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In Aarau, people who have fled the country receive extensive training so that they can help other refugees.
“People who have experienced flight, migration and violence need low-threshold psychosocial advice in their mother tongue,” says the Paxion association, which organizes new training and advice for refugees. Psychosocial counseling is planned in Tigrinya, Dari/Farsi, Kurdish, Ukrainian and French.
The consultations are carried out by people who have experienced something similar. The cantons of Aargau and Zug train these refugees. In 2024 they will then work in the new advice centers in Aarau and Zug. Anyone who has completed an apprenticeship in Aarau is employed by one of the two advice centers.
Less psychiatry, more counseling
The pilot projects in the cantons of Aargau and Zug are the first. The future counselors will be trained in “Valued Based Counseling” in Aarau. Those responsible say that this type of further training is culture-sensitive and solution-oriented.
The point is that the refugees can help themselves after the counseling because they understand their sleep disorder better, for example. “In many cases you don’t need a psychiatrist or psychologist,” says Esther Oester from the Paxion association.
Legend:
Ukrainian refugees in 2022 in a collective shelter in Givisiez. The Swiss association Paxion says that many are psychologically stressed by the flight and wants to help.
Keystone/Peter Schneider
The training in Aarau lasts one year. A three-month theoretical training is followed by a nine-month practical training with the first counseling cases. The first training will start in September 2023. Esther Oester, manager of the Paxion association, is still looking for training rooms in Aarau.
Bold entry
The association is also looking for around 20 women and men who want to be trained as transcultural, psychosocial counselors. Ideally, they will already have a degree in psychology or training in the healthcare sector. “But we also accept people with comparable experiences. You have to be able to speak German well, be stable and motivated,” explains Esther Oester. Getting started takes a little courage, she admits.
On the night of the escape, the refugees often have trouble sleeping or are in pain.
The goal would be for the trained counselors to advise refugees before they become mentally ill. Flight and war often traumatize people, Esther Oester knows: “While fleeing, they experience stressful things. They were tortured in prisons or fled by boat across the Mediterranean. When they arrive in Switzerland, they have trouble sleeping or are in pain – arrival is often not easy.”
be able to help more quickly
Refugees with psychological problems are not left alone in Switzerland, says Rolf Schmid, President of the aid organization Netzwerk Asyl Aargau. But it usually takes a long time before people receive therapy. In addition, recognizing the diseases is difficult and the clarifications take time.
Legend:
Arriving in Switzerland is often not easy. Various asylum organizations report that the refugees suffer from insomnia and pain.
Keystone/Pablo Gianinazzi
There are also many misunderstandings of a purely linguistic nature, adds Esther Oester from the Paxion association. That is a plus point of the pilot project, the linguistic and cultural knowledge of the counselors, agrees with Rolf Schmid from the Association Network Asylum Aargau. Planning has been going on for four years, based on a project from Germany.
The new advice centers in Aarau and Zug will be open from 2024. The cantons of Aargau and Zug as well as the federal government support the project financially.