SUPPORTING ASYLUM SEEKERS AND REFUGEES

Area of focus: Improving access to health and care services and increasing trust and confidence

Why change was needed?

Counselling can have a significant impact on asylum seekers, who often experience various psychological and emotional challenges due to their traumatic experiences and the uncertainties surrounding their status. 

Counselling can positively influence asylum seekers in various ways such as:

• Psychological Support: Asylum seekers often face significant stress, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from their past experiences, such as war, persecution, and displacement.
• Trauma Recovery: Many asylum seekers have experienced severe trauma, including violence, torture, or witnessing the loss of loved ones. Counselling offers trauma-informed care, helping individuals process and heal from their traumatic experiences. Therapeutic techniques like cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) can be effective in addressing trauma-related symptoms and promoting recovery.
• Building Resilience: Asylum seekers often demonstrate remarkable resilience in the face of adversity. Counselling can help individuals tap into their strengths and develop additional coping skills to navigate the asylum process, uncertainty, and ongoing stress. By fostering resilience, counselling empowers asylum seekers to overcome obstacles, maintain hope, and build a better future for themselves and their families.
• Family and Community Support: Counselling can extend its benefits to the family members and communities of asylum seekers. It promotes understanding, communication, and healthy relationships within families, addressing intergenerational trauma and strengthening bonds. Additionally, community-based counselling programs can create safe spaces for asylum seekers to connect with others who share similar experiences, providing mutual support and reducing isolation.

What we did 

We identified a gap in counselling support for asylum seekers and refugees. The services available for counselling were not suitable for asylum seekers due to the complex nature of the mental health issues. 

A pilot project was commissioned in 2010-11 to evaluate how the support can be provided. The project was commissioned by HCRG Care Group and Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust and delivered by Coventry refugee and migrant centre. Project on the needs of counselling was completed by Meridian. Following the needs assessment, partners from Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Public Health secured funding for the project. 

Outcomes 

The pilot outcome was overwhelmingly positive. The practice provided timely and tailored counselling to support the needs of our local population. The introduction of the practice resulted in less demand on the current mental health services. 

What's next?

Funding for a further one-year extension is being granted to continue the counselling services.