Borders, Barriers, and Belonging: Cultural Psychiatry & Global Mental Health in a Time of Displacement and Division
The Society for the Study of Psychiatry and Culture (SSPC) invites proposals for our upcoming Annual Meeting under the theme "Borders, Barriers, and Belonging: Cultural Psychiatry & Global Mental Health in a Time of Displacement and Division," exploring the political, geographic, and psychological boundaries shaping mental health today.
As forced migration, statelessness, political polarization, and rising nationalism fracture lives and communities, cultural psychiatry must grapple with lived experiences of exclusion, liminality, and identity formation. We welcome submissions that explore how clinicians, educators, researchers, communities, and systems navigate the fault lines of displacement, social rupture, and belonging, and how healing and solidarity can be cultivated across them.
We encourage submissions that reflect interdisciplinary, practice-based, and research-driven perspectives from around the world.
Meeting Subthemes:
In addition to the main theme, we especially invite submissions that align with the following subtopics, among other topics:
Structures of Belonging: Mental Health Across Families, Communities, and Systems
This subtheme explores how a sense of belonging and social well-being is shaped and at times challenged by family ties, community networks, national & immigration policies, and global systems. We invite submissions that examine stigma, discrimination, task-sharing approaches, and workforce development (including task shifting and task sharing) in global mental health. We especially welcome work that highlights culturally grounded strategies to improve access, fairness, and connection for underserved groups across diverse settings
Families Across the Lifespan: Cultural Family Therapy in Transnational Contexts
Building on cultural family therapy models, this subtheme explores intergenerational narratives, culturally grounded caregiving practices, and community-based interventions that support resilience among immigrant, refugee, and transnational families. We especially welcome work focused on motherhood, infant attachment, elder care, and the impact of structural and systemic challenges (e.g., acculturation stress).
Transcending Symptoms & Suffering: Psychosis, Spirituality, and Collective Healing
How are extraordinary experiences (such as psychotic symptoms, spiritual visions, or culturally specific idioms of distress) interpreted, managed, and integrated across diverse cultural and clinical contexts? Submissions that consider how resilience and resistance emerge in response to structural adversity, marginalization, and biomedical dominance–as well submissions that examine community-driven healing, spiritual frameworks, and culturally attuned responses that reframe mental suffering as both personal and political–are welcome.
Preferred Modalities of Healing & Inner Journeys: Culture, Care and Consciousness
What happens when migration intersects with altered states of consciousness and diverse healing traditions? We seek contributions that examine how individuals and communities navigate inner transformation through culturally meaningful practices, focused on trauma recovery and indigenous and spiritual healing. Submissions may also examine experiences with altered states of consciousness, including but not limited to psychedelic-assisted therapies, within culturally grounded care.
Innovative Assessment Tools and Approaches
We invite studies of approaches and tools that highlight assessment and understanding of culturally specific illness and wellness. Examples may include the Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue (EMIC), the DSM-5-TR Cultural Formulation Interview, Narrative Medicine, the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), or other innovations.
Digital Minds, Disembodied Selves: Rethinking Culture and Mental Health Care in the Age of AI
As AI and the digital technologies rapidly reshape mental health care, how must cultural psychiatry respond to changing notions of presence, personhood, human connection, and care? We welcome submissions exploring digital mental health interventions, virtual and hybrid identities, and the psychosocial impact of hyperconnectivity in diverse cultural contexts.
See the full text of the Call for Abstracts here
Deadline for submissions: October 12th, 2025
Individual Papers or Posters – Abstracts may be submitted by individuals indicating a preference for paper or poster presentations. Individual papers will be grouped into Paper Sessions by the conference organizers.
Instructions
Submissions should include a structured abstract (300-word limit) and 2-3 learning objectives. Please include information about how your work connects to the conference theme.
Instructions for Preparing Abstracts
Abstracts should include the following subsections: (1) Background, (2) Aims/Objectives/Issues of Focus, (3) Methods/Proposition, (4) Results/Potential Outcomes, and (5) Discussion/Implications.
