About this resource

As someone who grew up in Ethiopia in America, I have seen firsthand how mental health struggles are handled in my community. When someone was struggling emotionally, the response was usually prayer, church, or simply pushing through it. Seeing a counselor was not something people talked about, and when it came up, it was met with shame.

Growing up here gave me a different perspective. I was exposed to mental health conversations that my parents' generation never had. That gap between what I learned and what my family believed is exactly why I chose this topic.

In Ethiopian culture, many people believe mental illness is caused by a curse from God or evil spirit possession. Because of this, going to a therapist is seen as embarrassing and unnecessary. Most people would rather go to a religious leader or use holy water than see a mental health professional, making it very hard for Ethiopians who are struggling to get the help they need.

The worksheet below is designed to help counselors have a more informed, culturally sensitive first session with Ethiopian clients. It guides counselors through key questions about the client's cultural background, beliefs about mental health, faith practices, and support systems. Research shows that Ethiopian immigrants strongly prefer religious and community-based support over formal mental health services (Hall-Clifford et al., 2023) and that stigma and spiritual explanations of mental illness are major barriers to care (Girma et al., 2022). This worksheet helps counselors bridge that gap from the very first session.

Citations:

Girma, E., Ketema, B., Mulatu, T., Kohrt, B. A., Wahid, S. S., Heim, E., Gronholm, P. C., Hanlon, C., & Thornicroft, G. (2022). Mental health stigma and discrimination in Ethiopia: Evidence synthesis to inform stigma reduction interventions. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 16, 30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-022-00540-z 

Hall-Clifford, R., Uehling, M., Khan, H., Hoke, D. M., Jr., Friis-Healy, E., Zhang, S., Awachie, T., Marshall Lee, E., Clark, C. J., Dubale, B., Gard, B., Ward, M., & Kaslow, N. (2023). Community-led identification of mental health support, challenges, and needs among Ethiopian immigrants to the U.S. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 26(9), 829–849. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2023.2282089