The Cambodian Experience

Abstract

Describes the context, the implementation, and some of the results of the Transcultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO) community mental health program started in Cambodia. The aim of the program is to identify, prevent and manage psychosocial problems using a public mental health approach. After an introduction of Cambodia's recent history, the authors sketch the cultural and social context in which they worked. A description is given of how they attempted to develop and implement appropriate interventions that could complement the already existing local systems of care. Case examples serve to demonstrate how local culture and history stamps the training and the interventions. It is concluded that the experience gained in the TPO program reaffirms that people undergo a series of traumas as they either move from war to border camps, to resettlement, to repatriation, to internal displacement, or are exposed to a series of traumatic episodes in their home countries. The experience also shows that local resource should be used as part of the systems of care. It is noted that there is a need to introduce new interventions aimed at reconciliation and rehabilitation (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)