Cultural Adaptation of a Group Treatment for Haitian American Adolescents

As the psychology field moves towards establishing more evidence-based treatment (EBT), the applicability of EBT for different racial and immigrant groups (i.e., African American, Asian Americans and Pacific Islander, and Native American/Native Alaskan) is paramount. The current paper highlights the process of culturally adapting an EBT group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention for use with Haitian American adolescents diagnosed with depression. Overall the main objective of this project was to culturally adapt the Adolescent Coping with Depression Course (ACDC) to ensure that it includes cultural factors that are likely to engage and retain Haitian adolescents in mental health treatment. The paper summarizes the cultural training of the focus group leaders, the focus group sessions with a group of Haitian middle-school students, and the feedback received from the participants regarding the intervention.