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This group design was created to address the needs of Ukrainian refugees in Canada. As the war has continued, those able to escape and seek asylum elsewhere have thus had to cope with the subsequent losses and trauma.

The purpose of this group is to provide a safe space for these individuals to meet and connect while being inclusive of the group's needs as it evolves.

The following design includes the identification of the potential needs, challenges, and strengths of the group.

This group design includes the use of a face-to-face support group to foster mutual aid, but the information and resources provided can be used as an outline for other group types as required.

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This online toolkit curated by the BC Refugee Hub includes a short guide to mental health, mental illness, trauma, and resources available to those working with refugees and refugee claimants, along with services and supports available for refugees and refugee claimants.

Key Definitions:
What is mental health?
Mental health is the state of your psychological and emotional well-being. It is a necessary resource for living a healthy life and a main factor in overall health.

Good mental health allows one to feel, think, and act in ways that help you enjoy life and cope with its challenges. The signs and/or symptoms include but not limited to.

Feeling in control of your life and personal decisions

Being able to cope with life's challenges and stresses

Functioning well mentally, such as being able to focus while at work

Feeling physically healthy and getting enough sleep

Feeling a sense of belonging in your community such as a school, church, neighborhood etc.

It is important to note that it does not mean the same thing as mental illness however, poor mental health can lead to mental and physical illness. The signs of poor mental health include but not limited to.

Feeling sad, down, or low mood

Excessive fears or worries, or extreme feelings of guilt

Finding it difficult to control your emotions

Mental illness
Mental illness is the reduced ability for a person to function effectively over a prolonged period because of.

significant levels of distress

changes in thinking, mood, or behaviour

feelings of isolation, loneliness, and sadness

the feeling of being disconnected from people and activities

Trauma
Trauma is both the experience of, and a response to, an overwhelmingly negative event or series of events, such as interpersonal violence, personal loss, war, or natural disaster. In the context of violence, trauma can be acute (resulting from a single event) or complex (resulting from repeated experiences of interpersonal and/or systemic violence).

According to research carried out by The University of British Columbia, University of Northern British Columbia and Western University, Trauma can also result from what doesn't happen, for example when systems fail to recognize and respond to people's violence experiences. More on this can be found here.

Mental Health and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) Prevalence Among Refugees
Globally:
According to the World Health Organization (WHO):

Among people who have experienced war or other conflict in the previous 10 years, one in 11 (9%) will have a moderate or severe mental disorder.

One person in five (22%) living in an area affected by conflict is estimated to have depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD), bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia.

According to the UNHCR, around 15%-20% of displaced people experience mental health problems, and most of them on the mild part of the spectrum.

About one out of three asylum seekers and refugees experience high rates of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorders (PSTD).

Prevalence estimates of mental health disorders vary widely from 20% to 80% with the breakdown as 4% to 40% for anxiety, 5% to 44% for depression, and, 9% to 36% in PSTD. You can read more on the factsheet published by the American Psychiatric Association here.
In Canada:
In a publication by the Canadian Collaboration for Immigrant and Refugee Health (CCIRH), the prevalence of PTSD among child refugees is approximately 11%. Prevalence estimates have ranged, however, from a low of 5% to a high of 89%. You can read more here.

A study of Canadians aged 45-85, in the International Journal of Social Psychiatry, found that 24% of refugees were in psychological distress compared to 13% of non-refugee immigrants and those born in Canada. Read more here.

15 to 18% of all refugees who come to Canada, or about 4,300 to 5,100 people per year, require a formal mental health clinical intervention to help them address trauma, according to research by ISS of B.C.

A study conducted by the ISS of BC on the wellbeing of Government Assisted Refugees (GARs) in 2016 revealed that 30% refugees reported low well-being and were "sad" or "depressed."

