Nordic Work with Traumatised Refugees: Do We Really Care (Hardback) | Released: 01 Sep 2014

The Nordic welfare societies have been described as 'beacons of light' in work with refugees, with their emphasis on egalitarian and extensive benefit levels, wealth redistribution, promotion of gender equality and maximisation of labour force participation. Members of the population benefit from free education, universal healthcare and public services that provide an elaborate social safety net. The conditions seem favourable for refugees exposed to severely traumatic events in countries of origin and in flight who have come to rest in the safe havens of the Nordic countries. But has society really done what it could and should in the field of refugee mental health? Does it really care? This book provides an investigative perspective on challenges encountered by professionals in the Nordic countries in refugee mental health and care, addressing key contemporary challenges faced by forcibly displaced populations. Leading academics and practitioners working with refugees in clinics, universities and research centres in the fields of psychiatry, psychology, nursing, physical therapies, social work, child care, education, anthropology, and sociology present their work on care, treatment perspectives, human rights, families in flight and exile, asylum-seekers and undocumented migrants. In general, the growing focus on trauma, refugee streams and unresolved issues around the world makes this book a useful source work for the increasing number of professions being drawn into this work. In regard to universities and colleges, it offers transcultural perspectives in medicine, nursing, social work and social science.
About the Author: Gwynyth Overland has a PhD in the Sociology of Religion, and is Clinical Sociologist and Senior Adviser at Southern Norway Regional Trauma Competency Centre (RVTS Sor). Her recent research has focused on resilient Cambodian survivors of the Khmer Rouge, trauma and resilience and the meaning of culture for vulnerable refugee populations. Eugene Guribye has a PhD in Social Anthropology from the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Bergen, Norway, and is currently Senior Researcher and Head of the Department of Welfare Research at Agder Research. His work has largely focused on refugees, resilience and mental health issues. Birgit Lie, MD and PhD, is a specialist in public health, and Chief Consultant at the Specialist Clinic for Trauma and Psychosomatics, Sorlandet Hospital, Kristiansand. She is also a special adviser at the Southern Norway Regional Trauma Competency Centre (RVTS Sor). Her work has largely focused on the rehabilitation of traumatised refugees and torture survivors, immigrant health, mental health and human rights issues.