The Therapeutic Casework Unit
Based in London, the Refugee Council's Therapeutic Casework Unit operates an assessment, referral and casework service to help meet the health and mental health needs of vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers. The Therapeutic Casework Unit is made up of a health access worker, whose role is to enable clients to access care, bi-lingual support workers, who provide counseling and advocacy for refugees and asylum seekers with mental health support needs, and a women’s worker, whose role is to provide gender sensitive support to vulnerable women. The Therapeutic Casework Unit works closely with our health policy adviser, who provides advice to health practitioners from the voluntary and statutory sector who are working with refugees and asylum seekers.
The Therapeutic Casework Unit has assessed and helped well over 3,000 people in the past eight years - people who have been completely overwhelmed by their experiences of persecution and upheaval. They present with complex needs arising from the after effects of torture, rape, violent incidents, loss of family members, home, culture, lack of recognition in society; anxiety about loved ones left at home or missing.
The Therapeutic Casework Model
Refugees are referred to the Therapeutic Casework Unit by Refugee Council staff as well as by external Primary Care Trusts. They suffer from high levels of anxiety about the asylum process in the UK and worry about accommodation, money, education, access to legal advice or even, destitution and homelessness. The Refugee Council has a unique approach, called the Therapeutic Casework Model, which combines advocacy for refugees' practical needs with counselling skills and therapeutic care. We know this is the most effective model of working with vulnerable people and gives them real hope that they can cope and a build a new life.
In the 12 months to 31.3.09, the Therapeutic Casework Unit as a whole assisted 915 clients of the Refugee Council London Advice Services (also called One Stop Services), or 11% of the total number of clients seen by them.
Detailed statistical information recorded by our team indicated that:
35% of clients had been tortured and 17% were either raped or sexually assaulted. 22% presented with family issues, including stress in relationships or bereavement, anxiety concerning relatives who had been killed or were missing or in detention.
14% were destitute at first point of contact and 5% had been in detention in the UK.
33% presented with distress about their circumstances, while 21% had symptoms related to post-traumatic stress.
42% reported disturbed sleep, including nightmares and 22% depressive symptoms.
Our specialist services include:
- Therapeutic Casework,
- Gender Sensitive Services for Vulnerable Women who may have suffered rape and gender-based violence,
- Systemic Psychotherapy with families, couples and individuals.
- Psychodynamic Counselling
- Narrative Exposure Therapy for traumatised clients.
- Expert therapeutic input in social activities specifically designed for traumatised refugees.
- Support to traumatised clients to access social and educational opportunities at Refugee Council.
Gifts from individual major donors and grant-making trusts are absolutely essential to allow this specialist work to expand with the need.
Read more about vulnerable women
For more information on the Therapeutic Casework Unit, please contact Fetsum Fetwi, Manager Specialist Support Services, Operations Directorate.
