Qualified Bilingual Staff Program*
QBS are a critical link to providing effective communication and quality care to the limited-English proficient (LEP) communities and individuals we serve.
The QBS Model & Program were designed by Kaiser Permanente National Diversity & Inclusion and adapted by DBHDS to capitalize on an organization’s existing workforce diversity and ensure qualified linguistic services and culturally competent care at every point of contact.
DBHDS adaptation is specifically designed to build terminology in behavioral health, substance abuse, and developmental services setting and discuss the unique role that bilingual staff may have interpreting in these settings. Organizations are encouraged to holed QBS Training in their facility.
Request a Question, Persuade, and Refer Multicultural/Multilingual Gatekeeper Training Today!
Qualified cultural navigators are individuals who are trained to provide support, information and guidance to new immigrants. Not only do they have the lived experience of having been immigrants/refugees themselves or having worked very closely with refugees for a long period of time, but they have specific knowledge regarding issues of stress, trauma, the psychological impact of immigration and acculturation, and how to support individuals in crisis.
DBHDS provides a qualification process for Qualified Cultural Navigators as a way to recognize this unique set of skills that are not always reflected in school transcripts or resumes. Under this qualification pathway, participants complete a series of workshops and trainings designed to provide them with competencies needed to be competitive in entry level positions in behavioral healthcare.
The required programs are designed to connect them with nationally recognized interventions and best practices, which combined with their bicultural and bilingual skills, provide an excellent candidate pool for a diverse and culturally competent entry-level workforce.
You may find a sample application HERE
Email all required certificates, qualifications, and other information to OCLC Email
Please allow two months for your application to be processed and for you to receive your certificate.
REQUEST A GATEKEEPER TRAINING FOR YOUR COMMUNITY
DBHDS offers QPR for Refugee Gatekeeper training in multiple languages across the state. Trainers are certified as QPR Gatekeeper Facilitators and are available across the state.
The QPR Refugee Gatekeeper training is offered in
Mental Health ESL*
Virginia Feeling Good Refugee Mental Health Training Video
Virginia Feeling Good Refugee Mental Health Video Guide
[Webinar]
WEBINAR – Administration and Implementation of the Refugee Health Screener – 15
Arabic, Amharic, Dari, Spanish, Tagalog
[MULTICULTURAL QPR GATEKEEPER TRAINERS]*
Taysir Al Janabi, Caseworker, Commonwealth Catholic Charities- Roanoke
Laxman Chamlagai, Medical Liaison, Church World Services – Richmond
Selamawit. Gonfa, Medical Liaison, Catholic Charities Diocese of Arlington – Fredericksburg
Rabab Hassan, Peer coach, Harrisonburg Public Schools, Harrisonburg
Ibrahim Maroof, MPH, Medical Liaison, Commonwealth Catholic Charities – Hampton Roads
Eva P. Stitt, PhD., Refugee Mental Health Analyst, DBHDS – Hampton Roads
WEBINAR -ADMINISTERING AND IMPLEMENTING THE RHS-15 IN YOUR COMMUNITY
PATHWAYS MATERIALS REQUEST FORM
[Conference]
An annual conference designed to explore the implementation, funding, sustaining, and evaluation of language services in government services. Always a FREE event.
Roanoke Annual Language Access Conference for Providers and Front Line Workers
Northern Virginia Conference on Refugee Wellness
Annual Statewide Refugee Mental Health Summit
[Resources]
Refugee Health Screener (RHS) – 15 Screening Tool in 16 langugaes
Virginia Refugee Mental Health ESL Module*
In partnership with Old Dominion University, the Initiative has developed a 1 hour ESL module designed to introduce English language learners to concepts of mental health and wellness in English. The module is free for utilization by any ESL program.
INTRODUCING MENTAL HEALTH CONCEPTS IN THE ESL CLASSROOM
FEELING GOOD- REFUGEE MENTAL HEALTH ESL MODULE PACKET
You can review some material by clicking the links and you may obtain the complete packet or material by completing the utilization request and returning it to oclc@dbhds.virginia.gov
VA Refugee Mental Health Utilization Request Form
VA Refugee Mental Health Instructor Dos and Don’ts
Virginia Feeling Good Refugee Mental Health ESL Module Lesson Plan
Virginia Feeling Good Refugee Mental Health ESL Powerpoint Slides
Virginia Feeling Good Refugee Mental Health Student Handouts
Virginia Feeling Good Refugee Mental Health Training Video
Virginia Feeling Good Refugee Mental Health Video Guide
HEALTH LITERACY*
Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.
