To gather is to heal: Women's mental health circles in rural Chiapas, Mexico.
Ana Cecilia Ortega, Margaret Buckner
Global mental health (Cambridge, England) 2025 DOI: 10.1017/gmh.2025.15 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 27 |
| Population | Women experiencing hardship in rural villages of the Sierra Madre region of Chiapas |
| Intervention | Women's Circles |
| Duration | Eight structured sessions |
| Keywords | Community-based initiatives Decolonization Gender Global mental health Rural health |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Participants' moods improved mainly due to gathering with others and having someone to talk to, but the intervention's prescriptive lessons imposed globalized views of mental health and gender. |
Abstract
In the rural villages of the Sierra Madre region of Chiapas, women experiencing hardship show signs of emotional distress that are diagnosed as depression and anxiety by health professionals. In this study, we critically analyze the impact of a pilot mental health group intervention (Women's Circles) facilitated by community mental health workers. The intervention consisted of eight structured sessions that included psychoeducation from a gender perspective, mindfulness exercises, interactive activities, arts and crafts, and sharing personal experiences. We carried out participant observation and 27 semi-structured interviews with the participants. The main outcomes were, first, that participants' moods improved, and second, that the improvement was mainly due to gathering with others and having someone to talk to. In addition, we observed that lessons during the Circles were often prescriptive, which, rather than creating a space for reflection on personal experiences, imposed globalized views of mental health and gender. In sum, we describe both the positive impact this program had on mental well-being and the problematic spreading of psychoeducation.