Source:

Public Health Agency of Canada. (n.d.). Trauma and violence-informed approaches to policy and practice - Canada.ca. Government of Canada - Public Health Agency of Canada. Retrieved July 27, 2021, from https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/health-risks-safety/trauma-violence-informed-approaches-policy-practice.html

Tong, H., Lung, Y., Lin, S. L., Kobayashi, K. M., Davison, K. M., Agbeyaka, S., & Fuller-Thomson, E. (2020). Refugee status is associated with double the odds of psychological distress in mid-to-late life: Findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 002076402097100. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764020971003

Capacity Building Publicatiosn, Training and Resources for those Working with and Supporting Newcomer Refugees and Refugee Claimants
Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC (AMSSA)
AMSSA is a unique province-wide association that strengthens over 80 member agencies as well as hundreds of community stakeholder agencies who serve immigrants and newcomers, and build culturally inclusive communities, with the knowledge, resources and support they need to fulfill their mandates.

Burnout, Vicarious Trauma, and Compassion Fatigue; Issue 58

This issue of Migration Matters looks at the impacts that trauma in the workplace can have on service providers. This info sheet also offers tools and resources for burnout, vicarious (or secondary) trauma, or compassion fatigue. Download it here.

The Other Side of Trauma: Supporting Newcomers through Healing and Resiliency Centered Engagement

This follow-up webinar addressed how we can further support our more vulnerable newcomers to Canada through learning with healing centered engagement. Watch the webinar via this website.

Refugee Mental Health Front-line Workers Training

The training course identifies different refugee categories in Canada, stages of refuge and resettlement stress factors that contribute to mental health challenges for Refugees. It describes approaches and practical tools for assessing refugee trauma and addressing mental health needs. The course will help front-line workers recognize the signs and symptoms of vicarious trauma/burnout and best practices for self-care. Here is the website.

Trauma Informed Practice: Supporting Clients Who Have Experienced Complex Trauma

This 2016 webinar explored the impact of trauma and identified how immigrant serving agencies can offer services in a trauma-informed manner, set policies, and encourage interactions with clients that facilitate healing and growth. You can watch the webinar here.

Supporting Mental Health for BC's Most Vulnerable Newcomers

This e-symposium provided an opportunity to provide training and information for Settlement agencies and staff working with and supporting the mental health of vulnerable clients. Watch it here.

This Info Sheet examines some of these common barriers and provides resources for support. You can download it here.

Self-care and a Healthy Workplace in the Settlement and Integration Sector

This interactive e-learning course looks at the impacts that stress and trauma in the workplace can have on frontline service providers and managers and provides activities/exercises that can be used to impact experienced stresses. This e-learning course also offers tools and resources for individual boundary setting and workplace collective care. More can be found here.
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health - Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Project
The Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Project was developed by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health's (CAMH) Health Equity Office, with funding from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) and in collaboration with experts in the field. It is an evidence-based, capacity-building initiative, designed to enhance your knowledge and skills as a settlement, social or health service provider to appropriately respond to the unique mental health needs of immigrants and refugees, and to foster inter-sector and inter-professional collaboration. Building on the success of the award-winning Refugee Mental Health Project, this project provides five different avenues to enhance knowledge, develop skills, and build networks. These avenues include online courses, webinars, monthly e-newsletters, a community of practice, and this toolkit.

Learn more here>>
CMAS: The Resilience Guide - Program Strategies for Responding to Trauma in Refugee Children
Many of the things we already do in early childhood programs-like providing safe, predictable routines; helping children manage feelings and behaviours; and providing creative, sensory and physical activities-not only support healthy child development, but also strengthen the capacity for resilience and recovery in young children who have experienced trauma.

The Resilience Guide will help you and your team understand:

the impact of the refugee experience at different ages,

the developmental effects of trauma and resettlement,

key strategies to strengthen families' capacity for resilience, and

practical tip sheets designed to easily print out and share with your team.

VAST - Landing and Settling: A Group Therapy Program for Refugees in British Columbia - Therapist Manual V AST - Vulnerability Screening Tool
This manual was produced by VAST, with funding from the Province of British Columbia under the Refugee Readiness Fund.
PIRS - Community Based Training for Working with Immigrants and Refugees - A Trauma-Informed Approach (Webinar and Guide)
This manual is designed to provide mental health practitioners with a structured, yet flexible approach to early intervention with refugee populations who have recently arrived in British Columbia. The approach described within the therapist manual aims to assist refugees to cope with common stress reactions and to differentiate these from more serious mental health problems, as well as to support the personal resilience and problem-solving capacities needed to overcome the challenges of daily living that refugees commonly face. To view, click here.

