Working with the Iranian community to provide hard-to-reach addiction services

Finding help for a substance use can be difficult if English is not your first language. Add to this the stigma many communities associate with addictions and it’s apparent that reaching out for help can be a challenge.

The particular needs of the Iranian community caught the attention of CAMH’s GTA West Provincial Services staff several years ago when the Iranian Canadian Social Service Providers Network (ICSSPN) highlighted the challenges of getting much needed addiction services in Farsi.

CAMH continues to work with Iranian community partners to provide greater access to addiction services. L-R:back row: Garmen Eliehnazlou, ICSSPN member; Barbara Steep, Program Consultant CAMH;  Dennis James, Deputy Clinical Director, Addictions Program, CAMH; Behnaz Azad, ICSSPN member; Dr. Keyghobad Farid Araki, CAMH;  Angela Martella, Program Consultant CAMH  L-R:front row: Afie Mardukhi, ICSSPN member; Mandana Attar Zadeh, ICSSPN member; and Sajedeh Zahraei, CAMH

Provincial Services Program Consultants Barbara Steep and Angela Martella are working with the ICSSPN to bridge the gap in needed services through a number of capacity-building and knowledge-exchange initiatives. 

CAMH Education Specialist Mahreen Hasan worked with staff from both organizations to customize the two-day Fundamentals of Addictions course to reflect issues and needs of workers from the Iranian community. Deputy Clinical Director, Addictions Program, Dennis James, Raj Sohi, Manager, Addictions Program and Iranian community health professionals, Dr. Hadi Bahiraei and Mandana Attar Zadeh delivered the customized training to service providers working with Iranian clients this spring.

“The goal was to enhance Iranian community service providers’ specific knowledge and skills in order to be able to address addictions in the course of working with their clients’ other presenting problems,” said Barbara. A pilot consultation model provides ongoing support, allowing participants to consult with CAMH addictions specialists as they identify needs in their current caseloads.

“Providing training and consultation to Iranian service providers means more people are receiving more timely and more culturally competent addiction-focused service. This is a significant step but there is much more to do to fully meet community needs,” said Dennis. CAMH also benefits from learning about community needs and practices related to drug use and intervention. Knowledge has been exchanged regarding accepted practices in Iran and in the Canadian context.

In the past several years the GTA West Team, Provincial Services has also worked collaboratively with the ICSSPN to conduct a community needs assessment and deliver two successful public education forums in Farsi on mental health and addictions.

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