Supporting children's recovery from refugee trauma: Systemic and holistic work with children, families and schools

Trauma is healed in the context of safe, supportive relationships. This paper will present a rationale for the importance of working systemically and in partnership to support children’s recovery. The evidence base for the... [ view full abstract ]

Trauma is healed in the context of safe, supportive relationships. This paper will present a rationale for the importance of working systemically and in partnership to support children’s recovery. The evidence base for the importance of working with systems will be outlined.

Given the importance of safe, positive relationships in healing from refugee trauma the paper will emphasise how important it is for those around a child to support the child’s recovery from trauma and dislocation; the role of parents or caregivers, a connected family and supportive educational context where the child feels safe and engaged will be discussed. A framework for recovery using a relational approach to healing will be outlined and this will be supported by a case example detailing evidence from both a clinical and school perspective. Evaluation outcomes will be discussed using both qualitative and quantitative data.

Those working therapeutically with children need to consider the child, family and school in their interventions. Working holistically can allow them to implement broader system changes which promote engagement and success for individual children as well as others in school, both now and into the future. The paper will highlight the importance of counsellors and school staff bringing together their collective expertise to support children and young people and highlights how this helps to ensure positive settlement outcomes in the school setting and beyond