Understanding Refugee Trauma: For Mental Health Professionals
Outlines different considerations that mental health professionals need to take into account when working with refugee youth and their families.
The following resources on Refugee Trauma were developed by the NCTSN. Information and resources are available for multiple audiences including mental health professionals, healthcare providers, school personnel, policy makers, and more. To identify resources tailored for a particular audience, click on the “Audience” filter below and select an option. Some NCTSN materials also indicate “related resources” that might be of particular interest to different audiences.
Outlines different considerations that mental health professionals need to take into account when working with refugee youth and their families.
Outlines different considerations that school personnel need to take into account when working with refugee youth and their families. This fact sheet describes the school, classroom, individual, and family considerations that school staff should understand when working with this population.
Offers information about refugee arrivals in the U.S. and refugee mental health needs and best practices.
Offers information on refugee youth and their families.
Provides an overview of working with unaccompanied minors and the unique nature of the trauma they may have experienced. This resource describes symptoms or behaviors unaccompanied minors may display, cultural considerations for providers, and additional resources.
Highlights best practices in screening and assessment for refugee youth.
Describes the mental health issues for refugee children in resettlement.
Summarizes findings from a survey done by the NCTSN Refugee Working Group Sites in 2004.
Includes a segment from the play Children of War and a documentary about the scope and impact of refugee trauma and its consequences for youth in schools.
Accompanies the Children of War video and includes discussion questions, suggestions about ways schools and teachers can help refugee students and families, and provides information on the effects of traumatic stress on school performance.
Highlights the need for clinicians and policy makers to understand the links between trauma and culture.
Gives an overview of child and adolescent refugee mental health.