Chapter : Mobilizing resources in multifamily groups

Refugees and asylum seekers exposed to cumulative stress due to organized violence, forced migration and then lengthy asylum procedures have a significant risk of suffering from a number of serious complaints. This chapter describes a systemic approach to prevention and psychosocial interventions for traumatized refugee families that has been developed in the authors' institute. Foundation Centrum '45 is a national expertise center in the Netherlands for the diagnosis and treatment of groups that suffer from complex psychotrauma, including members of the first, second and third generations of World War II survivors, veterans, police officers and refugees. Although the importance of the family as a unit in the aftermath of trauma has been stressed, there is little evidence for the efficacy of family-oriented interventions in the field of psychotrauma, for refugees in particular.

The chapter provides a scientific and clinical rationale for prevention and intervention using multifamily groups in refugee populations. It focuses on families adjusting in difficult times, and addresses both the strains families face and the competences they develop. The chapter first briefly describes the accumulation of experiences with which refugee families are confronted. The second part describes the family-group interventions we have implemented, including case examples.