What Black Canadians and African Refugees REALLY need for their mental health UCalgary Social Work Podcast

So what would your mental health be like if your children were separated from you, living in a refugee camp halfway around the world? Or, how do you think your mental health would suffer if you lived your life under suspicion? Arbitrarily pulled over by police or followed around shops by store-owners who assume you’re a thief?

Dr. Régine Uwibereyeho King, PhD was troubled by the descriptions she saw of African newcomers in academic literature. They are frequently described with terms like: “very vulnerable ... unable to fit in ... or traumatized people from Africa.” This didn't fit the people she knew and worked with as a social worker. So she set out to discover what really impacted their mental health; how they tried to deal with the stressors in their lives, and what the solutions might be, to make things better. 

Her research has taken her from Toronto, to Winnipeg and currently Alberta, where she is an Associate Professor, and researcher with the University of Calgary Faculty of Social Work.