DIGEST-V7-i4

10 TPC Digest Angelica M. Tello, Nancy E. Castellon, Alejandra Aguilar, Cheryl B. Sawyer Unaccompanied Refugee Minors From Central America Understanding Their Journey and Implications for Counselors T The United States has recently seen a significant increase in unaccompanied refugee minors from the Northern Triangle of Central America. These are children and youth from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador who are traveling alone and crossing the Mexican border into the United States without legal authorization. Impoverished living conditions and extreme gang violence are the major factors leading unaccompanied minors to leave Central America. Societal inequalities and natural disasters have led to high poverty rates in the Northern Triangle. Furthermore, gangs have been able to flourish in this region due to political instability. As a result, the Northern Triangle has high rates of gang violence and homicide. Further research is needed on the mental health needs of unaccompanied refugee minors from the Northern Triangle of Central America. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to gain awareness of the journey experienced by unaccompanied minors from the Northern Triangle to the United States and provide implications for counselors. Thematic analysis was utilized to analyze the narratives of 16 participants (13 male, three female) who entered the United States as unaccompanied minors from the Northern Triangle. Each participant organized a digital storybook that discussed their journey to the United States. From the participants’ narratives, three primary themes emerged: reasons for leaving Central America, journey to the United States, and life in the United States. Participants fled Central America to financially help family, to escape violence and death, and to deal with powerlessness. They also shared the physical and emotional pain that was part of the journey to the United States. Participants provided detailed accounts of how they were physically assaulted and faced various injuries due to long days of walking. Participants also shared the emotional pain they experienced on their journey, such as reoccurring images from witnessing physical and sexual assaults. These types of physical and emotional pain place unaccompanied refugee minors at greater risk of mental health problems such as depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. In the literature on unaccompanied refugees, there is limited understanding of their experience once they arrive in the United States. Participants in this study provided some insight into these experiences. Faith was a source of strength as participants transitioned to life in the United States. However, many participants shared worries about their future; worries about their family members who were left behind, of their safety in the United States, and the uncertainty of their legal status. These constant worries about their future, coupled with the exposure to trauma in their past, might increase the depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms experienced by unaccompanied refugee minors. Therefore, it is crucial that counselors working with unaccompanied refugees be informed of trauma counseling theories and interventions, such as trauma-informed care. Additionally, counselors must practice multiculturally competent counseling services with this population and create a safe space for clients to process their trauma in a non-threating manner. This study provides insight into cultural values that counselors can incorporate in session to help unaccompanied minors find some personal balance in the United States. Angelica M. Tello, NCC, is an assistant professor at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Nancy E. Castellon is a doctoral student at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Alejandra Aguilar is a doctoral student at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Cheryl B. Sawyer is a professor at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Correspondence can be addressed to Angelica Tello, 2700 Bay Area Blvd, Houston, Texas, 77058-1002, tello@uhcl.edu.