How do you meet refugees with trauma?

Violence, torture, flight, and loss. These are violent and frightening stories, which some of the families with a minority background that we meet here in Denmark have in their luggage. As a professional or volunteer, it can be difficult to understand and relate to. But we need to see it to understand it and to be able to help families with the challenges such baggage presents.

Do you want an insight into different methods that can make a difference to your work with citizens affected by trauma? Join the conference on December 2nd. We have invited both international and Danish experts on stage. We will present methods and approaches and share our own experiences. Then researchers from the Capital Region of Denmark's Psychiatry will reveal the results of the latest research in the special peer-to-peer model MindSpring. Professor Dr. Marit Sijbrandij from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam present on the results of their work concerning Syrian refugees with the scalable WHO programmes such as PM+.

Time and place

Time: December 2nd, 9am - 4:15 pm
Place: DGI-byen, Tietgensgade 65, 1704 København V
Price: 1500 DKK
Sign up here

The Neurosequential Model and Peer-to-peer

The Neurosequential Model is a developmentally-informed, biologically-respectful approach to working with at-risk children. The Model is not a specific therapeutic technique or intervention; it is a way to organize a child’s history and current functioning. The goal of this approach is to structure assessment of a child, the articulation of the primary problems, identification of key strengths and the application of interventions (educational, enrichment and therapeutic) in a way that will help family, educators, therapists and related professionals best meet the needs of the child.

In our own work In DRC Integration with the Neurosequential approach, we see many examples of how a stagnant or inappropriate behavior changes relatively quickly to a positive development. Working with children and adolescents who have an unregulated and inappropriate behavior that is disruptive both internally and externally, we see reaction patterns being replaced with a more balanced and regulated behavior. And we see increased learning ability and a better opportunity to be part of social contexts.

The method uncovers current emotional, social, cognitive, and psychological functional levels and then provides concrete recommendations on how it makes the best sense to organize efforts here and now to achieve a more sustainable development.

Peer-to-peer is a method we experience great success with when working with trauma-affected citizens. Gain insight into how this particular approach can make a difference in your work with citizens with a refugee background.

MindSpring is an effort built on peer-to-peer method as a basis for improving the mental health of refugees. On the 2^nd of December, we present the latest results from a multi-year research project by the Capital Region of Denmark's psychiatry, where researchers have followed a number of MindSpring groups and control groups. They will talk about their insights into the impact of the method on the mental health of refugees.