Annales Medico-Psychologiques
Volume 168, Issue 10, 2010, Pages 733-739

Clinical intervention and psychological support. The care for a family of political asylum seekers in France [Une clinique de l'accueil et de l'accompagnement. La prise en charge d'une famille demandeur d'asile politique réfugiée en France] (Article)

Mouchenik Y.* , Shehadeh S. , Sicard S. , Pérouse de Montclos M.-O. , Moro M.-R.
  • a CHSA, 1, rue Cabanis, 75014 Paris, France, Université Toulouse-le-Mirail, 31000 Toulouse, France
  • b Hôpital Augusta-Victoria, Jérusalem-Est, Palestine
  • c CMPP, 69, avenue Parmentier, 95870 Bezons, France
  • d CHSA, 1, rue Cabanis, 75014 Paris, France
  • e Université Paris Descartes, 75006 Paris, France, Service de psychopathologie, Hôpital Avicenne, 125, avenue Stalingrad, 93000 Bobigny, France

Abstract

The psychiatric and psychological consequences of traumas experienced by refugees represent an important public health problem, not to mention the social isolation, the loss of cultural references and identity, the disruption of family and social network, the difficulties in coping with economic, social and language barriers. One of the other main issues concerns the long uncertain administrative procedures asylum seekers must go through in order to be officially recognized as refugees. In this article, we will describe the follow-up of a refugee family from Chetchnya; we will illustrate our therapeutic group intervention with sequences of our clinical sessions with this family. Our work will continue for two years during which we will have a series of regular meetings with the family. In our experience, intervening with traumatized families should be a committed intervention, far from cold neutrality, which could reinforce the families' feelings of isolation and prevent them from sharing their traumatic experiences. The therapeutic framework proposed seems essential in order to help the families cope with their psychological difficulties and face the emotional changes that they will be experiencing in the host country. © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS.

Author Keywords

Chetchnya Therapeutic framework Psychic traumatisms Refugee family Request for asylum

Index Keywords

social network refugee cultural factor psychosocial care Article experience conceptual framework psychological well being human social isolation emotionality public health family relation
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-78649334238&doi=10.1016%2fj.amp.2009.11.008&partnerID=40&md5=584db150f3641fc039446b483c54ed02
DOI: 10.1016/j.amp.2009.11.008
ISSN: 00034487
Original Language: French