Limited health literacy affects people of all ages, races, incomes, and education levels, but the impact of limited health literacy disproportionately affects lower socioeconomic and minority groups.
It affects people’s ability to search for and use health information, adopt healthy behaviors, and act on important public health alerts.
Limited health literacy is also associated with worse health outcomes and higher costs (USDHHS).
CLINICAL RESOURCES*
There is increasing motivation among behavioral health and developmental disability service providers to understand culture and ethnicity factors in order to provide appropriate services. This increased motivation for improving quality of services to ethnic and culturally diverse populations is attributable to the growing political and social presence of diverse cultural groups in the larger society, a growing knowledge of how culture impacts behaviors and engagement, and expectation of licensing and accreditation entities. Tools are also being developed to assist clinicians explore culture and adapt practices for improved outcomes.
CULTURAL COMPETENCES IN DD AND ID SERVICES*
Cultural competence in the area of developmental and intellectual disabilities is a new field of study and practice. There is a growing body of work but it is not very comprehensive. Below is a list of useful toolkits and guidelines to explore this work. Autism in Black National Black Disability Coalition CLC Resources at the Interdisciplinary Technical Assistance Center on Autis…
Cultural Competence in DD/ID Services (Last Updated: Jun 19, 2015)
National Black Disability Coalition
Cultural Brokering & Community Inclusion
Engaging Latinos & African Americans in Family Support Programs
Frontline Newsletter – Services Individuals with ID
Health and Health Care Disparities Among People with Disabilities
National Council on Disability – Cultural Diversity Policy Area
VCU Early Intervention CLC Landing PadWorking with Diverse Communities*
Working with African American Communities
African American Mental Health Fact Sheet
An Early History – African American Mental Health
Working with Arab American Communities
Arab-Americans and the Social Worker: Cultural Competence
Communities Join Together To Promote Behavioral Health
Facts about Arabs and the Arab World
Guide to Arab Culture: Health Care Delivery to the Arab American Community
Predictors of Arab American Adolescent Tobacco Use
Working with Asian-Pacific Islander Communities
Learning Disabilities Researcher Brings Attention to Overlooked Asian American Students
Asian-American Cultural Identity and Attitudes Toward Mental Health Services
Asian American Middle-Aged Adults’ Attitudes and Mental Health After the Death of a Parent
Asian Americans Tend to Shun Mental Health Care
Integrated Care for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities
Working with the Older Adults
Older Adult Mental Health Consumer Information
Cultural competences in the multicultural aging populations
Working with Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Communities
See our page on LGBTQ mental health and wellness
Cultural Competence on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender (LGBT)
Fenway Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Health
Health Issues for LGBT Populations
Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming People
Working with Immigrant, and Refugee Communities
A First Person Refugee Account
Community Strategies for war trauma
Stressors and Barriers to MH Care for First Gen Immigrants
Backgrounder on Congolese Women
Working with Latino Communities
Enhancing Mental Health Service Delivery to Hispanics: An Online Toolkit for Eliminating Disparities
Latinos values and family transitions: Practical considerations for counseling
Lifting Latinos Up- Moving Beyond Trauma
Psychological Distress Among Latino Family Caregivers of Adults With Schizophrenia
Guide to psychological assessments with Latinos
Fotonovela intervention ideasWorking with the Military Community
Bereavement and Grief: Information for Military Families and Communities
Coming Home: Adjustments For Military Families
Psychological Health of Military Families
Working with Native American Communities
Mental Health Disparities in American Indians
Working with Religious Communities
Being Muslim in America
Pastoral Education Guide: Responding to the Mental Health Needs of Multicultural Faith Communities
Pastoral Education Workbook: Responding to the Mental Health Needs of Multicultural Faith CommunitiesNational Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Virginia laws that specifically require the use of language services
Webinar: Beyond the Right Thing to Do: The Legal Case for CLAS Implementation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFQ7gTQTJks
Leadership Strategies for CLASORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION & TOOLS*
Individual and organizational assessments are a cornerstone of the ability to build a culturally competence organization. In general, the continuous quality improvement process for any organization an assessment phase, a planning phase, an implementation phase, and an evaluation phase (Briefer French et al., 2008).
