ABSTRACT

In recent years the UNHCR has reported record highs in forcible displacement due to increased violent conflict across developing countries. A small percentage of forcibly displaced people resettle in developed countries in Europe and North America, where they struggle to adjust and come to terms with their experienced losses. This chapter opens with a fictional case study of a Syrian refugee family, followed by an examination of the social context of forced displacement. A review of terminology commonly used to represent forcibly displaced people and its impact on perceptions and responses to loss is presented, followed by a discussion of tangible and intangible losses and associated grief responses in the context of the presented case study. Finally, clinical interventions such as trauma-focused treatments and the cultural humility framework are proposed for use by practitioners.