Voices of Strength: Counselor Experiences of Resilience and Wellness Among Refugee Youth

Abstract

An estimated 117 million people worldwide are currently displaced due to war and other human rights violations, with refugee children and adolescents among the most vulnerable. Their heightened exposure to trauma, violence, and chronic instability places refugee youth at increased risk for mental health challenges such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression. While resilience and wellness are increasingly recognized as protective factors that foster positive adaptation, little is known about how school and clinical mental health counselors understand and support these constructs in their work with refugee youth. This study explored how counselors experience the resilience of refugee youth in their care, as well as uncover their lived experiences in providing wellness support to them. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), six practicing counselors were interviewed to gain in-depth insight into how they experience resilience and implement wellness-based interventions. The analysis revealed four Group Experiential Themes (GETs) describing counselor experiences of resilience and four GETs illustrating their experiences providing wellness support to refugee children and adolescents. An additional GET emerged from the data analysis of the two original research questions established for this study, reported below. The following themes emerged for Research Question 1 pertaining to resilience: Counselors Experience the Resilience of Refugee Children by Observing their Responses to Significant Stressors; Counselors Experience the Resilience of Refugee Children by Observing their Individual Internal Strengths; Counselors Experience the Resilience of Refugee Children by Observing the Influence of Relational Support Systems; and Counselors Experience the Resilience of Refugee Children by Observing the Impact of Schools. The following themes emerged for Research Question 2 pertaining to wellness: Supporting Wellness by Viewing Wellness Through a Holistic Lens; Supporting Wellness by Building Trust; Supporting Wellness by Empowering Clients Through Advocacy; and Supporting Wellness by Practicing Culturally Responsive Care and Using Creative Approaches. The following theme emerged from the data analysis of Research Questions 1 and 2, pertaining to broader counselor experiences of working with refugee children: Working with Refugee Youth as a Source of Growth for the Counselor. Findings indicated that counselors conceptualize resilience as a dynamic interplay of internal (e.g., faith, hope, self-belief, and persistence) and external factors of resilience (e.g., family, community, educational access, and resources). Counselors reported utilizing holistic, strengths-based, and evidence-based practices to support wellness, and schools were observed to play a critical role in providing stability and promoting well-being. Results demonstrated a shift away from deficit-based perspectives toward approaches that recognize and leverage the existing strengths of refugee youth, illustrating how counselors translate theoretical concepts of resilience and wellness into practice. This study contributes a foundational framework to the literature by offering one of the first comprehensive examinations of resilience and wellness as enacted by counselors serving refugee youth. Implications for counselor education include the need for a linguistically diverse workforce, integration of resilience and wellness-oriented training in counselor curriculum, and increased emphasis on advocacy and collaboration with local agencies and schools. Recommendations for future research include longitudinal studies, greater attention to intersectionality, and exploration of effective training, supervision, and interdisciplinary collaboration models. Overall, this study reframes refugee youth experiences through a lens of strength and positive adaptation, advancing research, training, and practice within counselor education and systems of care.