Working With Refugees in the U.S.: Trauma-Informed and Structurally Competent Social Work Approaches

Ostrander, Jason; Melville, Alysse; Berthold, S. Megan

doi:10.18060/21282

Cited by 24 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Organizations around the globe are continuing to develop and test programs for refugees and their families (Ostrander, Melville, & Berthold, 2017). Social work interventions with refugee populations are well equipped to focus on the strengths perspective by incorporating empowerment workshops into curricula for assimilation and acculturation (Carlson, Cacciatore, & Klimek, 2012).…”

Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peer Support Groups: Evaluating a Culturally Grounded, Strengths-Based Approach for Work With Refugees

Block

Aizenman

Saad

et al. 2018

ASW

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Many refugees will face unique socio-emotional stressors before, during, and after resettling in their new home country. The program presented herein focuses on the use of para-professionals, peer educators, from within refugee communities to build upon the Center for Torture and Trauma Survivors Clubhouse model. Group leaders seek to provide supports that will: 1) decrease feelings of isolation; 2) build community networks and; 3) increase feelings of empowerment within the community. To accurately represent the fluidity of the refugee population in this metropolitan region, background is presented on an established refugee population from Iraq and a more recent influx of refugees of Bhutan (ethnic Nepali). The juxtaposition of the two groups underscores the importance of presenting a dynamic program that is peer-led to provide the supports necessary to acclimate to their new environment. Program evaluation results from groups run in 2016-2017 indicate that the groups have been successful in helping participants make friends, get information, become more independent, and feel better about life in America. Additionally, participants report a significantly higher number of individuals who they can “talk to about problems or worries” and connect to with a sense of trust within their ethnic community. Finally, the utility of other therapeutic and support processes, such as horticultural and expressive arts therapies, are discussed apropos work with refugee populations.

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Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peer Support Groups: Evaluating a Culturally Grounded, Strengths-Based Approach for Work With Refugees

Block

Aizenman

Saad

et al. 2018

ASW

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“…The implications for social work point to a need for the ecological approach in better understanding the social determinants of health that impact refugee communities (Ostrander, 2017). Integrating the biopsychosocial, cultural and environmental perspectives is an essential skill for social workers, as recognized by the NASW (NASW, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Refugee Health Education: Evaluating a Community-Based Approach to Empowering Refugee Women in Houston, Texas

Frost¹

2018

ASW

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Although resettlement agencies in the United States assist refugees by offering a variety of local social and health services, refugees are still less likely to access these services. Few studies have evaluated refugee health education interventions focusing on barriers to accessing healthcare and overcoming negative social determinants of health. This study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and perceived impact of a yearlong health education intervention to empower Burmese refugee women living in Houston, Texas. The intervention included workshops, community excursions, question and answer (Q&A) sessions, and home visits. The evaluation was a formative qualitative study including interviews with Burmese refugee women who participated in the intervention and local resettlement agency caseworkers. Qualitative content analysis guided the data analysis and was conducted to identify categories and emergent themes. Key findings indicated that motivation to participate in the intervention was impacted by the women’s perceived relevance of health education material to Burmese cultural values and opportunities for hands-on learning to promote self-efficacy. Recommendations for future interventions include the use of community health workers to train refugee health educators, pairing English lessons with health education material to promote development of English language skills, developing teaching materials for refugees with low literacy, establishing bottom-up support from refugee resettlement agencies, and incorporating the social work ecological model to tailor health-focused interventions to the specific needs of the refugee community.

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“…Further, the social isolation of Cambodians in the United States is a chronic community problem that requires a community solution (Ostrander et al, 2017). The problem of social isolation is related to cultural and language isolation (i.e., lack of a common language between the generations).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This includes past experiences of trauma in their country of origin, during migration, and when resettling. Further, social workers must understand and appreciate the link between trauma exposure and health risks for refugees, and culturally appropriate systems of care (Ostrander, Melville, & Berthold, 2017). CHWs play an important role in ensuring that health care is culturally appropriate for Cambodian Americans.…”

Section: Implications For Social Work Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Possible therapeutic applications of these findings may yield benefits for socially isolated humans in years to come. Regardless of possible clinical and pharmacological advances in the future, efforts to target the structural factors that contribute to creating social isolation are fundamentally needed (Ostrander et al, 2017).…”

Section: Implications For Social Work Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Socially Isolated Cambodians in the US

Berthold

Kong²,

Ostrander³

et al. 2018

ASW

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Community organizations in the United States are severely challenged to serve Cambodian refugees who experience health disparities associated with their traumatic experiences. Community leaders have identified a sub-set of community members of particular concern: those at either end of the age spectrum (elders and young people) who are socially isolated. As part of a larger community-based participatory research project, we conducted a focus group with seven Cambodian community leaders from six cities. The study sought to better understand the phenomenon of social isolation of Cambodian elders and young people in order to inform health promotion efforts. Cambodian leaders expressed keen concern for those community members who rarely seem to leave their homes or interact with the Cambodian community. Prominent themes identified by leaders related to isolation were: a generational pattern; benefits of extended family; health concerns; cultural influences and language; impact of stigma; fear and safety concerns; and lack of sufficient resources. In addition, leaders identified several possible solutions to address the phenomenon of social isolation in their communities. Health promotion efforts with this population should identify isolated individuals and enhance their social connectedness and support networks as part of a larger integrated effort.

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Working With Refugees in the U.S.: Trauma-Informed and Structurally Competent Social Work Approaches

Abstract: Social workers, government, and non-governmental organizations in the United

Cited by 24 publications

References 36 publications

Peer Support Groups: Evaluating a Culturally Grounded, Strengths-Based Approach for Work With Refugees

Peer Support Groups: Evaluating a Culturally Grounded, Strengths-Based Approach for Work With Refugees

Refugee Health Education: Evaluating a Community-Based Approach to Empowering Refugee Women in Houston, Texas

Socially Isolated Cambodians in the US

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