Amanda Mc Fadden, Refugee Presentation
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The document discusses the role of clinical psychologists in refugee proceedings. Psychologists can provide critical evidence of psychological damage from persecution, torture, or cruel treatment. They assist in gathering facts and providing context for a refugee's behavior. Complex trauma, which results from prolonged or repeated trauma, is common in refugee populations and can profoundly change personality. A refugee's worldview, shaped by their experiences and culture, influences how they perceive harm and alternatives in their home country. The document also presents a case study to illustrate these concepts.
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Amanda Mc Fadden, Refugee Presentation
- 1. Complex Trauma within Refugee Populations The Role of a Clinical Psychologist in Refugee Proceedings
- 11. FARC in Action
Editor's Notes
- NZ fulfills its international humanitarian obligations through the UN Quota refugee programme. NZ is one of 10 countries that accepts a annual quota. (1000/year decided off shore prior to arrival in NZ while in UN camps). Quota refugees are granted permanent residency on arrival in NZ. Undergo resettlement programmes at Mangere for a 6 week period. Asylum seekers arrive in the country by legal or illegal means and then declare asylum at the border or following arrival become convention refugees when claims are acceptedThe first stage for determining a asylum seekers claim is a RSB hearing. Three parts 1) to establish credibility of claim, 2) risk of serious harm according to the 5 convention reasons, 3) to establish if there is there an internal protection alternative.The appeal process occurs within the Immigration and Protection Tribunal (IPT). This is more like a court, panel of 2-3 judges, lawyers.Protected persons - captures victims of torture, cruel inhumane or degrading punishment or treatment. CAT and International COnvention Against Torture and Other Cruel Inhumane Treatment.Humanitarian Grounds-broader focused on exceptional circumstances of a humanitarian nature that would make unjust or unduly harsh for a person to be removed from NZ. Includes issues of emotional, physical, mental health and well being. should person be deported-issues sit outside refugee convention or CAT.
- Credibility issues often arise out of a claimants behaviour or responses during interviews. Psychologists are often asked to investigate inconsistencies in reporting, omissions or unusual responses that may be observed during the interview process.Psychologists are often asked to give an assessment of a claimants state of mind.Psychologists are almost always asked to look at the risks posed to a person should they be returned to the site of persecution or trauma, or deported.
- It is important to actively consider the validity and reliability of your findings. There are formal assessment tools available that attempt to measure symptom validity. They can be used but not in all cases. In my experience the issue symptom validity can present some thorny issues but this should not be ignored. It is the RSB and IPT's role to evaluate all the information and decide on credibility.
- Over the last 20 years there has much been discussion about the need to broaden definitions of PTSD to include a diagnosis of complex PTSD as a stand alone disorder.
- As I became more involved in this work I came up against situations where giving an opinion of presence or otherwise of PTSD, did not feel adequate or did not capture the complexity of the claimants or their families experiences, or the basis for the fears about being returned to their countries of origin. I started to look within the literature for answers to my questions, for the means to make sense of my clinical formulations and to assist the decisions makers in their task of making sense of the stories that the claimants were providing.
- A discussion of the family beliefs held by a refugee family feeds into a consideration of the world view held by the group. World view is a concept that has been discussed for many centuries across a range of disciplines (theology, philiosophy, anthropology) and it is considered intergral to the discipline of psychology.
- In 2008 I became involved with a family who were orginally from Colombia. The family had been persecuted by FARC since 1982. FARC was stablished in 1964 as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party, the FARC is Colombia's oldest, largest, most capable, and best-equipped Marxist insurgency. The FARC is organized along military lines and includes several urban fronts.I have presented this case as it was a watershed case for me in my practice in this area and led to me really begin to read and think about the issues facing asylum seekers and the value of psychologists working in this arena. The picture that you see here, is from Colombia. It was taken recently and shows the damage caused by a bombing which was orchestrated by FARC.
- Inconsistencies in stories can come because of the collective nature of the stories. In some cultures the whole family has to agree on the story or members will defer to another members recall or view. Things that aren 稚 exact get built into the story and stay there or grow so that the story takes on a life of its own. A new version of events then is arrived at without the intention to lie. Alternatively family members assist those who have a poor memory or who become highly symptomatic on the recalling triggering aspects of the story. This can led to people then on interview omitting details or providing different details. Make an effort to get to the bottom of what is happening.