Abstract
As refugee populations are displaced from their countries of origin, they experience population-specific physical, psychological, and social challenges that have a profound impact on mental health. This chapter describes a community engagement program that used photovoice methodology to engage and empower refugee families around the issue of mental health during resettlement. Through the eyes of the program’s key collaborators, you will learn how photographs and accompanying narratives were used to develop thriving partnerships and arts-based mental health programming focused on themes of resilience, cultural inheritance, community-building, and environmental transformation. The research was conducted by members of the Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Collaborative, a group of organizations working to promote refugee community engagement and build an effective, wellness-based model for refugee mental health in the city of Philadelphia.
“They told us to follow [our] rituals.”
–Karna Kariki, Bhutanese refugee, Age 41
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Garrett, C. E. (2006). Living in America: Challenges facing new immigrants and refugees. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Retrieved from research.policyarchive.org/21623.pdf.
Kirmayer, L. J., Groleau, D., Gruzder, J., Blake, C., & Jarvis, E. (2003). Cultural consultation: A model of mental health service for multicultural societies. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 48(3), 145–153.
Knettel, B. A., Plumb, E., Yoshida, H., Fulda, M., Fogg, M., Singh, P., & Brawer, R. (2014). Advancing healthcare provider skills in caring for refugee communities: A training toolkit. The Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Collaborative. Retrieved from www.culturalcommunities.org.
Mahrer, A. R., & Boulet, D. B. (1999). How to do discovery-oriented psychotherapy research. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 55, 1481–1493.
Mohatt, N. V., Singer, J. B., Evans, A. C., Matlin, S. L., Golden J., Harris C., Burns, J., Siciliano, C., Kiernan, G., Pelleritti, M., & Tebes, J. K. (2013). A community’s response to suicide through public art: stakeholder perspectives from the Finding the Light Within project. Am J Community Psycholo., 52 (1–2), 197–209.
Pennsylvania Refugee Resettlement Program (PRRP). (2014). Demographics and arrival statistics. Retrieved from www.refugeesinpa.org/aboutus/demoandarrivalstats/ index.htm.
Ryan, D., Dooley, B., & Benson, C. (2008). Theoretical perspectives on post-migration adaptation and psychological well-being among refugees: Towards a resource-based model. Journal of Refugee Studies, 21(1), 1–18. doi:002010.1093/jrs/fem047.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Plumb, E.J. et al. (2018). Envisioning Home: The Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Photovoice Project as a Story of Effective Relationship Building. In: Capous-Desyllas, M., Morgaine, K. (eds) Creating Social Change Through Creativity. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52129-9_18
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52129-9_18
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-52128-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-52129-9
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)