Uprooted in Adolescence:

Serving Refugee Students as School Counselors

Kelsey Smith & Rebecca Seymour

 Agenda:

Refugee Experience
○ Legally
○ Literally
○ Trauma
○ Services

Refugee Status + Adolescence

○ Physical Development
○ Identity Development
○ Emotional Development

What can we do to help?

 Human Rights

Non-refoulement
Non-discrimination
Public Education
Employment
Public Assistance
Freedom of Religion
Unity of the Family
Access to Courts
Etc.
“What would you bring?”
“An immigrant leaves his homeland
to find greener grass. A refugee
leaves his homeland because the
grass is burning under his feet.”
-Barbara Law
 Trauma Symptoms
Pre-migration  Sadness  Anger
• Social, political, cultural, or  Irritability  Sleep disturbance
economic upheaval
 Separation anxiety  Pessimism
• Violence, assault, death of family
member, imprisonment, hiding,  Paranoia  Stress
forced combat, sexual slavery  Heightened  Conduct Disorders
awareness of “Acting out”
Migration death


Multiple countries, refugee camps  Depression

•  Limited
engagement and  “Turning in”
• Uncertainty, danger, deprivation process in school  Anxiety
 PTSD symptoms Somatic complaints
Post-migration 
 ADHD symptoms  Etc.
• Disillusionment, loss, anxiety, culture
 Confusion
shock, isolation, depression, barriers
So what does this mean for us?
Refugee Service Providers in Virginia
Catholic Charities, Diocese of Arlington
Church World Service
Washington, D.C
International Rescue Committee
Lutheran Social Services (Ntl. Capital area)
Manassas
Commonwealth Catholic Charities
Harrisonburg
Ethiopian Community Development Council Fredericksburg

NewBridges, Immigrant Resource Center Charlottesville

Richmond

Roanoke
Petersburg
Norton

Hampton Roads
Resettlement Services
“Adolescence”
Demographic?
 Development

Physical growth Identity development Search for self

Increased pressures Emotional management

Relationship development Experimentation Sexual characteristics

Differentiation from parents Solidifying opinions & ideas

Decision making skills Hormonal changes Improved motor skills

 Refugee Experience
+
Physical Development

Puberty & Physical Maturation

Brain Development

Cognitive Capacity

Emotional Expansion

Cultural Implications
 Refugee Experience
+
Identity Development

Search for Self

Self-Questioning

Experimentation

Defining Personal Values

Cultural Influence
 Refugee Experience
+
Emotional Development

Increased Emotional Capacity

Increasing Emotional Stability

Untreated Depression

Anxiety & “Imaginary Audience”

Cultural Context & Expectations


Factors Impacting
Refugee Student Success:
• Student resilience
• Perceived student trauma
• Barriers
• Supportive Factors
• School counselor’s role
Resource Analysis
Factors Impeding
Adaptation & Integration:
• Poor literacy skills
• Interrupted education
• Low SES
• Illiterate parents
• Unfamiliar education
system
• Experiences of
dislocation, loss, trauma
Factors Promoting
Adaptation & Integration
• Personal resilience
• High self-esteem
• High aspirations
• Willingness to embark on
academic work
• Strong family support
• Positive response to
school supports
• Values education
So what can we do?
 Collaborate
In the community,
• Partner with local agencies & community organizations
• Initiate & facilitate services both in & outside of schools
• Counseling services for families
• Translation services

Within our schools,

• Encourage in-school collaborations between students/staff
• Brief teachers with appropriate & relevant background info
• “Welcome Centers”
• Newcomer programs (SMS)
• Mentor programs (HHS)
 Intervention Strategies

School-Based Social-Emotional support

• Implement effective screening & intervention plans
• Individual & group interventions

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

• Psychoeducation, somatic management, skills training,
cognitive restructuring, exposure, relapse prevention
• “Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools”

Multitier / Multimodal frameworks

• Individualize treatment
• Intensive, trauma support, targeted support, community level
 Helpful Pieces
• Clarify school/district policies
• Give clear expectations &
instructions, meet them where
they are
• Provide safe spaces
• Positive means to address fears, as
opposed to giving promises that
cannot be ensured
• Instill a welcoming school
environment/climate that
promotes inclusivity
• Take clear action to address and
prevent bullying and harassment
• Trauma-informed schools
• ICE, Customs preparedness, and
knowing our rights
 Questions?

smith5kd@dukes.jmu.edu
 References

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https://www.amnestyusa.org/tools-and-reports/toolkits-guides/

Davies, A. Z. (2008). Characteristics of adolescent Sierra Leonean refugees in public schools in New York City. Education and Urban Society, 40(3), 361-
376.

Erford, B. (2017). An Advanced Lifespan Odyssey for Counseling Professionals. Cengage Learning, 249-288.

“Helping Students in Troubling Times.” (n.d). American School Counselor Association. Retrieved December 03, 2017, from
https://www.schoolcounselor.org/school-counselors/professional-development/learn-more/refugee-issues

Lawrence, C. (n.d.). Refugee FAQs. Settlement Services International. Retrieved December 01, 2017, from https://www.ssi.org.au/faqs/refugee-faqs/148-
what-is-the-difference-between-a-refugee-and-a-migrant

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Sugarman, J. (2017). Beyond Teaching English: Supporting high school completion by immigrant and refugee students. Migration Policy Institute, 1-41.

UNHCR. (2011). The 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol; Relating to the status of refugees. UNHCR, 1-12. Retrieved November 29, 2017, from
http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/about-us/background/4ec262df9/1951-convention-relating-status-refugees-its-1967-protocol.html

UNHCR. (2017). Refugee Statistics. USA for UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency.
https://www.unrefugees.org/refugee-facts/statistics/

Weeks, M., Sullivan, A.L, Simonson, G. (2017). Supporting Social-Emotional Needs of Students Who Are Refugees. Equity by Design. Equity Assistance
Center Region III, Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center.

“Working with Refugee Students in Secondary Schools.” (2010). Minnesota Department of Education, English Language Learner Programs, 1-81.