Refugee Mental Health team offered a therapeutic wellness group for recently arrived refugee students
The JFS Refugee Mental Health program provides specialized, culturally sensitive, compassionate mental health care and support services for refugees and immigrants of all ages, faiths, ethnicities, and countries of origin. Last April, the Refugee Mental Health team started a new therapeutic wellness group for recently arrived refugee students at Denver’s South High School.
South High School is the home of Denver Public School’s Newcomer program for high-school-aged refugee students. The Newcomer program provides English language instruction and helps students with various levels of formal education adjust to attending an American high school for the first time. Beginning a new school, in addition to the stress of leaving one’s country and resettling in the United States, can be a highly stressful, emotionally challenging process for these young people. Often, additional support is needed. Over the 2021-2022 school year, South High School saw an increased number of new refugee students. When teachers and counselors noticed increased stress and mental health needs among their Newcomer students, they contacted JFS to ask for additional mental health support.
In response to South High School’s request, Refugee Mental Health Therapist Talie Watzman began offering weekly therapeutic groups to the Newcomer students. Watzman used a group curriculum developed by the International KidSuccess program called the RESPECT guide, which focuses on improving cultural adjustment by giving young people a space to process their feelings surrounding the process of resettlement, learning English, and navigating their new school and life in the United States. Because these students have varying levels of English comprehension and literacy, the group activities are based in art and other creative forms, allowing students a means to express and process their emotions and communicate and share information with their peers. The activities enable students an opportunity to reflect on their experiences as refugees and new Coloradans and find commonalities and differences among their Newcomer peers. For example, one of the group activities invites students to create a collage depicting their feelings, thoughts, and memories of their country of origin.
The inaugural group consisted of approximately 10 students from around the world, including Afghanistan, South Sudan, Angola, and Venezuela, and everyone lived in Colorado for one year or less. Students shared they liked living in Colorado, but many come from warmer climates, and it was difficult to adjust to the colder weather and snow!
Watzman hopes this group gives students a space to feel comfortable sharing their experiences and expressing themselves in a welcoming and safe environment.