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Counseling with parents of newly migrated children - How to solve problems in precarious contexts

 

by

Faculty members at the Psychological Counseling and Guidance Program under the Department of Educational Sciences at the Faculty of Education of Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University. Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, Turkey.

Prof. Dr. Ayşe Rezan Çeçen Eroğul, 

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Raşit Avcı

Res. Assist. Dr. Senem Ezgi Vatandaşlar

This module deals with stress, adaptation, coping, and growth. Life is full of stressful events and refuge is one of these. Experiencing stress altogether as a family as a result of a human-made disaster can be tough. But it can also be an opportunity for growth. In this module, you will find information about stress related to refuge and adolescence, transitioning to a new culture, and the ways that this experience can contribute to one's growth. Tips for parents and teachers/counselors are presented to help children more effectively.

Stressful life events


Impacts
 


Refuge & adolescence
 


Common experience during the transition from home culture to a new culture
 


How can we help children adapt better
 

successful life events
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Stressful Life Events

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Stressors Related to Refuge
 

Refuge is a difficult experience including so many stressors at every stage: before, during, and after the journey from home to host country. It can result in all members of the family being traumatized. Maybe the worst part is that the catastrophe has been caused by humans, not by nature or coincidence.

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Transition

Transition is especially hard when you feel like you are stuck in between, not being able to go back, not being able to settle where you are (Dieterich-Hartwell & Koch, 2017). But do you think it might be possible to make the host country a new home country?

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Coping & Growth
 

Some get lost in the abyss , some go back to their normal lives, and some grow out of it. Check the path of  a stressful journey.

 

What Problems Do Migrant Children Face?
 

 

It’s understandable that so many stressors can lead to psychological distress..

The same stressful life events may be experienced differently by different people;

Some people can develop psychosocial problems,

Some people see them as disturbances that can be dealt with

Some people can grow out of it…

Post Traumatic Growth
 

Consider your life before the stressful life event as a reference point to locate your "normal life". This represents an average state of affairs going on in your life. Afterwards, a stressful life event happened, worsening things to some extent. There might have been further challenges and suffering associated with the event. But the direction may have been turned upward at some point, where you had hoped to make things better and maybe did things to achieve a life as good as before - maybe even a better one.


 

If you feel like you are somewhere at the bottom of the picture, please consider getting professional help. You can apply to health institutions for psychological help for you and for your children.

Happy Teenager
Adolescence
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Adolescence


Note 1:
When being a refugee is added to being an adolescent, stress may increase even more

 

Note 5:
As a whole, it is natural for a refugee family to experience difficulties in adaptation due to high stress levels

 

Note 2:
Negative feelings can be experienced related to experiences such as learning a new language, discrimination, social exclusion, and feeling powerless

 

Note 3:
If the values and expectations of the family clash with the values and experiences at school, children and adolescents may feel under pressure and may not be able to decide which values to adopt

 

Note 4:
In this regard, refugee children may experience more stress than refugee adults

 


Know more about

Parenting in Different Times

 

Draw parallels between your child's adolescence and yours. This reflection will help you understand your child(ren) better.


Know more about

Challenges of Adolescence

 

Check out what your child is going through, as an adolescence on physical, social and psychological levels.

 


Know more about

Gender Stereotypes

 

Adolescence is an important phase leading to your child's personal and social position as a woman or a man.

 
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   The Transition   

The Transition

Old
Home

New
Home

How far are you really?

put the dots in their right position and tell yourself each time:

"for this purpose, i can ..."

where my child is: 50%
where i want to be: 50%
where i am: 50%

NEW HOME

OLD HOME

where my child wants to be: 50%

 

 

 

 

What can you bring from your old home to your new home?  



Dysfunctional
Transitions


 

The process of transition from home culture to the new culture can become a vicious circle.

 



Functional Transitions

 

A functional transition leads to a life that the individual is happy with.

 
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Coping & Growth

Coping & Growth

Think about your children or other refugee children in your school and write over the dark clouds the kinds of problems that they might be facing.

Then go through the different topics and exercises underneath to better understand the processes of coping and growth with refugee children.

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Short term psychological problems
 


What are your strengths as a parent? or counselor / Teacher
 


What to trust the professionals with
 


Long term psychological problems
 


What are the strengths of your children?
 


Love tree
 


Problems that may occur in school
 


The white clouds
 


What makes children stronger?
 


What parents can do to help their children
 


The importance of school attendance
 


What counselors / teachers can do to help children
 

Literature
 

  • Dieterich-Hartwell, R., & Koch, S. C. (2017). Creative arts therapies as temporary home for refugees: Insights from literature and practice. Behavioral Sciences, 7(4), 69.

  • Eruyar, S., Maltby, J., & Vostanis, P. (2018). Mental health problems of Syrian refugee children: the role of parental factors. European child & adolescent psychiatry, 27(4), 401-409.

  • Fegert, J. M., Diehl, C., Leyendecker, B., Hahlweg, K., & Prayon-Blum, V. (2018). Psychosocial problems in traumatized refugee families: overview of risks and some recommendations for support services. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 12(1), 5.

  • Karipek, Y. Z. (2017). Asylum-Seekers Experience and Acculturation: a Study of Syrian University Students in Turkey. Turkish Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 105-133.

  • Sirin, S. R., & Rogers-Sirin, L. (2015). The educational and mental health needs of Syrian refugee children (p. 13). Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute.

  • Spires, L., & Davis-Cheshire, R. (2021). Positive Mental Health Strategies Impact on Students with Emotional Disturbances’ Attention to Task. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 1-17.

  • Yayan, E. H., Düken, M. E., Özdemir, A. A., & Çelebioğlu, A. (2019). Mental health problems of Syrian refugee children: Post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 51, e27-e32.

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