Rebati Sante Mentale
University
Overview
Rebati Sante Mentale is proud to offer a specialized clinical training series designed to strengthen the capacity of mental health professionals serving Haitian individuals, families, and communities across diaspora and local settings.
These workshops are grounded in culturally responsive care, community psychology, linguistic accessibility, and trauma-informed practice. Participants will gain practical tools, culturally grounded frameworks, and clinically relevant language skills to improve engagement, assessment, and treatment outcomes with Haitian clients.
This series is ideal for:
• Psychologists
• Social workers
• Counselors
• Psychiatrists
• Marriage & family therapists
• School mental health professionals
• Case managers
• Community health workers
• Graduate students and trainees
Meet your instructor
Dr. Guerda Nicolas is a Clinical psychologist, educator, researcher, and community leader whose work focuses on promoting the well-being of children, families, and communities. Originally from Haiti, she earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Boston University. She completed her predoctoral clinical training at Columbia University Medical Center and her postdoctoral fellowship at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University’s Department of Child Psychiatry.
A licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Nicolas has dedicated her clinical, research, and community-engaged work to understanding and supporting the mental health and resilience of diverse populations, including Haitians. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Miami, she held academic appointments at Boston College and the College of Saint Elizabeth in New Jersey.
Dr. Nicolas brings to her teaching a unique blend of clinical expertise, scholarly rigor, and real-world experience, helping students connect theory, research, and practice in meaningful and impactful ways.
The courses
This transformative 2-hour workshop helps clinicians integrate Haitian cultural strengths, healing traditions, spirituality, storytelling, and collective resilience into mental health treatment and therapeutic engagement. Culture is explored as a clinical asset and healing resource.
Providing mental health care in Kreyòl requires more than translating words. Clinicians must understand the terms, phrases, and culturally specific expressions Haitian clients may use to describe their emotions, symptoms, and experiences. This interactive training helps mental health professionals strengthen their ability to communicate in Kreyòl during clinical conversations and assessments. Participants will explore commonly used mental health terminology, clinical questions and phrases, and culturally meaningful expressions of distress.
The training will also examine how culture, spirituality, migration, and trauma can shape the way mental health concerns are expressed and understood. Participants will leave with greater confidence using Kreyòl in clinical settings and a stronger understanding of the cultural context behind the words.
This advanced 2-hour clinical workshop prepares clinicians to conduct culturally responsive Mental Status Examinations (MSEs) with Haitian clients. Participants will learn how language, spirituality, trauma, and culture influence assessment and symptom presentation.
TRAINING FORMAT
Virtual or in-person delivery available
Half-day, full-day, or multi-session options
Interactive and experiential learning environment
Continuing Education (CE) opportunities available upon request
Customized trainings available for:
Hospitals
Schools
Universities
Community agencies
Nonprofit organizations
Behavioral health systems
