Psychiatrists Praise Refugee MH Program

Eindra Khin Khin, M.D., received her psychiatric training in James Griffith, M.D.,’s residency program. “Its multicultural focus was one of the main draws for me,” said Khin Khin, originally from Myanmar (Burma) and now an assistant professor of psychiatry at George Washington University.

Still other draws, she said, were “its emphasis on humanistic approaches to mental health well-being; its well-maintained balance between psychotherapy and psychopharmacology; its commitment to community, public, and global mental health issues; and an opportunity to pursue a master’s degree in public health while in residency.”

The program, she continued, “is not about producing the best psychopharmacologists or making sure that residents publish a certain number of articles in four years. It is truly about cultivating personal growth and professional development in a supportive collegial climate for the residents so that by the end of the residency, they emerge as well-rounded psychiatrists.”

Brandon Kohrt, M.D., Ph.D., a current resident in Griffith’s program, also chose it because of its multicultural focus. “Dr. Griffith’s residency program stands out for the intense focus on psychotherapy that can be applied across cultures,” he said. “The psychotherapy training program is rooted in the common factors that lead to efficacy in psychotherapy. Among these core elements are hope and expectancy of change…. Dr. Griffith is uniquely suited to train in this domain because … he has found ways to promote hope among individuals with profoundly severe trauma exposures from different cultures around the world.”

As part of his residency, Kohrt noted, he has also “been able to work with the Carter Center Mental Health Initiative in Liberia to develop an intervention … to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.” He added that he is conducting research and helping to develop services in Nepal, Liberia, and Haiti.