ABC’s of Play Therapy

The following are resources that contain helpful information about working with refugees.

Mental Health Care For Refugee Children In Exile

(Hjern, A. & Jeppsson, O. [2005]. Mental health care for refugee children in exile. In D. Ingleby (Ed.), Forced Migration and Mental Health: Rethinking the Care of Refugees and Displaced Persons (pp.115-128). New York: Springer.)

The authors describe an ecological model that distinguishes three levels of factors which influence the well-being of children: 1) stress experienced by the children themselves, 2) available social support, and 3) the societal, political, and cultural context. They also address the concept of traumatic stress in mental health programs for refugee children.

Creative Expression Workshops in School: Prevention Programs for Immigrant and Refugee Children

Authors: Cécile Rousseau, MD, Louise Lacroix, MA, Abha Singh, Marie-France Gauthier, MA, Maryse Benoit, MSc

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The Montreal Children’s Hospital’s transcultural psychiatry team, in partnership with schools, implemented creative expression workshops for kindergarten, elementary schools, and high school to help immigrant and refugee children adapt to their new environment. The goal of the workshops was “to help the children bridge the gap between past and present, culture of origin and host society”. The clinicians used sand play, art and storytelling, and drama workshops to help children with the adjustment to a new culture, to highlight the “tension and richness of multiplicity”, and “to promote appreciation of nondominant traditions.” The workshops also helped sensitize teachers to the children’s life experiences.

Broken Spirits: The Treatment of Traumatized Asylum Seekers, Refugees, War and Torture Victims

(Wilson, J.P. & Drozdek, B. [Eds.]. [2004]. Broken Spirits: The Treatment of Traumatized Asylum Seekers, Refugees, War and Torture Victims. New York: Brunner-Routledge.)

A comprehensive volume on innovative treatment options for survivors of conflict, including refugee and asylum seekers, this text includes several chapters on creative therapeutic methods that seem perhaps more relevant to these populations than traditional “talk therapy”. Of particular interest are the chapters on psychomotor therapy, body psychotherapy, art therapy, and music therapy.

Bridging Refugee Youth and Children Services

http://www.brycs.org/default.htm

This is a great resource for refugee children. It's a project by the two major US agencies, the Lutheran and the Catholic NGOs, two receiving agencies for US resettlement of children.

HARP's Mental Health and Well Being Web Resource

http://www.mentalhealth.harpweb.org/index.php

This website has been designed to help health professionals in assisting asylum seekers and refugees with mental health issues. Among the topics addressed are…

DO AND DO NOT - Points to consider when treating asylum seekers and refugees
RIGHTS AND AWARENESS - Legal rights and health services for refugees with mental health needs.
PATHWAYS TO SUPPORT - Practical tools/guidelines including interpretation. Includes useful contacts.
EXPERIENCING MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS - A guide to mental health problems, treatments and self-help strategies.
CULTURAL UNDERSTANDINGS - Information on the role of culture in the context of mental health and well-being.

Strengthening Services for Refugee Parents: Guidelines and Resources.

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) United States Conference of Catholic Bishops/Migration and Refugee Services (USCCB/MRS) 192 pages. Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC: Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services (BRYCS) 2003.

Availability: Available in PDF on the BRYCS Web site Publications page at http://www.brycs.org/documents/parenting_manual.pdf

This 181-page manual was developed to assist agencies working with refugee parents. It includes a summary report of trends and practices of 28 agencies in 13 states, as well as program development and evaluation guidelines. It also includes a valuable list of resources.