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COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY WITH REFUGEES

Dick Blackwell, Jessica Kingsley Publishers ISBN 1843103168, £14.95

STAR RATING 4/5

The experiences of refugees are little known outside their communities, especially the trauma that can result from displacement, writes Tracey Bolger.

Dick Blackwell considers these issues which he backs up with important information on providing psychotherapy.

The different experiences of refugees and therapists are documented in separate sections, which make it easy to read. I also like the fact that the author addresses the important and often overlooked challenges of working with interpreters and the dilemma for therapists of becoming advocates. These ongoing challenges are clearly outlined and discussed in a straightforward manner, with useful insights given from the author's own experience.

The book is written in a factual and easy-to-follow manner and is accessible enough to be used as a tool in the therapy process as it could be given to a client to enable them to understand the experience of psychotherapy.

I found this book to be extremely useful, well laid out and a good basic manual to have on hand when trying to understand the experiences of refugees. I would highly recommend this book as a reference for those working with refugees and as a basic information pack for those who are in training or preparing to begin psychotherapy work with refugees.

Tracey Bolger is a regional manager, Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and provides therapeutic services to the traveller and Roma communities