The Vulnerability Screening Tool has been developed by the Vancouver Association for Survivors
of Torture ("VAST") for use by mental and primary health professionals, as well as settlement and social service providers, private sponsors, and other community members who are supporting refugees on arrival in British Columbia. This tool has been developed for the use of a broad spectrum of service providers throughout the province, who may or may not have experience working with refugees. This document is not a diagnostic tool, but rather a screening tool for vulnerability.

Refugees in the early stages of resettlement are vulnerable to mental health challenges as a result of past trauma, as well as to current stressors related to the settlement and adaptation process. This tool has been designed in three parts in order for service providers to consider a range of mental health, settlement, and resiliency factors. We strongly recommend that mental and primary health professionals and settlement and social service providers work in collaboration to ensure that settlement needs and material well-being are integrated with psychosocial support and medical treatment. To view, click here.
Infographic: Safe Spaces - Youth with Refugee Experience and Their Parents Harnessing Resilience
This webinar addresses how we can further support our more vulnerable newcomers to Canada through learning with healing centered engagement. This learning event will explore how those with migration journey experiences can move beyond merely coping with trauma, and explore their own resiliency and positive transformative changes that can occur beyond trauma, allowing positive emotional growth and a greater sense of well-being.

View Webinar Here>>

View Guide Here>>

New infographic project on refugee youth and their parents' participation in a resilience-building workshop.

Objective: This study aims to create a space of open discussions for Arabic-speaking refugee youth with experiences of trauma and their parents, in order to explore the tensions that may arise between youth and parents from social integration challenges and concepts and issues related to culture, inter-family communication, rights, and youth empowerment.
View the full project and info-graphic here>>
Justification: This study will work to develop coping skills (anger management, stress management, emotional expression, affect regulation) and life skills (negotiating, compromise, respecting different opinions, problem solving, and non-violent conflict resolution) in refugee youth and their parents so as to build resilience.

Practical goal: In addition to building resilience and coping and life skills in refugee youth and their parents, this study will contribute to the literature on refugee youth and their families' experiences with social integration challenges, particularly how young people's experiences of trauma affect social integration in the context of the family.

Primary audience: refugees, service providers, academics, educators, and policy makers
Vancouver Association for the Survivors of Torture (VAST)
This journal article was published in Canadian Psychology on settlement integrated refugee mental health program. This was a pilot program funded generously by the Lando Foundation at ISSofBC.

Refugees face significant barriers to accessing the public mental health system in Canada. This study investigated the effectiveness of a model of mental health care for refugees in which counselling services were coordinated through a settlement agency and delivered by a multilingual, culturally responsive, multidisciplinary team. The results suggest that the interventions had an important role in reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD, and that participants were highly satisfied with their counselling experience

Resources and Supports for Refugees and Refugee Claimants
MOSAIC Counselling - Newcomer Wellness Hub (NWH)
VAST supports refugee mental health through counselling, documentation, education, and referrals.

Address: 2610 Victoria Drive, Vancouver, BC V5N 4L2, Canada

Contact: (778) 372-6593 Phone: 1 (604) 588-3071
DIVERSEcity Community Resource Centre Mental Health and Substance Use Services
The Newcomer Wellness Hub (NWH) is a unique, two-year-long project funded by Bell Let's Talk that will provide newcomer youth, families, and seniors with culturally safe programming through multilingual counselling support, settlement and employment counselling, and various group activities to destigmatize mental health and provide community support. The Hub's services are free and confidential.

Address: 5575 Boundary Road, Vancouver, BC V5R 2P9, Canada

Contact: (236) 878-4630
S.U.C.C.E.S.S.
DIVERSEcity's Mental Health and substance Use Services provide individuals and families with free, compassionate, culturally informed, and confidential counselling and support services in several languages, such as Punjabi, Hindu, Urdu, Arabic, Spanish, Mandarin, Farsi, and English.

