Working with bereaved asylum-seekers and refugees

Asylum-seekers and refugees have usually sustained multiple losses by the time they arrive in the host country their homeland, personal possessions, their occupation and traditional way of life. Many are fleeing persecution and death as a result of their ethnicity or religious beliefs. War or civil unrest may have led to the murders of their families. In many cases these atrocities have been witnessed by the refugee, leading to complicated bereavements. Survivor guilt may make it difficult for the person to move forward. In order to help this client group, bereavement counsellors need to familiarise themselves with the belief systems and mourning rituals of people from a wide range of cultures, as well as the features of traumatic bereavement and the new skills of working with an interpreter. This paper offers an introduction to this complex work, drawing on the literature and composite examples from the author's therapeutic work.