Psychological Support for Refugee Adolescents An Expressive Arts Approach to Wellbeing and Trauma Recovery

Foreword by Cathy A. Malchiodi.  Introduction  1. The Impact of the Adolescent Migration Trajectory  2. Stress and the Developing Refugee Adolescent Brain  3. Reframing Adolescent Refugee Mental Health as Well-Being: Optimising Help-seeking Opportunities and Overcoming Stigma  4. A Trauma-informed, Therapeutic Approach for all Professionals working with Refugee Adolescents  5. Expressive Arts in Psychotherapy with Traumatised Refugee Adolescents  6. Integrating the Expressive Arts into Non-clinical Psychosocial Support for Adolescent Refugees  7. Introduction to the Case Studies  8. Daahir's Story: Developing a Mental Health Toolbox and Healing Trauma through the Expressive Arts  9. Nabeel's Story: Learning to Feel Again  10. Anastasiya's Story: Being Supported to Cope with Sleep Disturbances and Nightmares  11. Creative Connections: Omar's journey from Isolation to Community through Football-themed Group Youth Work and Individual Psychotherapy  12. Ovie's Story: Voices Beyond Silence: Collective Healing for Displaced Youth  13. Working with Interpreters to Support Refugee Adolescents  14. Self-care through the Expressive Arts  15. Activity Locator: Finding Expressive Arts Tools by Need and Chapter  Conclusions

Biography

Rachel Hoare is an assistant professor in the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at Trinity College Dublin, where she founded the Research Centre for Forced Migration Studies. She is also a faculty member at the Children’s Therapy Centre in Mullingar, Ireland, and works with the Irish Child and Family Agency as a part-time expressive arts child and adolescent psychotherapist, supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking adolescents.

“Dr Rachel Hoare has generously provided practitioners with a brilliant book that captures how expressive arts are essential in supporting adolescents challenged by traumatic stress. Articulately written, it is groundbreaking in scope and breadth and provides practitioners with numerous practical, informative, and inspirational guidelines and strategies. This volume is a ‘must read’ for anyone who works with traumatic stress and elevates the role of expressive arts (movement, sound, image, enactment, and narrative) to its essential place as a psychotherapeutic intervention for refugees and anyone who has survived crises.”

Cathy Malchiodi, PhD, LPCC, LPAT, REAT, author of Trauma and Expressive Arts Therapy: Brain, Body, and Imagination in the Healing Process and Handbook of Expressive Arts Therapy

“This book offers a comprehensive framework that is universally applicable to professionals, groups, and institutions working with children and youth refugees worldwide. The case stories validate the relevant steps and professional guidance for refugees’ recovery from traumatic experiences.
Amidst the turmoil and upheaval the world has witnessed, children and young people have been uprooted and scarred by violent conflict. This book stands as a guiding compass, directing us to the healing power of the arts when delivered with care and precision. The extensive research, practice, and lived experience serve as beacons, illuminating the path to bridging knowledge and practice gaps. This book is a ‘well’ for wellbeing, providing reassurance and guidance for humanitarian work! I strongly recommend it.”

Kunle Adewale, founder, Global Arts in Medicine Fellowship

“This book is a well-structured, accessible, and encouraging guide for all professionals who want to reflect on and improve their work with refugee adolescents.
Dr Hoare guides the reader towards an essential understanding of the impact of forced migration and traumatic experiences on adolescent brain development and the development of key therapeutic skills and values. She offers insightful, clearly illustrated methods of incorporating expressive arts techniques into diverse psycho-social support settings.
Indispensable reading for anyone supporting refugee adolescents!”

Jessica Farnan, manager, Youth and Education Service for Refugees and Migrants, Dublin, Ireland