ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that therapists and other refugee workers, under the imperceptible influence of the refugee-trauma discourse, tend to feel that they cannot work effectively with this group of clients unless they have some privileged knowledge. Therapists and refugee workers are exposed to the wider societal narratives about refugees that address not only the psychological plight of the fleeing people but also a host of other aspects of the whole mosaic that contains the refugee condition. The simplification that the "refugee-trauma" discourse offers can do violence to an already multifaceted and multidimensional field such as the refugee situation. The denial of complexity may deprive therapeutic work in these contexts from accessing the totality of psychological functions and abilities of refugees. Ultimately, human beings have the capacity to process internally and within their families and communities painful events and experiences, and to transform them into potentially growthful potentialities.