Instructions for Preparing Learning Objectives
Please make sure you use learning objectives, not teaching objectives. Teaching objectives state what you are trying to teach. Learning objectives are what you expect the attendees to know or be able to do after attending your presentation. For example, "At the conclusion of this presentation, learners will be able to: Describe 3 challenges in mental health and mental healthcare that can be addressed through the use of community navigators and peer-delivered models." For assistance, review this website.
Symposia are approximately 1.5 hours long. We recommend three original papers be included, with a recommended presentation time of 20 minutes each. Organizers may opt to include four shorter presentations if preferred. The organizer or moderator may provide introductory remarks on the topic. A discussant may be included if desired. Be sure to allot a minimum of 25 minutes for open discussion (per CME guidelines).
Instructions
Submissions must include a structured abstract (300-word limit) and 2-3 learning objectives. Please include information about how your work connects to the conference theme.
Instructions for Preparing Abstracts
Abstracts should include the following subsections: (1) Background, (2) Aims/Objectives/Issues of Focus, (3) Methods/Proposition, (4) Results/Potential Outcomes, and (5) Discussion/Implications.
Instructions for Preparing Learning Objectives
Please make sure you use learning objectives, not teaching objectives. Teaching objectives state what you are trying to teach. Learning objectives are what you expect the attendees to know or be able to do after attending your presentation. For example, "At the conclusion of this presentation, learners will be able to: Describe 3 challenges in mental health and mental healthcare that can be addressed through the use of community navigators and peer-delivered models." For assistance, review this website.
Workshops are approximately 1.5 hours long. They should have one organizer and up to four co-facilitators. Workshops are different from symposia in that they are more interactive and require interactive activities for participants for at least half of the workshop time. In addition to an abstract, workshop submissions must include a timeline of activities. Workshop themes should address specific skills, debates, or concepts related to the conference theme.
Instructions
Submissions must include a structured abstract (300-word limit) and 2-3 learning objectives. Please include information about how your work connects to the conference theme.
Instructions for Preparing Abstracts
Abstracts should include the following subsections: (1) Background, (2) Aims/Objectives/Issues of Focus, (3) Methods/Proposition, (4) Results/Potential Outcomes, and (5) Discussion/Implications.
Instructions for Preparing Timeline of Activities
Provide the specific set of activities that you will use, and the time allotted for each (e.g., Introductions - 10 min, Introduction of case study - 20 min, Small group discussion, 30 min, etc). It should cover the full ninety minutes, with at least half the time devoted to interactive or hands-on activities by participants.
Instructions for Preparing Learning Objectives
Please make sure you use learning objectives, not teaching objectives. Teaching objectives state what you are trying to teach. Learning objectives are what you expect the attendees to know or be able to do after attending your presentation. For example, "At the conclusion of this presentation, learners will be able to: Describe 3 challenges in mental health and mental healthcare that can be addressed through the use of community navigators and peer-delivered models." For assistance, review this website.
Description
This category allows individuals or teams the opportunity to receive feedback during the early stages of developing a project, curriculum, therapy approach, grant application, clinical service, etc. Abstracts can present preliminary concepts or findings and should include specific topics or questions for discussion. Work in Progress sessions will be 1.5 hours long and include 3 brief presentations (approximately 10 minutes), with substantial time dedicated to discussion for each presentation.
Instructions
Submissions must include a structured abstract (300-word limit), 2 learning objectives, and 3 key questions that will guide discussion of your project. Please include information about how your work connects to the conference theme.
Instructions for Preparing Abstracts
Abstracts should include the following subsections: (1) Background, (2) Aims/Objectives/Issues of Focus, (3) Methods/Proposition, (4) Results/Potential Outcomes, and (5) Discussion/Implications.
Instructions for Preparing Learning Objectives
Please make sure you use learning objectives, not teaching objectives. Teaching objectives state what you are trying to teach. Learning objectives are what you expect the attendees to know or be able to do after attending your presentation. For example, "At the conclusion of this presentation, learners will be able to: Describe 3 challenges in mental health and mental healthcare that can be addressed through the use of community navigators and peer-delivered models." For assistance, review this website.
We encourage trainees to submit abstracts for the general deadline even if they plan to submit a paper for consideration for a fellowship.