Address: 13455 76 Avenue, Surrey, BC V3W 2W3, Canada

Contact: (604) 597-0205
Vancouver Island Counselling Centre for Immigrants and Refugees (VICCIR)
Culturally appropriate support groups promote the mental health and wellness of individuals and families. The groups provide participants with knowledge, skills, and confidence to address various issues that impact their health and well-being.

Address: 28 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 1R8

Contact: (604) 408-7274

VICCIR provides mental health counselling to immigrants and refugees living in Canada. They offer their services on a sliding fee scale, and for free when needed. They work with specially trained interpreters as required.

Address: Suite 100-850 Blanshard Street, Victoria, BC V8W 2H2
Kids Help Phone
Contact: (778) 404-1777

Interior Health Authority - New to The Region - Comprehensive resource for health providers and sponsors in the interior of BC.

Community Resources
Wellness Together Canada Wellness Program
Kids Help Phone's e-mental health services are here 24/7 for people across Canada. Below, you can learn more about the services we offer and how you can get support with mental health and well-being.

Address: 789 West Pender Street Suite 570, Vancouver, BC V6C 1H2, Canada

Contact: 1 (800) 668-6868
Caring for Kids New to Canada
Wellness Together Canada was created in response to an unprecedented rise in mental health and substance use concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with funding from the Government of Canada.

Address: Canada Wide

Contact: 1 (866) 585-0445
Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division
Caring for Kids New to Canada helps health professionals provide quality care to immigrant and refugee children, youth, and families. It was developed by the Canadian Paediatric Society with experts in newcomer health.

Address: 100-2305 St. Lauren Blvd., Ottawa, ON K1G 4J8

Contact: (613) 526-9397
Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre - BC Children's Hospital
As the nation-wide leader and champion for mental health, CMHA promotes the mental health of all and supports the resilience and recovery of people experiencing mental illness.

Address: Suite 905 - 1130 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 4A4 Canada

Contact: (604) 688-3234 Toll-free phone BC only: +1 (800) 555-5222
Important/Emergency Contacts
Assist families across the province navigate the mental health system, listen, and offer peer support, and connect them to resources and tools.

Address: 4500 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1

Contact: (604) 875-2084 Toll-Free: 1 (800) 665 1822

If you or someone you know needs help, call one of the numbers below:

911: If you believe that your life or someone else's life is in danger.

1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433): If you are in distress or worried about someone else. It is free and available 24 hours a day.
*Note: If you are a service provider organization and your program / service is not listed above, please contact us at [email protected] to be added. This is a *live* webpage and being updated regularly.
310Mental Health Support at 310-6789 (no area code needed): for emotional support, information, and resources specific to mental health. It is free and available 24 hours a day.

811: To access free, non-emergency health information for anyone in your family, including mental health and substance use. Through 811, you can also speak to a registered nurse about symptoms you are worried about or talk with a pharmacist about medication questions.

1-800-663-1441: The Alcohol and Drug Information and Drug Referral Service. If you are in distress or worried about someone else. It is free and available 24 hours a day.

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Mental Health Toolkit for Refugees and Refugee Claimants

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The BC Refugee Hub serves as a resource centre, providing access to the latest publications and relevant statistics on all refugee categories throughout the entirety of BC.

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Funding was provided for this group on behalf of the Federal Government as Justin Trudeau has reaffirmed "unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes" (2023).

Posters and group information will be posted around Victoria, and on the internet. In addition to this, other community organizations dedicated to serving refugees and immigrants such as VIIRCS, the Ukrainian Catholic Church of St. Nicolas and the St. George Ukrainian Church, food banks, soup kitchens, advocacy offices, shelters, and employment centres.

Group pamphlets detailing group specifics such as locations and times will also be available at the above locations. Emphasize the importance of socio-cultural adaptation in the recruitment process.

