We are victims too (PORTO-05-EN)

Peter and Francis, both 20 years old, fled their country because they knew they were going to be recruited to fight in the army and they did not want to do it in a war they didn't believe in. They were studying medicine and all they wanted was to save lives in the future.

In their new country, Peter and Francis came to the municipal services.  They asked how they could continue their studies in this new country, but they were told that, because they did not have refugee status, it would not be easy to get what they wanted.

Peter became visibly distressed. He looked terrified and could hardly speak. Francis explained to the employee that, basically, they were the 'bad guys' in everyone's eyes. They were trapped, without a past or a future, without a home, and without a country.

The trauma-informed practice-trained staff member:

• recognized Peter’s symptoms as manifestations of a psychological crisis;
• accepted the behaviour and responded with empathy, applying the components of exploration, validation, support, and respect;
• gave him instructions to help normalize his breathing and to avoid the focus on sensations in his body. Helped him to slow down the pace of his breathing and asked him to describe in detail some objects that were in front of them.

When the symptomatology subsided, the practice-trained staff member:

• explained that Peter’s reaction could be related with the experience of psychological trauma and that each person reacted differently;
• suggested self-help educational material with strategies to help both Peter and Francis to deal with their anxiety;
• promised to get more information on what was possible to do in those circumstances and scheduled a new session for a few days later;
• additionally referred them to other services of the local partners’ network for further information.