From Engagement to Empowerment: How we created user-led and culturally sensitive mental health services

Introduction

Empowerment in mental health services is essential for creating inclusive and effective care. By actively involving service users in decisions and co-creating resources we foster autonomy, reduce stigma, and build more accessible, person-centered mental health systems that serve diverse communities. Estuar Foundation (Romania) and Polish Migration Forum (Poland) put this approach into practice by implementing the Mentality work in Romania and Poland. 

In a world where mental health care is often out of reach for many, the Estuar Foundation is empowering mental health service users through the launch of an interactive platform mapping free mental health services. The interactive map was created through a co-creational process involving beneficiaries and volunteers who shared that this process made them feel strong, useful, valued and, above all, part of a big community working towards the same goal: offering support for a better mental health. 

The Polish Migration Forum (PMF) will explore the significance of cultural adaptation in workshops for migrant and refugee communities, emphasizing how understanding and integrating multicultural perspectives can empower individuals and enhance the effectiveness of mental health programmes. Migrant and refugee populations bring unique cultural, social, and religious backgrounds that shape their needs and challenges, and the process of empowerment can be achieved or strengthened by engaging individuals to act as experts. Thus, migrants and refugees are no longer takers; instead, they actively start to build the society and cultural context in the new society they are living in.  

During this webinar, Estuar Foundation and Polish Migration Forum will share their experiences in implementing the map of mental health services (Estuar) and the psychoeducational measures for migrants and refugees (PMF) through an empowerment-focused analysis of needs, challenges and solutions.

Objectives

This webinar, targeted at mental health practitioners, mental health services, trainers and educators for social change, social workers, and NGO professionals, will aim to:

• Present the Free Map of Mental Health Services (Estuar) and the Measures for Migrants and Refugees (Polish Migration Forum);
• Reflect on the importance of the empowerment of mental health service users when developing new mental health practices;
• Reflect on the importance of cultural adaptation in mental health services and practices for migrants and other target populations;
• Find common solutions to challenges and barriers that may impede the empowerment and mental well-being of service users;
• Share tools and practices to empower people in their mental health journey and promote their emotional awareness, resilience, and personal development.

About Mentality

This webinar is developed as part of the MENTALITY project. MENTALITY pilots established European promising practices targeted at children, healthcare and other care workers, people with pre-existing mental health problems and psychosocial disabilities, migrants, and service providers.

The project establishes a path for successful and sustainable transfer and adaptation of practices in participating countries that will also lead to in-country upscale and further future implementation in other EU countries.

Learn more about Mentality.