Resettlement Workforce Perspectives on Mental Health Care of Refugees

Background: To identify the mental health care needs of resettled refugees, researchers have studied the perspectives of mental health service providers but have paid limited attention to the perspectives of individuals who work directly in resettlement agencies or in agencies that exclusively provide services to promote refugees’ self-sufficiency and integration—the refugee resettlement workforce—who routinely provide support, make referrals, and coordinate mental health care. To better inform programming and service delivery, this qualitative case study focuses on the perspectives of the resettlement workforce. Methods: Focus group interviews conducted with 48 refugee resettlement workforce members were analyzed for their perspectives on refugee mental health needs and care. Results: Thematic analysis revealed that their perspectives centered on barriers to (i.e., resettlement challenges, notions about mental illness, stigma associated with mental illness, inadequate access to mental health care, and limited technology literacy) and facilitators of (i.e., promoting mental health literacy, addressing stigma, providing specific and targeted training, mental health coordination, allies, and building programming capacity) refugee mental health care. A set of recommendations to minimize barriers and promote facilitators is presented. Conclusions: These findings corroborate previous research and inform the practices, programs, and policies that should be developed and implemented to support refugees’ mental health wellbeing, self-sufficiency, and community integration post-resettlement.