Testimonial Psychotherapy for Adolescent Refugees: a Case Series
Abstract
Adolescent refugees are a traumatized, vulnerable group of arrivals to America who lack experience with or interest in psychiatric care. Testimonial psychotherapy’s unique focus on transcribing personal, traumatic events for the altruistic purpose of education and advocacy make it an acceptable interaction by which to bridge the cultural gap that prevents young refugees from seeking psychiatric care. The theoretical basis for testimony is discussed. Testimonial psychotherapy has been used with adult refugees, but not with adolescents. This article describes the testimonial process with three Sudanese adolescents (the so-called ‘Lost Boys’), which appeared feasible and safe. An efficacy study is underway.
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Case reports from Sudanese refugees suggest testimonial psychotherapy may offer a useful alternative when conventional psychotherapy is stigmatizing, rare, or culturally unsuitable.
“Case studies of the intervention as used with Sudanese refugees indicate that testimonials may serve as a useful alternative to traditional psychotherapy approaches, which may be stigmatizing, uncommon, or culturally irrelevant among some populations.32”
From Interventions for Children Affected by War: An Ecological Perspective on Psychosocial Support and Mental Health Care (2013) · cites this paper as [32]
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Betancourt, T. S., Meyers-Ohki, S. E., Charrow, A. P., & Tol, W. A. (2013) · Harvard Review of Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/hrp.0b013e318283bf8f · Cited by 326 · see citing works
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- Authors
- Lustig, S. L., Weine, S. M., Saxe, G. N., & Beardslee, W. R.
- Affiliations
- Boston University (US)
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
- Harvard University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Lustig, Stuart L.
- Venue
- Transcultural Psychiatry
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2004-03
- Volume
- 41
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 31-45
- ISSN
- 1363-4615 (ISSN-L)
- 1461-7471
- OpenAlex
- W2020030842
- Cited by
- 82
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 28 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 4 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 4.05
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Transcultural Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Migration, Health and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Memory, Trauma, and Testimony
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
- Keywords
- refugee adolescents, Lost Boys, Sudanese refugees, trauma, witness testimony, refugee mental health
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Adolescent Psychiatry, Cultural Characteristics, Humans, Male, Psychotherapy, Refugees, Sudan, Vulnerable Populations
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