Group will take place once a week, and be open so that commitment to the full 12 weeks does not pose a barrier. The facilitator will ensure they stay afterwards so that participants can further debrief if needed, as an addition to time given at the end of each group to debrief and share closing thoughts. The group will run for 2 hours, with the ability to be shorter if desired by participants or if it naturally comes to a close sooner.

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Storming Phase:

Facilitators must be mindful of the types of subgroups forming within the group. Subgroups occur naturally in groups, however they have the potential to negatively impact the group dynamic if "the attraction of members within a subgroup becomes greater than their attraction to the group as a whole" (Toseland, R., & Rivas, R., 2017).

Performing Phase:

Facilitators will implement trauma-sensitive activities such as participants writing and sharing affirmations about one another.

Facilitators will invite participants to explore coping mechanisms and resilience-building strategies.

Participants have formed a strong sense of connection

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This specific group is likely to form a bond quickly, given the circumstances they have all endured. That doesn't mean there is no potential for conflict to occur. Conflict does not always have to be bad, in this case, conflict could look like setting the tone of the group and what is discussed.

Forming Phase:

Establish a safe and welcoming space. Facilitators do this by opening with some icebreaker activities in hopes of building connections among participants.

Facilitators should acknowledge shared experiences to foster a sense of community.

Norming Phase:

Facilitators will introduce mindfulness and compassion-based practices.

Facilitators will encourage participants to share their stories and reflections.

Participants will be norming with other consistent participants, as new members or members not returning will impact overall group dynamics.

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The need for a trauma-informed approach is critical when working with asylum seekers, given refugees experience elevated stress and distress due to the violence of war and the challenges of living in exile.

Facilitators must ensure they are reflexive in their practice, to ensure they are providing a safe, unbias and culturally sensitive environment free from judgement.

Facilitators will use an anti-oppressive lens to "utilize the specific lens of power to attend to the structural components of oppression, such as economic inequity and systemic discrimination;" (Schmid, 2023).

Facilitators should be well equipped with additional supports and resources they can refer participants to. Asylum seekers/refugees can struggle with adapting to a new system.

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The Mindfulness-Based Trauma Recovery for Refugees (MBTR-R) group, part of the Moments of Refuge Project for Ukrainian refugees in Canada, provides numerous benefits:

Healing from Trauma:

This group was designed to be trauma-sensitive, aiding participants in healing from the psychological impact of forced displacement.

Reduction in Stress & Anxiety:

Mindfulness and mindfulness practices are proven to assist in reducing negative symptoms associated with problems like PTSD, depression, and anxiety.

Empowerment and Agency:

Participants have the ability to gain a sense of agency and control over their mental and emotional states.

Community Building and Support:

The group fosters community, offering support, reducing isolation, and creating a space for mutual understanding.

Resilience Building:

Mindfulness practices contribute to resilience, equipping participants with coping strategies for challenges and adapting to new environments.

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ACCES supports the success of refugees in Canada. We have programs specifically for refugees, which are designed to help them build professional networks, find mentors, learn about the labour market in Canada, access real opportunities with employers, and improve their job search skills. With ACCES, refugees can access learning content through workshops, digital platforms, and specific programming.

In addition to refugee-focused programming, many refugees are also eligible to enter many of our other industry-specific and job search programs.

If you are a refugee, please review the programs we offer or visit any of our locations to meet with an Employment Consultant who will help you get started. No appointment is required.

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Programs for Refugees - ACCES Employment

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ACCES supports the success of women in the workplace through our targeted programs for women, supporting them to find employment.

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Planning & Language Barriers:

The planning phase of this group could present a challenge if language becomes a barrier. Facilitators could avoid this potential challenge by arranging for an interpreter/translator to attend the meetings. A language barrier could limit the benefits of the group to only those who speak English fluently and limit the number of participants.

Shift in Group Dynamic:

Facilitators should consider the potential shift of the group dynamic that involving an interpreter can cause, potentially limiting or enhancing the therapeutic relationship.

Gartley, T., & Due, C. (2016)

Funding:

Facilitators could look at hosting a volunteer opportunity which could present a free option.

