The development and therapeutic modalities of a transcultural child psychiatry service.

INTRODUCTION To look at the specificities of the work of a Transcultural Child Psychiatry Team developed to meet the need for specialized services for Montreal and Quebec's culturally diverse immigrant and refugee pediatric population. METHOD A Transcultural Child Psychiatry Team was started at McGill University in 1995. The clinic's development and method of service provision for its patient population will be described. RESULTS Modalities of assessment and treatment are modified to meet the needs of the team's clientele and also reflect the philosophical underpinnings of the team's practitioners. CONCLUSION In this model of service delivery, current mental health care practice is modified in order to address the social specificities and cultural diversity of transcultural child psychiatric populations.