Training refugees as facilitators of culture-sensitive and resource oriented peer groups

Abstract

As we explained earlier in this volume, Culture-Sensitive and Resource Oriented Peer (CROP) Groups have been established in Innsbruck (Austria) in order to help Chechen refugees and asylum seekers to cope with post-traumatic stress and with problems in the course of their acculturation. As opposed to conventional self-help groups, the CROP-Groups, by definition, were headed by same-gender lay counselors, who acted as facilitators. When the present research started, with the help of the Innsbruck based refugee counseling center of Caritas (cf. the contribution by Mishela Ivanova, this volume), the first author got to know four Chechens, two women and two men, who already had been granted asylum and who had a basic knowledge of German. Two of them have been working permanently and one occasionally. The prospective counselors did not suffer from severe symptoms of traumatization and showed an acceptable degree of acculturation in Austrian society. The two women were a tailor, 28 years of age, who had come to Austria two years and eight months ago and a secretary, 41 years of age, who had been living in Austria since three years and two months. One of the men was 44 years old and had come to Austria two years and six months ago and the second man was 37 years of age, living in Austria since three years. Both mean were teachers. All four Chechens were married and had children. In the first session, which took place at the Caritas counseling center, Walter Renner explained the aims of the present research to the prospective group facilitators and asked them whether they would be willing to head one of the CROP-Groups. Walter Renner also explained that an extensive period of training would precede their work, during which they would not be paid but would get refunded their traveling costs. With respect to the financial conditions, it was further explained that their work as group facilitators would be paid with 900 Euro for 15 sessions per two 45-minutes units, i.e., 30 Euro per 45-minutes unit and that during their work as group facilitators they would be offered supervision according to their wishes and needs. Although the group facilitators communicated quite fluently in German, this first contact was aided by an interpreter, in order to be sure that they understood every detail. After some discussion they all agreed to participate.