ºìÐÓÊÓƵ

Topic

A Narrative Exploration of the Experience of Racialized Youth Who Receive ºìÐÓÊÓƵ Healthcare in Victoria, BC

Department of Psychology

Date & location

• Monday, April 14, 2025

• 11:00 A.M.

• Clearihue Building

• Room B017

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. Erica Wooden, Department of Psychology, University of Victoria (Supervisor)

• Dr. Catherine Costigan, Department of Psychology, UVic (Member)

• Dr. Fred Chou, Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies, UVic (Outside Member) 

External Examiner

• Dr. Carla Hilario, School of Nursing, University of British Columbia Okanagan 

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. Georgia Sitara, Department of History, UVic

   

Abstract

Background: IBPOC (Indigenous, Black, and people of colour) communities have faced and continue to face interpersonal and systemic racism across Canada, which in turn affects their mental health and their willingness to access mental healthcare. There is a well-established literature on barriers to accessing mental healthcare for IBPOC communities in Canada. However, much of the research to date does not centre the voices of IBPOC consumers of mental healthcare, who may have experiences of racial trauma and intergenerational trauma which impact their wellbeing and experience of receiving mental health services. This project will highlight the voices of IBPOC youth who received public mental health services in Victoria, BC, as there is limited research exploring the narratives of this population in Canada. Method: The Collaborative Narrative Method (Arvay, 2003) was used in order to explore the lived experience of IBPOC youth (between the ages of 17 and 25) who received mental healthcare in Victoria, BC, which included a period of time when they were mature minors (i.e., when they were between the ages of 13 to 18). The aim of the study is to understand and co-construct their stories, centered around their voices. Individual interviews were conducted with five Co Investigators. Both the researcher and Co-Investigators conducted two readings of the transcripts (the first reading for the accuracy of content, the second reading with the research questions in mind). Results: Five narratives were written collaboratively between the researcher and Co-Investigator, with the Co-Investigator having final editorial power. The narratives explored each youth’s own story of mental health, including their needs and preferences for supportive mental healthcare, while taking into account the complex intergenerational dynamics that set the context for their lives. Discussion: Themes were identified and discussed together with the Co Investigators at a joint meeting. The themes have been organized into five Acts, with each Act exploring a different set of themes. [Act I] reflected the importance of understanding the iv complex and nuanced context of each person’s life. [Act II] explored the experience of living through the discrepancy between how Co-Investigators perceived themselves, and how they were negatively perceived by mental health professionals. [Act III] identified the meaning Co Investigators had made of their experiences, including how they exercise their agency, how isolated they are, and their belief that collaborative care between an IBPOC youth and their mental health providers is possible. [Act IV] is composed of the recommendations that the Co Investigators have for service providers in the community, based on what they would have wanted from their mental health care experiences. Finally, [Act V] is an exploration of the researcher’s observations about the study. Impact: The CNM allowed for the intentional attempt to level power dynamics, and for IBPOC youth participants to have their stories heard and written the way they want them to be shared. Importantly, the results of the study can inform local policy makers and can help to create a culturally-attuned mental healthcare experience for IBPOC youth in Victoria, ultimately working toward dismantling systemic racism.