Cultural Barriers:

It is important for the facilitator to be aware of such potential. Mitigating this could include research in the preliminary phase of planning.

Overall Comfortability:

Facilitators should be diligent about observing changes in body language, tone, and overall engagement from participants during the group. These changes may be early warning signs of disinterest or escalation to the result of participants choosing to not return.

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Facilitators must be culturally competent with a background in social services, and sound knowledge of mental health along with varying presentations of trauma.

Facilitators should be trained in trauma-sensitive approaches and mindfulness techniques.

Facilitators are required to undergo training in line with the spirit of motivational interviewing and its core components. The spirit of motivational interviewing includes compassion, acceptance, partnership, and evocation. A benefit of using MI is the ability to utilize evocation as facilitators can "strategically respond to sustain talk and change talk" (CCMI, 2023).

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If you are fleeing your country because you fear persecution, you can apply for asylum in Canada. If you are granted asylum, this gives you refugee status and the right to stay.

To apply for asylum, you must be physically present in Canada or be seeking entry into the country at a port of entry.

You can apply for asylum if you fear persecution for at least one of the following reasons:

Race or nationality

For example: You fear persecution because you are part of an ethnic or language minority group.

Religion

For example: You fear persecution because you are part of a religious minority or because you have converted to another religion.

Member of a particular social group

For example: You have been subject to violence because of your sexual orientation or gender, or you fear persecution because of your family ties.

Political opinion

For example: You are a journalist or blogger, a human rights activist, or you are or are perceived as a government opponent.

Or if you fear one of the following:

Risk to your life or cruel and inhuman treatment

You are facing a personal risk that is not faced by the general population. For example: You are the victim of a crime or you are afraid of revenge.

Risk of torture

You have been subject or risk being subject to severe mental or physical harm committed by the government authorities (under their orders or with their consent) to get information from you or to punish you.

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If you are seeking asylum in Canada, you will find in this section resources to help.

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The Need for an Anti-Oppressive Approach

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The Need for an Anti-Oppressive Approach

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Acknowledging Structural Injustices:

Forced displacement often results from structural injustices, such as conflict, persecution, and human rights violations. An anti-oppressive approach recognizes and addresses these systemic issues, acknowledging that individuals and communities may be victims of larger oppressive structures.

Cultural Sensitivity and Diversity:

Refugees come from diverse cultural backgrounds, and an anti-oppressive approach respects and values this diversity. Recognizing and celebrating the uniqueness of each individual's cultural identity is essential for providing effective and respectful support.

Trauma-Informed Care:

Many forcibly displaced individuals have experienced trauma in various forms, including violence, displacement, and loss. An anti-oppressive approach in mental health interventions, like the Mindfulness-Based Trauma Recovery for Refugees (MBTR-R), takes into account the impact of trauma and aims to create a safe and empowering environment for healing.

Power Dynamics and Empowerment:

Oppressive systems often involve power imbalances that can perpetuate further marginalization. An anti-oppressive approach seeks to challenge and dismantle these power dynamics, empowering individuals to be active participants in directing their own healing and recovery.

Respecting Autonomy and Agency:

Forced displacement can strip individuals of their autonomy and agency. An anti-oppressive approach emphasizes the importance of respecting individuals' voices and choices, involving them in decision-making processes related to their mental health and well-being.

Intersectionality:

An anti-oppressive approach recognizes the intersecting identities and experiences that individuals may bring to the table. For example, Ukrainian refugees may face challenges related to their nationality, language, gender, or other aspects of their identity. Understanding these intersections helps tailor support accordingly.

Cénat, J., Darious, W., Noorishad, P.-G., McIntee, S.-E., Dromer, E., Mukunzi, J., Solola, O., & Williams, M. (2022).

Preventing Further Harm:

Traditional approaches that do not consider the impact of oppression may inadvertently perpetuate harm. An anti-oppressive approach aims to break the cycle of harm by actively working against discriminatory practices and policies, fostering an environment of inclusion and equity.

