One in every three people who live in London was born in another country and almost every mental health worker in the metropolis will be working with someone who has, in some way, been displaced from their cultural roots. In addition, most psychotherapists and psychologists will work with people who were born in this country yet who feel excluded from the mainstream culture because of skin colour, religion, language or culture. Some patients, such as refugees from war zones, may also have experienced depths of trauma that in themselves separate them from mainstream culture.

Beneath the positive benefits of diversity (that creativity, affinity and enterprise flourish along the line where different cultures fuse) there is not just a sense of difference but significant suffering in the experience of being an 'outsider'. This often involves a persistent, subtle and demoralising sense of being alien, unaccepted or at risk. Defensive psychological strategies are then required to protect that person's psyche and working sensitively with the patient's experience of being Black or from a minority ethnic group is a crucial part of any therapist's repertoire.

This conference is about collectively identifying the clinical tools that every therapist needs to effectively support the client who feels isolated as the result of a perceived ethnic difference. We will address the macro themes of psychological stresses that these communities face, and theimportance of distinguishing the subtle meanings of mental health and illness in different cultural contexts. We will then progress towards micro themes such as culturally-specific mental health assessment, the ways in which a sense of self may be impinged upon by social and cultural conditions, good therapeutic practice with patients or clients who face issues of isolation, depression or anxiety in relation to their cultural or ethnic identity. We will develop a deepened insight into best practice in intercultural therapeutic relationships.

The conference brings together an exceptional list of UK speakers and workshop leaders with an interest in Black and Minority Ethnic well-being, refugee work and theories of identity. Live music and good food promise to make this an especially enjoyable conference.

"An intercultural approach to psychotherapy and counselling recognises that for many people, questions of belonging, identity and culture are at the forefront of our experiences of the world."

Nadina Al-Jarrah