Globalization and cultural diversity challenge mental health care in Europe. Sensitivity to culture in mental health care benefits effective delivery of care to the individual patient and can be a contribution to the larger project of building a tolerant multicultural society. Pivotal for improving cultural sensitivity in mental health care is knowledge in cross-cultural psychiatry, psychology, nursing and related fields among professionals and accordingly training of students and mental health professionals. This paper will give an overview, and a critical examination, of current conceptualisation of cross-cultural mental health training. From German and Swedish experiences the need for crosscultural training and clinical research on evaluation will be presented.
