Collaborative approaches to crisis intervention: enhancing mental health support for newcomers

Purpose This study aims to investigate the barriers faced by newcomers in Canada in accessing mental health and crisis intervention services, focusing on immigrant and racialized communities. It explores service models that integrate newcomer support organizations with mental health services to address these challenges. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a narrative review and environmental scan to synthesize existing scholarly findings on the barriers that newcomers and racialized immigrants face when accessing mental health services. It also explores effective strategies for culturally responsive mental health care and collaborative care models. Key findings from an environmental scan are presented, highlighting integrative models that connect immigrant and settlement organizations with mental health services. Findings The findings reveal significant gaps in crisis intervention services for newcomers, particularly in providing culturally responsive care. Many settlement organizations lack direct access to mental health services, and existing crisis services often fail to integrate language interpretation and cultural brokering. The environmental scan identified a lack of formal partnerships between settlement and crisis services, leading to fragmented care for newcomers. Originality/value This paper proposes the Building Equitable Newcomer Crisis Help (BENCH) program, a collaborative model developed to bridge the gap between settlement organizations and crisis intervention services, offering a culturally responsive and integrated approach to crisis care for newcomers.