Listening to the Community: Grassroots
Mental Healthcare in Local Communities
Isaac Gagné, Cultural Anthropology
In the midst of Japan’s demographic challenges of a rapidly aging
and shrinking population, combined with the psychosocial effectsof shrinking regions and hyper-urbanization, one of the key issues
facing both urban and rural communities is “social isolation” (e.g.
Ozawa-de Silva 2010; Saito et al 2012). In response, local grassroots
organizations such as “Active Listening” () NPOs have emerged
to offer social welfare services such as elderly care and mental
health support as well as post-disaster counseling (Nakamura 2009;Yokoyama 2018). This project examines the impact and challengesof these NPOs vis-à-vis local social welfare needs.

Research Questions

Active Listening Flyer (L) and Tea-time Gathering in Natori (R)Ø What are the various forms of social isolation facing residents oflocal communities?
Ø What cultural aspects of interpersonal relationships andcommunication contribute to social isolation in Japan?
Ø What are the possibilities and challenges of community-based
mental healthcare like “Active Listening” volunteer groups forameliorating social isolation and other mental health needs?

Data and Methods
Ø Participant observation with volunteer groups in Natori (Miyagi)
since 2014, and in Iida (Nagano) since 2017
Ø Interviews with volunteers and NPO workers

Resident Social Support Map (&"$) from Iida

Preliminary Conclusions

Iida City, Nagano

Natori City, Miyagi

Preliminary Findings
Social isolation in Japan emerges in contexts of both rural isolationand post-disaster dislocation. Thus, grassroots mental healthcaretakes diverse forms depending on the local community, often
coordinated with Social Welfare Councils (). InNatori, which was devastated by the March 11, 2011 tsunami,
NPOs offer casual, non-professional counseling services todisplaced survivors in temporary housing via “Active Listening”
activities. In Iida, residents created a “Social Support Map” to foster
mutual support networks. In both cases, the primary goal ofproviding specific social welfare services has a complimentary
effect of providing psychosocial support and community building.

This ongoing research highlights the diverse forms of social
isolation in Japan, ranging from elderly who are isolated in ruralregions, to survivors of disasters whose community ties are broken
due to the loss of loved ones and post-disaster displacement (seealso Matsuyama et al 2016). While such forms of social isolation
are not unique to Japan (e.g. Kleinman et al 1997), the strong
cultural value of not being a burden ( ) to others exacerbatessocial isolation as individuals refrain from asking for support when
they need it. In light of this, local volunteer groups like “ActiveListening” NPOs and community-based activities like the “SocialSupport Map” initiative offer both psychological and social supportfor residents as well as opportunities for residents to create new
networks with each other and create sustainable support systems.

References
Kleinman, A., Das, V., & Lock, M. (1997). Social Suffering. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Matsuyama, Y., Aida, J., Hase, A., Sato, Y., Koyama, S., Tsuboya, T., & Osaka, K. (2016). “Do Community- and Individual-level Social Relationships Contribute to the Mental Health of Disaster Survivors? A
Multilevel Prospective Study after the Great East Japan Earthquake.” Social Science & Medicine, 151, 187-195.
Nakamura, K. (2009). “Evaluation of “Fureai-ikiiki Community Salon” as Regional Community.” Journal of Japan Society of Home Economics, 60(1), 25-37.
Ozawa-De Silva, C. (2010). “Shared death: self, sociality and internet group suicide in Japan.” Transcultural psychiatry, 47(3), 392-418.
Saito, T., Kai, I., & Takizawa, A. (2012). “Effects of a program to prevent social isolation on loneliness, depression, and subjective well-being of older adults: a randomized trial among older migrants in Japan.”Archives of gerontology and geriatrics, 55(3), 539-547.
Yokoyama, T. (2018). “%'(#! 
Happiness]. Tokyo: Hōzōkan.

” [The role of active listening volunteers in an increasingly isolating society]. In Y. Sakurai (ed.), [Religious Studies ofMore about this project