Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Collaborative BuildaBridge International report of Year 1

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Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Collaborative BuildaBridge International report of Year 1

BuildaBridge Year 1 Report Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Collaborative Mission – To connect newly arrived refugees to culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health care, including support groups, therapy, and community-building arts and education projects. Vision – All refugees have access to quality mental health supports, including a network of trained professionals committed to serving refugee populations, appropriate translation services and treatment centers who access these services and recognition of alternative treatment modules and funding for them.

Lead Art Therapist making individual mandalas with Bhutanese children, April 2012

Narrative Summary BuildaBridge’s role during Year 1 of the Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Collaborative (PRMHC) was instrumental in accomplishing the mission, vision and outcomes set forth by the collaborative. The key elements of the BuildaBridge ClassroomSM - structure, rituals and boundaries, proved to be the driving forces behind how and why the refugees accomplished the goal of identifying adjustment strategies that build on the strengths of their communities in promoting success, strength, recovery and resiliency in a new culture. The model is trauma-informed, hope-infused and childcentered in an effort to instill hope, healing and resiliency in participants. Art is used as a metaphor for learning life lessons in addition to four major outcome areas which include academic, social, spiritual and artistic skills that are measurable both qualitatively and quantitatively. The model has been used in twenty-five countries in the past ten years with vulnerable and marginalized populations reaching more than 10,000 artists and children. The collaborative’s research has shown that new refugee communities naturally use art-making like dance, drumming and visual art to ground themselves in their native culture while acclimating in a new environment. The combination of this latter research and the BuildaBridge ClassroomSM was used to fulfill the function of providing refugees with monthly community and culturally specific alternative support groups. BuildaBridge Therapy Groups Personnel Five art therapists and teaching artists Five volunteer assistants Three refugee case aides Outputs 1. Establishment of a Bhutanese art therapy group for children on a consistent schedule. 2. Children’s art projects - Demonstrated the children’s increasing abilities to establish a new identity in the United States, build resiliency and develop their internal locus of control. 3. Group cohesion and a sense of community among 15 consistent Bhutanese children. 4. Establishment of a support system using art-making for Iraqi women and children which will serve as a foundation for the development of Iraqi family art-making sessions for Year 2. Four art therapy groups were held with a total three adult women and two children. 1


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Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Collaborative BuildaBridge International report of Year 1 by BuildaBridge International - Issuu