Refugee Displacement: Utah Resources

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A list of community resources for immigrant communities compiled and published by Utah Domestic Violence Coalition (UDVC). Many services and immigration relief are available to immigrant and refugee survivors of domestic violence.

Utah Health and Human Rights offers holistic services for survivors of torture living in Utah as well as training for those who work with or may encounter torture survivors in their work. UHHR is the only organization in Utah to provide co-located and highly-specialized mental health, medical, legal, and case management services to refugees and asylum seekers who have survived torture and severe war trauma. Utah Health and Human Rights also provides training and consultation to community members and professionals statewide including medical providers, religious leaders, educators, mental health therapists, and refugee mutual assistance organizations.

The Refugee and Immigrant Center - Asian Association of Utah (RIC-AAU) was founded in 1977 and is a private, non-profit, community-based organization located in Salt Lake City. The RIC-AAU provides services and engages the community in such ways as community wellness, employment, ESL and life skills, interpreting and translation, youth and family services, the Sunnyvale Neighborhood Center, social services, and the Utah Asian Festival. 

Community wellness:

Approximately one in four adult Americans suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. Within refugee and traumatized populations, the rate is up to more than one in two, ranging from adjustment disorders to post-traumatic stress disorder to serious mental illness.  Research and practice experience also tells us that refugees experiencing mental health disorders have higher risk of substance abuse.  In families with tendencies toward spousal abuse, the stress can exacerbate existing family dysfunction, creating danger for victims and abusers alike.  Psychosocial, mental, and emotional wellbeing are key to stability and successful integration.

RIC-AAU offers affordable, culturally-sensitive and language-specific counseling services for immigrants, refugees, and other community members. Services are open to all residents of the Salt Lake County. We are licensed by Utah Department of Human Services to provide outpatient services in substance abuse, domestic violence and general mental health programs.

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network's (NCTSN) section on refugee trauma lists effects of refugee trauma, screening and assessment, interventions, and NCTSN resources.

Highlighted resources:

• Celebrating World Refugee Day: Understanding Refugee Experiences and Improving Services (2017): Offers information about refugee arrivals in the U.S. and refugee mental health needs and best practices. This webinar discusses how host communities and service providers need to take trauma and loss into consideration as they support refugees, as well as refugee core stressors and the importance of creating trauma-informed, culturally accessible services. Additionally, the webinar describes Trauma Systems Therapy for Refugees (TST-R) as an example of an intervention specifically tailored to address the needs of refugees.
• Best Practices in Screening and Assessment of Refugee Youth (2013): Highlights best practices in screening and assessment for refugee youth. This webinar addresses challenges and key issues when conducting mental health assessments with refugee children and adolescents; evidence-based screening and assessment tools for refugee youth; and best practices in assessment administration, including information about translating assessments and existing assessments that have already been adapted for this population. This webinar also describes best practices in the use of screening and assessment instruments for treatment planning and program evaluation.
• Understanding Refugee Trauma: For Primary Care Providers (2018): Outlines different considerations that primary care providers need to take into account when working with refugee youth and their families. This fact sheet describes the cultural, child and youth, family, and provider considerations that healthcare providers should understand when working with this population.
• Understanding Refugee Trauma: For Mental Health Professionals (2018): Outlines different considerations that mental health professionals need to take into account when working with refugee youth and their families. This fact sheet describes the cultural, child and youth, family, and provider considerations that professionals should understand when working with this population.
• Understanding Refugee Trauma: For School Personnel (2018): Outlines different considerations that school personnel need to take into account when working with refugee youth and their families. This fact sheet describes the school, classroom, individual, and family considerations that school staff should understand when working with this population.

Published by the Administration for Children & Families (ACF), a division of the US Department of Health & Human Services, this page is a section of the ACF "trauma toolkit" and explains what trauma-informed services, links to helpful government resources, and offers advice for agencies and programs seeking to become trauma-informed and resiliency focused in their services and practices