"The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination." -Carl Rogers
Solutions
“Therapeutic interventions for migrants
Psychotherapy must focus on stability. Refugees need to experience safety in their new environment as well as need a framework where they get a sense of safely.
Therapists need to maintain structure in therapy sessions as well as create a therapeutic environment in which patients will feel calm and safe.
Play therapy or art therapy is a beneficial tool when working with children refugees. Children will be granted the opportunity to contrary their experiences, fears and tried through untraditional therapy techniques.
The assessment of refugees must recognize the role of sociocultural context in order to provide ethical and appropriate standards of care, diagnosis, and treatment.
Psychologists are, and increasingly will be, serving immigrant adults and their children in a variety of settings, including schools, community centers, clinics, and hospitals. They need to be aware of complex demographic transformation and consider its implications.
Clinicians must understand immigrants’ experiences to create a therapeutic relationship among themselves and the refugees. Refugees bring with them cultural values, beliefs, and attitudes that may fit well or may clash with those in the host country. Clinicians must consider the interaction of person and environment and related intersections of social identities (Ex. gender, race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, social class) in addressing mental health needs in refugees.
Overcoming "them" vs "us"
A heartbreaking picture of a 3-year-old Syrian boy, Aylan Kurdi, who drowned during a perilous crossing from Turkey to Greece, gained world sentiment for the asylum seekers. Aylan was wearing a red T-shirt and Velcro sneakers when he died; he looked like any child on any playground in the United States or Europe.
In many ways, that picture helped close the gap between "them" and "us." In identifying with the boy, people could easily identify with his grief-stricken father, putting themselves in his shoes.
It's a process psychologists call perspective taking. This is a useful therapy technique and should be applied in therapy particularly with those members of the host country.
Germans who attend therapy and express resentment or ill feelings towards the refugees living in their country, could be encouraged to sympathize with the Syrian refugees through perspective taking.
Resources
refugeeresource.org.uk
"Enabling refugees and asylum seekers to play a fuller part in community life"
Therapeutic services
free counseling and psychotherapy to those aged 12+ who are experiencing mental or emotional distress
Mentoring
Refugees aged 13+ are matched with volunteer mentors to support them in reaching goals and personal development
Womens groups
spend time with other women in similar circumstances where friends can be made and the women can partake in new cultural activities
Men's groups
socialize and support fellow men. Receive training dealing with language, culture, healthy and employment opportunities
Advocacy and campaigns
Partnered with a number of agencies to ensure clients get best responses for their issues
unicef.org
Unicef has partnered with the Government of Germany to improve the care and protection of refugees
Services will enable a better protection of children, youth and women in facilities for refugees
Services to monitor and support children better. This includes helping identify children as risk; supporting, training and mentoring to make centers more child friendly and gender sensitive, provide crucial psychosocial support for children during such difficult emergencies.
www.unhcr.org
offers many resources for refugees throughout Europe
UNHCR has helped 1.1 million refugees around the world become citizens
Helps with local integration including legal, economic, social and cultural dimensions