Cultural Competency in Mental Health Peer-run Programs and Self-help Groups

The Cultural Competency in Mental Health: Peer-run Programs and Self-help Groups is a resource by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) STAR Center and the University of Illinois at Chicago was created to help mental health, consumer operated programs and self-help groups assess their own cultural competency. By using it, you’ll identify the ways in which your activities are already responsive to culturally diverse peers and areas where you could use some improvement. You’ll also create specific action plans to enhance your cultural competency in five important areas. This tool is structured around five focus areas - Administration, Policies and Guidelines, Peer Providers and Group Leaders, Services and Supports, Program or Group Environment, Communication and Language Capacity. For each of the five focus areas, you will:

• Review why the area is an important part of cultural competency in peer programs and self-help groups
• Learn about where to look when conducting your assessment in that area
• Rate your program on how well it meets the given criteria
• Consider and act on ways to improve your competency in that area

Download the tool (pdf). Learn more about the NAMI STAR Center.

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