Organizations should make this decision with a strategic mindset and consider a number of factors including whether they have the right resources to create an accurate tool, whether they can identify a tool that fits their organizational structure, whether they are looking to do an assessment for the entire organization or just on division or one level, or any variety of other factors that could impact the outcome of the assessment.
Listed below are a number of assessment tools from a broad spectrum of experts and organizations.
CCSAQ Assessment Tool Portland State University
Guide to conducting a self assessment D Andrulis
National Center for Cultural Competence Organizational and Individual Assessment Tools
National Mental Health Association Community Needs Assessment
NY Center of Excellence CLC Assessment Tools
Peer Program CLC Assessment ToolDBHDS State Board Policy 1023
DBHDS Departmental Instruction 209
Research: Journal of Health Care Law and Policy Volume 10 | Issue 2 Article 6 Legislation as Intervention: A Survey of Cultural Competence Policy in Health Care
DEPARTMENTAL INSTRUCTION 209 ENSURING ACCESS TO LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORTS
CARF – The mission of CARF is to promote quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of persons served.
Magella Behavioral Health – Magellan Provider Handbook, Section 4 – The Quality Partnership
Magellan Provider Handbook
Magellan Cultural Competency Resource Kit
TITLE VI OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964
Organizations are required to take reasonable steps to ensure meaningful access to their programs and activities by LEP persons.
The Guidance explains that the obligation to provide meaningful access is fact-dependent and starts with an individualized assessment that balances four factors:
Number or Proportion of LEP Individuals
Frequency of Contact With the Program
Nature and Importance of the Program
Resources Available
Department of Medicaid Services
The updated Provider Manual for Community Mental Health Rehabilitation Services from Virginia Department of Medical Assistance includes a chapter on cultural and linguistic competence expectations for providers of services.
Resilience/Recovery and Cultural/Linguistic CompetenceCommunity Engagement
Genuine community engagement is a cornerstone of cultural and linguistic competence and effective and efficient outcomes for service delivery. If you do not have input or support from all members of the community, you cannot develop programs, services, and supports that meet the needs of all members of that community.
Read more in the Principles of Community Engagement from US DHHS. https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/communityengagement/
LANGUAGE ACCESS*
Effective communication is critical for diagnosis, treatment, and delivery of services. Research shows the direct connection between quality of care, positive outcomes, customer satisfaction, and the provision of effective language services for individuals with communication or language needs.
Qualified Bilingual Staff Program*Translated Documents/Key Forms (in Spanish)*
AUTHORIZATIONS
Authorization of Use – Disclosure of Health Related Information – Spanish
Complaint Resolution Form – Spanish – Western State Hospital
Uniform Authorization to Use and Exchange Information – Spanish
NOTICES
DBHDS Notice of Advanced Directives (DI202) – Spanish
DBHDS Addendum of Notice of Advance Directives (DI202) – Spanish
DBHDS Notice of Patient Rights – Spanish
WAIVER OPERATIONS
Notice of the Right to Appeal – SpanishOrganizational Resources*
Identifying resources for clinicians and service providers, developing tools, templates, and guidance documents for managers and leadership can help busy organizations understand complex information and implement measures that make an immediate difference.
PLANNING TOOLS FOR ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND LEADERSHIP
Building Cultural Competence in your Organization
Data & Demographics2016 Cultural Competence White PaperImplicit Social Attitudes Test (Harvard)Overcoming Language Barriers*
Actions Speak Louder than Words
You Just Don’t Understand!Working with Interpreters*
Practice-Based Guidance for Working with Interpreters in Clinical Settings
Use trained interpreters, not bilingual staff or community members -Untrained interpreters allow for inaccurate or summarized communication, they can try to normalize comments or behaviors and are less likely to keep sessions confidential.
Allow the interpreter to explain their protocols to you and the individual- Interpreters are trained to use different methods based on the circumstances. The interpreter should explain these protocols to ensure clear communication.
Stress stigma associated with mental health that can influence interpreters- Professional and untrained interpreters may not understand the complexity of mental health and can bring their own bias to a session. For interventions to be effective, this needs to be addressed.
Define roles clearly- Roles must be understood and respected. The interpreter should not offer counseling and the provider should not interpret the individuals’ words.
