Reconnecting in Exile: Proposed Best Practices and Case Studies of Non-Traditional Groupwork Among Refugee Women Resettled in the U.S

Background and Purpose: Refugee women resettled in the United States undergo gender-specific processes of integration while experiencing the pressures of work in the home, employment, language learning, and adjusting to new norms. Literature on refugee resettlement is largely gender-blind and does not center on the voices of refugee women. Due to gendered experiences and trauma in their country of origin, during transit, and then resettlement, social connections and trust of refugee women may be particularly impacted as they begin to form new lives in exile. For this reason, social work research and interventions must focus on refugee women’s experiences particularly in group work with this population.

Methods: In order to identify and explore effective groupwork models for refugee women, we analyzed the literature and publicly-available information from agencies working with this population in our respective cities. In Buffalo, N. Y., a women’s empowerment group, crafting and entrepreneurship group, ethnic community support group, and economic development incubator for refugee business owners were identified as examples of nontraditional groups that support women’s social connections and integration. In North Carolina, women’s groups offered through agencies, communities and a grassroots non-profit organization offering therapy using art, craft and farming were identified and processes were compared. The experiences voiced by women were also compared.

The authors presented a 60-minute workshop exploring these nontraditional group interventions and gathered the perspectives and input of the participants. Discussions with practitioners identified new directions for measure and intervention development and research, and to provide a forum for broader discussion among social work researchers and practitioners regarding transition, enculturation and social connections of refugee women resettling in the U.S.

Results: Comparison of group work approaches in New York and North Carolina using crafting, entrepreneurship, art, craft and farming was conducted. All the approaches aimed at successful transition into employment and communities. Attrition rate was lower when compared with other forms of intervention such as CBT. Lack of availability of culturally sensitive measures and the development thereof to assess refugee transitions is identified as an urgent need. Other prominent concerns among practitioners is the need for cultural competency and the need for training. These themes are timely given the emerging policies and political development globally.

Conclusion and Implication: Research has shown that traditional modes of therapy may not be the most effective approaches toward helping refugee women as they embark on their new life in developed countries. As more refugee women are entering the workforce and interacting in their new communities, there are many who are still developing skills and experience with language and employment. Social workers must develop alternative methods of facilitating that transition. For women whose social networks and capital have been decimated by conflict and flight, reconnecting through groups can establish ties with peers. In a largely hostile political climate globally, this approach holds promise for offering successful transition into employment and communities while affording refugee women opportunities to remain enculturated.