Psychological support for refugees and forcibly displaced people

Forced displacement can take people across a border or elsewhere within their own country. A person loses a familiar life and sometimes their home, loved ones, work and sense of safety. Danger does not always end on arrival: questions about housing, documents, treatment and family contact remain. Support should take these conditions into account, rather than demanding that someone immediately calm down and start again.

Safety and help are needed now

If there is an immediate threat of violence, serious harm to health, sudden confusion or a danger of harming yourself, local emergency or medical help is needed. Do not wait for a psychological appointment or a confirmed diagnosis. If possible, turn to a trusted person nearby; contacts are on the urgent help page.

In other situations, a useful starting question is: “What is hardest right now, and what do you need today?” Sometimes the answer is a safe place to sleep, medication, charging a phone or help with one call. Psychological and practical support can happen together. You do not have to resolve every housing issue before seeking help for serious distress.

Do not turn every reaction into a diagnosis

After dangerous events, people may experience anxiety, crying, irritability, numbness or difficulties with sleep and attention. Responses vary: not crying does not mean indifference, and strong feelings do not prove a mental disorder. Not every forcibly displaced person has PTSD, and not everyone needs the same therapy.

Duration, severity, changes in condition and the ability to manage essential tasks matter. If someone is not eating, barely sleeps, cannot care for themselves or a child, experiences recurring frightening memories or increasingly uses alcohol or other substances, professional assessment is needed. Worsening health should not be dismissed as “everyone is living like this now”. Physical symptoms also need medical attention.

Practical help that preserves independence

Identify the immediate need: somewhere to sleep, food, water, treatment, contact or protection from a threat.
Choose one action and ask what help is needed with it.
Check the local service, access requirements, language and opening hours.
Write down a clear next step: where to go, what to take and who can accompany the person.
Check what to do if the service does not respond or cannot help.

For example, “see a doctor” may be impossible without a phone, transport or understanding how appointments work. With the person's consent, you can help clarify these details. Do not take away their documents, make decisions on their behalf or treat silence as consent. Help should increase their ability to choose.

Requirements for status, benefits, housing and medical services vary. Check them through official local services and qualified advisers. On UNHCR Help, you can select a country and find available information and contacts. This is a starting point, not a guarantee that a particular service exists everywhere or is available to every applicant.

Do not demand an account of trauma

You do not need to know every detail of what happened to offer support. Listen to as much as the person wants to say and ask what would help now. Do not ask questions out of curiosity, insist on tears or promise that one detailed account will prevent PTSD.

Psychological first aid involves respectful communication, practical support and links to resources. It is not a compulsory review of what happened. NICE does not recommend psychologically focused debriefing to prevent or treat PTSD. However, voluntarily discussing traumatic memories can be part of professional therapy when indicated: that is a different process, involving assessment, a plan and consent.

Some information may be necessary for medical or legal procedures. The professional should explain why they are asking and who will receive the answer. You can say that talking is difficult right now, request a break and discuss available options. You do not have to retell your personal history to every volunteer or group member to deserve respect.

Interpreting and confidentiality

For complex medical and psychological conversations, ask about access to a professional interpreter. A child should not be responsible for conveying information about violence, diagnoses or the family's legal situation. The person needs to understand the proposed actions as well as the words and be able to ask questions.

Before the conversation, ask who will be present, what is documented, who receives information and what exceptions to confidentiality apply under local rules. If the interpreter knows your community and this makes it difficult to speak, say so and request another available option. Recording or online contact requires a separate discussion of consent, a private setting and data protection.

A group of people from your country may be supportive, but a shared background does not guarantee safety. Ask about rules, the option not to share personal information, responses to pressure and whether photographs or recordings are allowed. The facilitator can prohibit disclosure but cannot guarantee that no participant will break the rule.

Family, children and contact with loved ones

Where possible, keep some predictability: food, rest, an understandable plan for the coming day and an agreed way to stay in touch. Do not demand the same pace of recovery from everyone. The person handling documents and caring for others may need rest and assistance too.

Children benefit from understandable, age-appropriate explanations and an adult they can turn to. Do not promise a precise return date if nobody knows it, or make a child responsible for keeping adults calm. If a family is separated or you find an unaccompanied child, contact verified child protection and family tracing services. Do not publish the child's documents or location openly.

Recognising safe professional help

Ask about qualifications, experience with forced displacement, available languages, costs, goals and referrals to other services. Help may include medical assessment, individual therapy, community support and social resources. The choice depends on needs; one group meeting does not replace necessary treatment. Continue prescribed medical care and discuss medication changes with a doctor.

UNHCR and its partners provide services free of charge; demanding money or personal favours, including sexual favours, for this assistance is unacceptable. Verify questionable offers through the organisation's official channel. Misconduct can be reported using UNHCR's listed contacts; you do not have to first confront the person on whom assistance depends.

A professional should not humiliate you, require particular political views, promise guaranteed legal status or explain real threats solely through your thinking. Thoughts of suicide or self-harm call for timely professional support; an intention to act or immediate danger requires emergency help. Respect for understandable reactions to severe events is compatible with taking symptoms and treatment seriously.

Sources

This article provides information and does not replace individual consultation, diagnosis or treatment.