The Power of Collective Design: Co-Creating Healing-Centered Mental Health Care for Refugee and Immigrant Families

Reba Meigs (), Adriana Bearse (), Amina Sheik Mohamed, Sarah Vicente, Arwa Alkhawaja, Ariana Aini, Wali Abdul Hanifzai, Gulshan Yusufzai, Sara Mostafavi, Ruth Teseyem Tadesse, Reem Zubaidi, Mohammad Wahdatyar, Nghi Dang, Asmaa Deiranieh, Segen Zeray, Farhat Popal, Valerie Nash and Blanca Melendrez
Additional contact information
Reba Meigs: Center for Community Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Adriana Bearse: Center for Community Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Amina Sheik Mohamed: Center for Community Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Sarah Vicente: Center for Community Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Arwa Alkhawaja: Rihla Community Services, San Diego, CA 92126, USA
Ariana Aini: Maristan, Fremont, CA 94539, USA
Wali Abdul Hanifzai: Qazizada Multicultural Therapy Clinic, Orange, CA 92867, USA
Gulshan Yusufzai: MAS Social Services Foundation, Sacramento, CA 95821, USA
Sara Mostafavi: Maristan, Fremont, CA 94539, USA
Ruth Teseyem Tadesse: Center for Community Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Reem Zubaidi: Center for Community Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Mohammad Wahdatyar: Center for Community Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Nghi Dang: Center for Community Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Asmaa Deiranieh: Center for Community Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Segen Zeray: Center for Community Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Farhat Popal: Center for Community Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Valerie Nash: Nash and Associates, San Diego, CA 92102, USA
Blanca Melendrez: Center for Community Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 7, 1-12

Abstract: Refugee and immigrant communities face a host of dynamic health challenges. This essay discusses the importance of prioritizing the impacts of resettlement on mental health and provides examples of how creating a collective network of culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and healing-centered providers—centered on community-based best practices and knowledge—is integral to fostering community resilience. Additionally, it will examine how resettlement challenges intersect with systemic barriers to culturally responsive care and related Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), including economic stability, health care access and quality, and social and community contexts. Drawing upon experiences from a statewide network spanning southern and northern California—and based on interim mixed-methods program evaluation data and practitioner reflections highlighting one community partner’s experience—we provide key learnings that demonstrate how coalition building, cultural humility, and provider training can improve client well-being, reduce mental health disparities, and address the relevant SDOH. Key learnings illustrate the importance of the following: (1) coalition building to co-create trusted provider referral networks and support peer-to-peer learning to enhance client care; (2) provider trainings and capacity building on healing-centered and culturally responsive practices to address SDOH; (3) centering cultural humility; and (4) building a peer-based workforce who speak similar languages and share lived experiences to provide deeper cultural connections and build trust. Our experiences demonstrate that the co-creation of strong mental health provider networks is critical to strengthening the fabric of community resilience.

Keywords: trauma-informed care; healing-centered; social determinants of health; community-led transformation; collective impact; community resilience; cultural sensitivity; refugee health; immigrant health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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