Cross cultural training in primary mental health care consultations in Moldova - The tEACH perspective.

Objective: This article reports experiences and challenges encountered in a cross-cultural training project in Moldova that was undertaken by tEACH, the teaching subcommittee of EACH: International Association for Communication in Healthcare, in cooperation with local and international stakeholders. As part of a major health policy reform, the aim was to equip a group of trainers with the skills to train Moldovan professionals in skills for primary mental health care, including communication skills.

Methods: The project consisted of 3 weeks of training using mainly experiential teaching methods to allow participants to practice content and methods, including interactive lecturing, roleplay, feedback and video.

Results: A majority of the participants reported that they acquired key facilitation skills. They valued the opportunity to practice and receive feedback. However, some reported that there was too much focus on communication skills, which was thought to be less relevant in a Moldovan context. Furthermore our learner-centered approach was occasionally experienced as a lack of structure CONCLUSION: The tEACH expertise plays an important role in supporting trainers in cross-cultural contexts with effective communication skills methods.

Practice Implications: Teaching in a cross-cultural context is only successful through continuous dialogue with stakeholders and demands attention to cultural differences.