Marie Lacroix

Posttraumatic Psychological Distress and Resettlement: The Need for a Different Practice in Assisting Refugee Families

Social work practitioners are increasingly confronted with couples and families who have come from war-torn countries. Refugees may have experienced genocide, organized violence, ethnic wars, displacement, and losses of various kinds. Such experiences will often be carried through the post-migratory period and obscure legitimate individual and family processes that are often evaluated through a psychopathology lens. In this context, there is a pressing need to be attentive to refugee situations around the world and to issues related to forced migration and its impact on families. In an attempt to fill the gap in the literature on intervention with refugee families, this article presents two of the most compelling aspects of the refugee experience that can have a lasting impact on families and couples: premigration traumatic events and their potential impact on the refugee resettlement experience, and postmigration social and psychological experiences. The concept of “trauma” is presented within the context of resettlement of asylum seekers and refugees. Key stressors documented as having an impact on the long-term well-being of individuals, families, and communities who have been touched by war and conflict are outlined. Multiple-family group intervention is discussed as one of the promising approaches for helping families cope with pre- and postmigration trauma.

Iraqi refugees in Jordan: Lessons for practice with refugees globally

This article presents findings of a survey conducted by social workers working with Iraqi refugees at CDC-Sweileh, a community organization in Amman, Jordan. The study identified key problem areas requiring immediate intervention on the part of social workers. We raise issues for working with refugees in protracted situations, and questions for future research.

Canadian and EU social work students in a cross-cultural program: What they learned from the experience

A four-year student exchange project took place between Canadian and EU universities that engaged in a reciprocal agreement between social work students, social service agencies and universities. Sixty-four students completed their practicum through this program. The article gives an account of the students’ learning experiences and their evaluation of this program. It concludes with a discussion of their learning experiences in cross-cultural exchanges and future recommendations for enhancing international social work field exchanges.

Iraqi refugees in Jordan: lessons for practice with refugees internationally

Asylum seekers, refugees who are resettled in third countries or those who are forced into refugee camps, present new challenges to social work practitioners. In an attempt to advance theory and develop specialised practice in the area of refugee studies within social work as an international profession, we argue that whatever the flight context, the country of asylum or of resettlement, there is a process underlying what Malkki referred to as refugeeness. This article focuses on the situation of Iraqi refugees in Jordan as an example of the challenges that confront todays refugees. We show that salient issues raised in a local community centres needs assessment mirror those elements that are central to integration processes that have been discussed in much of the refugee studies literature across the world. We show how these concerns are closely linked to processes that resettled refugees and asylum seekers face, regardless of the country of resettlement. We introduce a framework for analysing an individual refugees situation and show how an international phenomenon is linked to local practice.

Preparing students for international exchanges: Canadian/EU experiences

Utilizing pre- and post-departure student evaluations and data derived from exchange coordinators in Canada and the European Union, this paper documents and evaluates formal and informal preparation of students for an international social work practicum. While students felt that completing an international practicum was a rich learning experience, good preparation is essential. Differences between the Canadian and European students’ thoughts about the preparation they received are highlighted. It concludes with implications for social work international field education.

Syrian refugees in Jordan: Social workers use a Participatory Rapid Appraisal (PRA) methodology for needs assessment, human rights and community development:

Thousands of Syrian refugees have entered Jordan, which has led to a humanitarian crisis and compounded an already tenuous social and economic crisis in the country. Social workers at the WAQE3 community development centre put in place a Participatory Rapid Appraisal (PRA) methodology, which assesses not only the needs of Syrian refugees but also of marginalized Jordanians. Participatory, bottom-up, and human rights focused, it is effective in assessing needs and is a useful tool for community building and moving towards social development. It is argued this methodology could be used as a template for social workers in other countries where refugee situations have become protracted.