Building Trust and Rapport:

Trust is crucial in any therapeutic or supportive relationship. An anti-oppressive approach builds trust by demonstrating a commitment to fairness, justice, and the well-being of individuals, thereby creating an environment where refugees feel safe to share their experiences and seek help.

Addressing Social Determinants of Health:

Forced displacement often exacerbates social determinants of health, such as access to education, employment, and housing. An anti-oppressive approach considers these broader social factors and advocates for systemic changes to improve the overall well-being of displaced populations.

Promoting Social Justice:

An anti-oppressive approach is inherently linked to social justice. By actively working against oppressive structures and advocating for equitable policies and practices, it contributes to creating a more just and inclusive society for forcibly displaced populations.

This group design inherently embeds an anti-oppressive approach by recognizing the impact of forced displacement on mental health and advocating for the restoration of human rights. The MBTR-R intervention is designed to be socio-culturally adapted, ensuring inclusivity and respect for diverse experiences.

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Anjum, G., Aziz, M., & Hamid, H. (2023). Life and Mental Health in Limbo of the Ukraine War: How can helpers assist civilians, asylum seekers and refugees affected by war?. National Library of Medicine. https://www-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.ezproxy.viu.ca/pmc/articles/PMC9983366/

CASW (2005). Guidelines for Ethical Practice. Canadian Association of Social Workers. https://www.casw-acts.ca/files/attachements/casw_guidelines_for_ethical_practice.pdf

CCMI (2023). Foundations of Motivational Interviewing: Participant Workbook. Centre for Collaboration Motivation & Innovation.

Cénat, J., Darious, W., Noorishad, P.-G., McIntee, S.-E., Dromer, E., Mukunzi, J., Solola, O., & Williams, M. (2022). War in Ukraine and Racism: The Physical and Mental Health of Refugees of Color Matters. PubMed Central. https://www-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.ezproxy.viu.ca/pmc/articles/PMC9091168/

Gartley, T., & Due, C. (2016). The interpreter is not an invisible being: A thematic analysis of the ... Taylor & Francis Online. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1111/ap.12181

Greenaway, C., Fabreau, G., & Pottie, K. (2022). The War in Ukraine and Refugee Health Care: Considerations for Health Care Providers in Canada. PubMed Central. https://www-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.ezproxy.viu.ca/pmc/articles/PMC9328477/

Encyclopedia Of Ukraine. https://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/default.asp Ministry of Municipal Affairs.

Lindsay, T., & Ortan, S. (2014). Groupwork practice in social work (3rd ed.) Sage.

Lysnyk, K. (2023). Conducting Psychological Support Groups Online During the War in Ukraine.

https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.viu.ca/doi/full/10.1080/14779757.2023.2167735

Muskrat, B., Greenblatt, A., Garvin, C., Pelech, W., Cohen, C., Macgowan, M., & Roy, V. (2020). Group workers' experience of mutual aid: Stories from the field. Social Work with Groups (New York. 1978), 43(3), 241-256. https://www.-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.viu.ca/doi/full/10.1080/01609513.2019.1571470

Mullaly, R. P., & West, J. (2018). Challenging oppression and confronting privilege a critical social work approach to anti-oppressive and anti-privilege theory and practice (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Oviedo, L., Seryczyńska, B., Torralba, J., Roszak, P., Angel, J. D., Vyshynska, O., Muzychuk, I., & Churpita, S. (2022). Coping and Resilience Strategies among Ukraine War Refugees. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9602814/

Parasram, A., & Khasnabish, A., (2022). Frequently Asked White Questions. Fernwood Publishing.IEU Team. (2023).

Schmid, J. (2023). Anti-Oppressive Practice (AOP) in Groups. VIULearn.

Toseland, R., & Rivas, R., (2017). An introduction to group work practice (8th ed.) Pearson.

Ukraine Support Project. The Pocket Project. (2023, October 7). https://pocketproject.org/ukraine-support-project/

Welcoming Ukraine. Province of British Columbia. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/tourism-immigration/ukraine/welcome

YWCA support group for Ukrainian Refugee Mothers. YWCA Metro Vancouver. (2022, May 27). https://ywcavan.org/ukrainian-moms