Counseling Newcomers and Refugees: Children and Adolescents

Practice Briefs

Contributors: Isabel C. FarrellDareen Basma

Human migration is permanent or semi-permanent movement from one geographical location to another (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR], 2017). This process may occur either internationally or domestically and is often categorized as voluntary or involuntary. Voluntary migration is understood as a choice to migrate for the betterment of social and economic standing. Examples of voluntary migration have included relocating for a job or moving for educational purposes. Involuntary migration is often understood as a forced movement as a result of political conflict and persecution, man-made or natural disasters, and development-induced projects (e.g., hydro-electric,mining, and irrigation development projects). Examples of involuntary migration include refugees seeking asylum as a result of war-time conflict and victims of Hurricane Katrina who were forced to vacate their homes and neighborhoods. It is crucial to recognize that labels and distinctions between forced and voluntary migration exist to ease political and public discourse around the process of migration. Instead, approaching migration as one that exists on a forced-voluntary continuum allows for a more nuanced understanding of a migrant’s experience.

Citation:

Farrell, I. C., & Basma, D. (2020, July). Counseling newcomers and refugees: children and adolescents [Practice Brief]. Counseling Nexus. https://doi.org/10.63134/MTJQ2879

Metadata

  • container title
    Practice Briefs
  • publisher
    American Counseling Association
  • publisher place
    Alexandria, VA
  • rights holder
    American Counseling Association
  • version
    1
  • doi