Volume_6_Issue_4_Digest

5 TPC Digest M ovements such as the Arab Spring and recent regional conflicts have forced people to leave their homes and flee to other countries or regions. Syrian refugees are currently the second largest refugee group worldwide. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Turkey has accommodated the largest number of Syrian refugees in the region. The majority of refugees (90%) live outside of camps and are surviving under challenging circumstances compared to the refugees who live in the camps. Turkish government and non-governmental civil organizations have mobilized efforts to address the immediate survival needs of refugees such as providing food and shelter. Despite these efforts, the available resources, including the number of counselors and other qualified mental health professionals, are inadequate to deal with the constant flow of Syrian refugees. Turkish officials have utilized a physiological and psychological needs-based approach in the planning for a response to the refugee crisis. The approach includes four levels, which are (1) basic needs and security, (2) the community situation and family support, (3) focused, non-specialized counseling support, and (4) specialized counseling services to assess the urgency of needs. Syrian refugees are at especially high risk for mental health problems as well as social and physical concerns, and uncertainty about the future and the current situation in Syria. Individual accounts of extensive violence, death and war illustrate the distress of refugee life at the personal level. There are specific situations that affect the mental health of Syrian refugees. First, 83% of Syrian refugees have experienced a traumatic event. Intensity of the experience and duration of exposure may affect their level of mental health. The stories and experiences of refugees who were exposed to the traumatic events can frighten other refugees who did not experience a traumatic event, triggering anxiety and stress. Second, unmet physiological needs may exacerbate feelings of insecurity and affect healthy psychological responses. Moreover, refugees’ lack of personal awareness of their own mental health needs can affect help- seeking behaviors. Third, there may be acculturative stress stemming from cultural differences and adaptation to the host culture that can adversely affect mental health factors after immigration. Specifically, high risks exist for children who lost one or both parents in the war. Last, hearing about and seeing people continuing to die in the conflict through news and social media can increase or sustain depression and PTSD symptoms. As the refugee population continues to grow, host nations will need to prepare a systematic response to this continuing humanitarian crisis in ways that support the basic human needs of forcibly displaced people. The Turkish government has responded to the presence of Syrian refugees with interventions that support basic survival needs (i.e., food and shelter). The availability of mental health and social services for refugees is limited and remains a focus of humanitarian assistance. Mehmet A. Karaman is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Richard J. Ricard is a Professor at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Correspondence can be addressed to Mehmet A. Karaman, EDUC 1.642, 1201 West University Dr., Edinburg, TX 78539-2999, Mehmet.Karaman@utrgv.edu. Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Syrian Refugees in Turkey Mehmet A. Karaman, Richard J. Ricard Read full article and references: Karaman, M. A., & Ricard, R. J. (2016). Meeting the mental health needs of Syrian refugees in Turkey. The Professional Counselor , 6 , 318–327. doi : 10.15241/mk.6.4.318 5 TPC Digest