The provider should discuss the goals for the session with the interpreter before seeing the client- Providers often have specific goals for each counseling session. The interpreter needs to be aware of these goals to work with the provider towards reaching common outcomes.
Include a little time to meet with the interpreter before and after each session to discuss concerns or answer questions- The provider and the interpreter will not always understand the other’s methods. Allow time to communicate about a session to reduce problems or confusion and be sure this isn’t done in front of the individual you are serving.
Recognize that even though someone may be bilingual they must still be trained with the skills that make them good interpreters -Just like providers are trained in a profession, bilingualism doesn’t mean someone is automatically an interpreter. Check to see if they have been trained in cultural competence and cross cultural communication and help them understand the importance of culturally and linguistically sensitive interventions.
Build a team – Providers and interpreters are both essential to good care. Emphasizing mutual respect facilitates better outcomes.
Use tools to assess communication – Even though you may not speak the language, you can use a tool to gauge whether a particular interpreter is delivering the message with some accuracy. One such tool can be found here.
Adapted from the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools, School of Public Health and Health Services, the George Washington UniversityHow working with interpreters supports HIPAA
Working with an Interpreter Language Selection in Individuals who are Bilingual*
Language, Culture, and Emotion Trauma-Informed Cross-Cultural Psychoeducation: Refugee Mental Health Training for Community Leaders (TI-CCP)*
Trauma-Informed Cross-Cultural Pyschoeducational Training (TI-CCP) was designed for mental health professionals to engage with and build capacity in refugee community leaders for community-based mental health and psychosocial support and to establish a close partnership and healing environment in the community. TI-CCP adopts two main pillars to guide the training sessions: Trauma-informed and culture-informed approaches. Refugee Health Screener (RHS 15)*
The purpose of the RHS-15 is to screen and identify refugees in need of mental health treatment, provide education about mental health issues, discuss expected stress responses, improve adjustment and provide information about or linkage with mental health resources. As of 2016, it is available in 16 languages.WEBINAR -ADMINISTERING AND IMPLEMENTING THE RHS-15 IN YOUR COMMUNITY
PATHWAYS MATERIALS REQUEST FORMLanguage Access Plan*
How to choose a language service
Identify barriers and opportunities for language services
Interpreter services planning worksheet
Interpreter waiver form example
Interpreter Refusal form example
Language access services are also commonly referred to as language assistance services and linguistically appropriate services.
LAS are services that are designed to ensure effective communication between individuals who are limited English proficient, individuals who are Deaf, Late Deafened, Hard of Hearing, of DeafBlind, or individuals who may have other communication barriers and their English speaking providers.
Primary LAS include interpretation (oral) and translation (written) services. LAS can also involve provisions that enhance communication, such as assistive technology, tools for low literacy, signage and symbols for wayfinding.
Use this template to make sure your organization is considering all the aspects of language services.The OHEA serves as the Language Coordinator for the DBHDS Facility System and beyond. In this role, we work to provide quality translations of key forms and documents that are commonly used across facilities. Available documents are posted here.
Research: Journal of Health Care Law and Policy Volume 10 | Issue 2 Article 6 Legislation as Intervention: A Survey of Cultural Competence Policy in Health CareState Refugee Health and Wellness Resources*
UVA International Family Medicine Clinic
Northern Virginia Family Services – Multicultural Human Services
National Resources
Refugee Health Technical Assistance Center Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services
Ethnomed
Health Roads Media
Gulf Coast Jewish Services
Office of Refugee Resettlement- Emotional Wellness
International Resources
US Committee for Refugees UNHCR – Mental Health Psycho Social Support for Persons of Concern
Navigating Virginia’s Behavioral Health System*
A guidebook for Newcomers, Refugee Leaders, Community Support Partners & Volunteers.
TRAUMA-INFORMED CROSS-CULTURAL PSYCHOEDUCATION*State Refugee Health and Wellness Resources*
UVA International Family Medicine Clinic
Northern Virginia Family Services – Multicultural Human Services
National Resources
Refugee Health Technical Assistance Center Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services
Ethnomed
Health Roads Media
Gulf Coast Jewish Services
Office of Refugee Resettlement- Emotional Wellness
International Resources*
US Committee for Refugees UNHCR – Mental Health Psycho Social Support for Persons of Concern