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 A Holistic Approach to Black and Minority Ethnic Mental Health
 Peter Ferns, Pavilion Publishing
 ISBN 1841961329,
 £125

 STAR RATING: 4/5



This resource looks at ethnic minority mental health problems and examines the role of cultural differences and institutional racism, writes Mike Young.

It recommends a holistic and social model approach to practitioners.

It is an updated version of the Race Equality Unit's 1998 Letting Through Light and comes in ring binder format and provides a full programme and materials for trainers to run five one-day workshops.

There are exercises, handouts, readings and overheads constructed methodically to cover each topic in the workshops. So the workshop on risk work has exercises on the principles of risk assessment and management, a quiz on myths about suicide, articles on racial stereotyping and so on.

Each session comes with notes and instructions for trainers.

Ferns has assembled a full package for trainers designed to inform, challenge and stimulate the course participants.


It is very academic in content as the author believes that practitioners have to be able to understand how their daily work relates to national patterns of discrimination.

These workshops need to be delivered by knowledgeable, sensitive and inspirational trainers to do this pack justice.

The worry is that there are not enough people around with these skills to take advantage of such comprehensive educational materials.