About the course

This one-day course will examine issues surrounding the basic mental health needs of asylum seekers and is particularly related to housing. It is assumed that there will be regular contact with asylum seekers and a willingness to better understand how this affects individuals. Participants will be encouraged to bring in relevant experiences from their own lives and also from the support environment within which they work. There will be opportunities to ask questions about work with particular individuals. The course will use a wide variety of teaching methods, varying from formal talks to large and small sized group discussions, role-play (voluntary), case studies and exercises. This course is intended to provide an overview of the mental health needs of asylum seekers and how to meet them.

Course Content

• Perceptions of Asylum Seekers
• Pre and Post exile states
• Classifications of Mental Illness
• Symptoms of Mental Illness
• Communicating with someone in distress
• The links between culture and mental distress
• Accessing Mental Health Services
• The Legislative Framework

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course participants will:

• Have a basic understanding of the process of seeking asylum
• Have considered the effects of that process on individuals
• Understand the medical classification of mental illness
• Recognise the signs of someone in mental distress
• Be aware of the treatments available
• Have explored the links between culture and mental illness
• Recognise some basic techniques for communicating with some one in mental distress
• Understand how to access the Mental Health System

Guy Smith has fifteen years experience in the field of social care. He has worked with a variety of client groups including the under-fives, young people and their families, the elderly and those in mental distress, both in the statutory and voluntary sectors. Within supported housing he has worked on Floating Support Schemes, in Hostels and in projects with hostels, group homes and single tenancies.  Originally a Community Worker he is a qualified Social Worker and counsellor.