Social science (master's or PhD students) or medical (medical students or residents) trainees may submit papers for consideration for a fellowship presentation. Up to two fellowships are given each year. Trainee Award recipients have registration costs waived and receive a $500 honorarium to offset travel costs. We encourage trainees to submit abstracts for the general deadline even if they plan to submit a paper for consideration for a fellowship. That way, their submissions can be considered for inclusion in the conference if they do not win.
The Charles Hughes Fellowship is an annual award presented to a graduate student with a strong interest in and commitment to cultural psychiatry and mental health. Graduate students in anthropology, public health, psychology, and related disciplines are encouraged to apply.
The John Spiegel Fellowship is an annual award presented to a medical student, psychiatry resident, or fellow in subspecialty training in psychiatry who is dedicated to improving clinical care through culturally-informed practice.
Trainees in these fields who are interested in competing for these fellowships should submit the materials listed below by October 12th, 2025.
1. Submission form: The online submission form includes the following information:
- Identifying information (name, affiliation, contact information) of the applicant
- Title of paper
- Abstract, composed of three parts:
- 2–3 learning objectives
- Narrative abstract, up to 300 words
- 1–3 related references
2. Unpublished scholarly paper: An original unpublished scholarly paper, preferably on a topic related to the conference theme. Papers are limited to 8,000 words, inclusive of abstract, references, and tables. The applicant must be the first author on the paper. Additional authors can be included. Affiliation and contact information should be included for any additional authors.
3. Biosketch: An NIH-style biosketch, or in lieu of one, 250-word biographical sketch describing your professional training and activities related to culture, mental health, and the conference theme.
4. Statement of Professional Commitment: A 250-word statement about your interests and potential commitment to the mission of the Society for the Study of Psychiatry and Culture, and your vision for contribution to the organization.
5. CV: Your curriculum vitae.
Recipients of the fellowships have all registration fees waived. An honorarium of $500 is provided to help defer travel, lodging, and related costs.
Conference Themes
We welcome Hughes and Spiegel applications in any clinical and research areas of cultural psychiatry. Preference will be given to submissions based on clinical activities and research addressing one of the themes highlighted for the 2026 Annual Meeting.
Recommendations for Paper Submissions
Papers submitted for consideration will be peer reviewed. Papers are judged on the following criteria:
- Original contribution of the trainee – The paper should represent activities conducted by the applicant. First-hand research or clinical activities are required. This may include conducting interviews, ethnographic research, intervention implementation, clinical work, or other related activities. Papers with only secondary data analysis (either quantitative or qualitative) are not eligible for the fellowships.
- Research or clinical question and contribution to the field – The research or clinical question should be grounded in the literature on culture, mental health, and the family. The question should be novel and have implications for future research and practice. The results of this study should be interpreted in light of the history of culture and mental health research and clinical work. Other areas that will have a contribution to the field, such as capacity building for beneficiary communities, providers in cross-cultural settings, and advocacy groups could also be reflected in this score.
- Ethical conduct – All research projects should include details on IRB approval from the applicant’s home institution, as well as IRB approval from the country where research was conducted if the research was carried out outside the United States. Papers that do not have information on appropriate IRB approval will not be considered for review. For clinical cases, IRB approval is not required, but appropriate anonymization practices should be observed in documentation.
- Methods/analysis – Projects demonstrating high levels of participation in design, implementation, and interpretation with the beneficiary community will be prioritized. Rigorous methods and analysis using best practices in qualitative or quantitative research in culture and mental health are recommended. For qualitative methods – what type of theory was used for coding and theory building (e.g., grounded theory, interpretative phenomenological analysis, content analysis, etc.); was the selection of participants appropriate for a qualitative study; for ethnographic studies, how was participant observation incorporated into the design, etc.? For quantitative studies – were culturally validated instruments used or was there a cultural validation as part of the study; was the sample representative with regard to recruitment and target population; were statistical analyses appropriate for this study design, etc.?
For questions, please contact Francis Lu (francislumd@gmail.com) and Alec Terrana (aterrana@healthy.ucsd.edu)