Trauma-Informed Care: Working with Refugee Clients

Working with refugees invites us to understand trauma within a much larger story.

A refugee client may enter the therapy room carrying experiences of persecution, violence, separation, migration, loss, and displacement—but their story does not end there. They may also be navigating an unfamiliar culture, immigration uncertainty, financial pressures, isolation, changes in family roles, loss of professional identity, language barriers, and the difficult task of creating a sense of home while their future remains uncertain.

This three-session workshop is designed for therapists and mental health professionals who work with—or would like to better understand—refugee and displaced populations.

We will begin by exploring the trauma-informed lens and its core principles, examining how trauma can shape the nervous system, relationships, trust, safety, identity, and the therapeutic process. We will then look specifically at the refugee experience and consider trauma not simply as something that happened in…