Unaccompanied minors (UMs) are a rising population within the United States of America (U.S.). This population endures various forms of trauma and have endured at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE) prior to arriving to the U.S. and will most likely experience more ACEs during their migration journey and have the potential of experiencing more once arriving. The goal of this project is for UMs to receive the trauma-informed care they deserve, as they are not assured trauma-informed mental health care (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2019). The project aims to aid UMs in recovering from their traumatic experiences with the development of resilience and prevention of mental health issues through weekly group sessions, covering different topics with a trauma-informed mental health professional. It will also provide a safe space to build relationships, focus on their cultural and personal development, and help with schoolwork through mentorship with a DACA recipient and other fun group activities. Project goals will be assessed with a pre and posttest on stress, depression, anxiety, and resilience; as well as, having them bring in a monthly school report to ensure their academic success and to measure the effectiveness of the program.
This program will address a rising public health issue through a public health framework that will help prevent and address, mainly, mental health issues that can develop due to ACEs. The program will focus on the second and tertiary prevention levels as the target audience consists of individuals who have experienced ACEs and remain at risk; as well as, those who need treatment due to the trauma they endured. In order to address both the secondary and tertiary levels, the program will focus on the development of resilience and the knowledge on how to properly handle and recover from their trauma. The program will also address the mental health issues that are known to develop from ACEs, such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Further, the program acknowledges the potential development of physical health problems but will keep its focus on the mental health side and provide proper referral for other services if needed (Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia, 2016).
The framework for this program will be McLeroy, Bibeau, Stechker, & Glanz’ (1988) Social Ecological Model (SEM). The program will address the first four levels of SEM. The program will address the individual and interpersonal levels through the weekly sessions and ‘Big Brother/Big Sister’ mentorship, as both project activities will help the individual develop their self and cultural identities. As well as, help each UM deal with the trauma they have endured, hopefully helping their mental health. The weekly group sessions, ‘Big Brother/Big Sister’ mentorship, and fun activities will also help generate bonds, which again involves the interpersonal level. Since the program will focus on the recovery and improvement of the UMs, it will also affect the families involved which addresses the interpersonal level yet again. The program could affect the organizational level as it aims to help improve and maintain the chances of academic success for the individual, which will also take stress off the interpersonal. The program will also influence the community level as these families will be able to take part in community events, for example, and create awareness and generate discussion amongst organizations at the community level.
The program will utilize all six of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (2015) (SAMHSA) trauma-informed principles. The principle of safety will be utilized by ensuring the space is safe and welcoming for the both UMs and staff, including volunteers. All program activities will also serve as agents to help create bonds and develop an even greater sense of safety. The principles of trustworthiness and transparency, peer support and mutual self-help, and collaboration and mutuality will be incorporated as the program deals with a very delicate target population and will need to have all three principles in order to be successful. The program will always be transparent with all who are involved of any activities, information or situations that need to be addressed, which will also allow for trust to develop. The group activities will serve as a way to build trust, generate peer support, and collaboration amongst the UMs, but also with the UMs and the staff. These principles will be developed amongst the volunteers and staff during the trauma-informed trainings and they will be encouraged to continue to use those skills throughout the program. The principles of empowerment, voice, and choice and cultural, historical and gender issues will be implemented into the group sessions and utilized through the mentorship as well. Cultural competency will be implemented into the program as the target population comes from other countries and will be learning skills that will help with the process of acculturation, The weekly group sessions will have various topics that will help develop self-identity (e.g. cultural identity) and self-esteem.
References
McLeroy, K. R., Bibeau, D., Steckler, A., & Glanz, K. (1988). An Ecological Perspective on Health Promotion Programs. Health Education Quarterly, 15(4), 351–377. doi: 10.1177/109019818801500401
Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia (2016). Trauma Informed Philanthropy: A Funder’s Resource Guide for Supporting Trauma-Informed Practice in the Delaware Valley. Retrieved from https://philanthropynetwork.or...raumaGUIDE_Final.pdf
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2015). Trauma-informed approach and trauma-specific interventions. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/nctic/trauma-interventions
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2019, December 19). Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program. Retrieved from https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/programs/urm
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