Regime of Truth: Rethinking the Dominance of the Bio-Medical Model in Mental Health Social Work with Refugee Youth

Fennig, Maya; Denov, Myriam

doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcy036

Cited by 22 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Low resources are often linked to increased caseloads for providers, which has been shown to be associated with emotional exhaustion and burnout in community mental health care providers [ 42 ]. Inadequate cultural competency training and treatment adaptation has been shown to cause harm, and the dominance of the biomedical model of mental health has been challenged, especially in work with refugee populations [ 43 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Health in the Transit Context: Evidence from 10 Countries

Gargano

Ajduković

Marković

2022

IJERPH

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Most interventions for mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) have been developed in contexts and with populations that differ significantly from the realities of migration. There is an urgent need for MHPSS in transit; however, transit-specific aspects of MHPSS provision are often neglected due to the inherent challenges transit poses to traditional conceptualizations of practice. The Delphi method, which consisted of three iterative rounds of surveys, was applied with the goal of identifying challenges to and adaptations of MHPSS in the transit context. Twenty-six MHPSS providers working with refugees in 10 European transit countries participated; 69% of participants completed all three survey rounds. There was consensus that a flexible model of MHPSS, which can balance low intensity interventions and specialized care, is needed. Agreement was high for practice-related and sociopolitical factors impacting MHPSS in transit; however, the mandate of MHPSS providers working in the transit context achieved the lowest consensus and is yet to be defined. There is a need to rethink MHPSS in the refugee transit context. Providing MHPSS to refugees on the move has specificities, most of which are related to the instability and uncertainty of the context. Future directions for improving mental health protection for refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants in transit are highlighted.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Health in the Transit Context: Evidence from 10 Countries

Gargano

Ajduković

Marković

2022

IJERPH

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“…Although many scholars have highlighted the dangers of privileging individual, trauma-focused approaches, particularly with war-affected populations (Miller, Kulkarni, & Kushner, 2006;Miller & Rasco, 2004), social work practice and education continue to over-rely on approaches premised on these same assumptions (Fennig & Denov, 2018;Houston, 2014). These examples highlight the ways in which clinical assessments must be grounded in cultural and social contexts; they must include an effort to interpret what clients' expressions of distress and coping mean within their particular context.…”

Section: The Importance Of Culture and Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Approaches to social work practice with war-affected children and families Given its broad approach and careful consideration of context, social work as a profession and discipline, has a great deal to offer to research and practice with war-affected populations-within war and conflict settings, as well as following forced migration and resettlement. And yet, aside from a few articles (Baum, 2007;Bragin, Taaka, Adolphs, Gray, & Eibs, 2015;Bragin et al, 2016;Fennig & Denov, 2018;Nelson, Price, & Zubrzycki, 2017;Ramon, Campbell, Lindsay, McCrystal, & Baidoun, 2006;Yan & Anucha, 2017), relatively little has been written on social work practice with war-affected populations, particularly refugees. We suggest that a family approach, as well as attention to context and culture, alongside an emphasis on linking the arts with social work practice, can be key social work contributions to research, education, and practice with this important population.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Social work practice with war-affected children and families: the importance of family, culture, arts, and participatory approaches

Denov

Shevell

2018

Journal of Family Social Work

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War and armed conflict not only gravely impact individual children, but the entire family system, with the impacts of war further compounded by the complexities of displacement, flight, migration, and resettlement to new contexts. These processes can cause destabilizing ruptures in the social fabric, networks, and services that support and protect children and families, ultimately hindering their potential protective capacities and potentially contributing to negative long-term intergenerational effects. The family plays a vital role in shaping children's mental health and well-being in conflict and post conflict settings, and thus the family needs to be accorded greater consideration in designing psychosocial support services for war-affected populations. With growing numbers of war-affected refugees resettling in Canada and the U.S., it is critical that psychosocial programs and interventions address their unique needs, as individuals, families, and communities. Moreover, there is a greater need for culturally responsive practice with war-affected refugee children and families that accounts for the diversity and heterogeneity of their needs and lived experiences. In this Special Issue entitled: "Children of War and their Families: Perspectives on Social Work Practice & Education", we suggest that factors such as fostering a family approach, allotting careful attention to context and culture, alongside an emphasis on linking the arts and participation with social work practice, can be key social work contributions to research, education, and practice with this important and often overlooked population.

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“…When traumatization operates as a 'regime of truth' in defining problems of refugee families, it shadows for addressing the impact of policies and social-material conditions on parental care (Fennig & Denov, 2019).…”

Section: Psychological and Social Work Research On Parental Care In R...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental care in trajectories of forced migration: Ruptures and changing conditions for family life

Shapiro

2022

Child & Family Social Work

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Forced migration has a major impact on family life. Yet, how the trajectory of flight and process of rebuilding everyday family life can challenge parental care is understudied and undertheorized. This article provides insight into the multiple transitions and ruptures that dramatically change the everyday conditions for parental care in the migratory process. By empirically exploring the migratory process in a family perspective, including the perspective of children and parents, and by analytically unfolding an understanding of parental care as part of shifting local structures of social practice, the article sheds light on the content of parental care so rarely studied. The analysis draws on an ethnographically inspired practice research study conducted in 2014-2017 in cooperation with five Syrian families, while they were awaiting asylum and during their first year with a temporary residence permit in Denmark. The empirical foundation consists of participant observation in the everyday life of the families and recurrent interviews with eight parents and 15 children.The article concludes with a discussion of the contribution to the conceptualization of parental care and implications for qualifying social work with refugee families.

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Regime of Truth: Rethinking the Dominance of the Bio-Medical Model in Mental Health Social Work with Refugee Youth

Cited by 22 publications

References 36 publications

Mental Health in the Transit Context: Evidence from 10 Countries

Mental Health in the Transit Context: Evidence from 10 Countries

Social work practice with war-affected children and families: the importance of family, culture, arts, and participatory approaches

Parental care in trajectories of forced migration: Ruptures and changing conditions for family life

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