learning Activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and approved by Dalhousie University Continuing Professional Development and Medical Education. You may claim a maximum of 4.75 hours (credits are automatically calculated).

To clarify, the above-noted 4.75 credit hours consist of the 2 hours of required prereading and 2.75 hours of in-person learning.


Resources

Those who wished to attend the "Experiential" Session were asked to attend (or view) the "Foundation" Session, and read the following four articles:

  1. Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) – A tool introduced in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) to assist clinicians in conducting culturally sensitive assessments
  2. A Systematic Review of Cultural Competence Trainings for Mental Health Providers
  3. A Cultural Competence Guide for Primary Health Care Professionals in Nova Scotia
  4. Key Features of Culturally Inclusive, -Affirming and Contextually Relevant Mental Health Care and Healing Practices with Black Canadians: A Scoping Review

Download the Compendium of Equity Learning Resources [PDF - 370 KB] for all materials needed for this course, plus additional learning resources.

FoM S&ES Resources

Cultural Competence Course Q & A

Who taught this course?
Taking a novel approach to curriculum development for our department, this course was co-created and co-delivered by members of Black/ African Nova Scotian communities.

Who should attend these sessions?
All faculty were encouraged to attend, as feasible, while also ensuring adequate service coverage. Grand rounds and a Friday afternoon were chosen to optimize faculty attendance, minimize service disruption, and avoid encroaching on evening/weekends.

Should learners attend?
Everyone, including learners, were welcome to attend Part 1: Foundation Session at Grand Rounds on April 8; however, Part 2: Experiential Session on May 1 was intended for faculty only.

Were these sessions recorded?
The Foundation Session was recorded for later viewing; The Experiential Session was not recorded, due to sensitive nature of the material and at the request of our community partners.

Will I be remunerated for attending these sessions?
For AFP faculty, time to attend will be remunerated under indirect care, "Clinical Teaching."

Where else can I learn about this course?
An overview of course was introduced at January 7 Grand Rounds--if you missed it, you can watch the recording here. Part 1: Foundation Session took place at April 8 Rounds - if you missed the Foundation Session, watch the recording here.

Questions?

Email Psych.Ses@dal.ca