Clinician and academic perspectives on expressive arts therapy for refugee children and families: a qualitative study
International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care
ISSN: 1747-9894
Article publication date: 11 August 2023
Issue publication date: 27 November 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The refugee journey is fraught with challenges before, during and after resettlement. There is a critical need for mental health support upon arrival, and refugees face language, cultural and logistical barriers. Arts-based therapies are a promising approach to mitigating such barriers. The purpose of this study was to elicit professional stakeholder perspectives on mental health challenges among refugees, the value of arts-based programs and future directions.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted three 90-min focus groups with 19 professional stakeholders in North Carolina, USA. This included mental health professionals, professors and community services/resettlement workers. Participants were identified from professional networks and snowball sampling. Each group was held by videoconference, audio recorded and transcribed. Data were analyzed through a team-based approach using applied thematic qualitative analysis.
Findings
Interviewees described a need for targeted, culturally compatible mental health services for refugee families, including trauma-informed, family-focused services with language interpretation. Arts-based therapies were viewed as highly acceptable and culturally responsive approaches for understanding distress and building resilience and less stigmatizing than traditional mental health services. Services in schools and community settings would further reduce stigma and minimize logistical barriers. Participants identified needing strong, culturally sensitive assessment tools to measure treatment progress as a key future direction.
Originality/value
The study offers novel insights into the value of arts-based approaches and considerations for program development. The next phase of the project will obtain the perspectives of refugee parents and children to understand client preferences for arts-based therapies.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
An earlier version of this work was presented at the Third Annual Shifting Worlds Symposium at the University of North Carolina – Greensboro.
Funding: This research was funded by a pilot grant from the Office of the Vice Provost for Research at Duke University.
Author disclosure statement: The authors have no competing interests to declare in relation to this research.
Citation
Knettel, B.A., Oliver-Steinberg, A., Lee, M.J., Rubesin, H., Duke, N.N., Esmaili, E. and Puffer, E. (2023), "Clinician and academic perspectives on expressive arts therapy for refugee children and families: a qualitative study", International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, Vol. 19 No. 3/4, pp. 260-272. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMHSC-11-2021-0110
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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