Supportive conversation skills for reception centers - mental health for asylum seekers (TAVATA)

Two women are talking.

According to the Finnish Asylum Seekers Health and Wellbeing Survey (TERTTU) 40 % of adult asylum seekers reported significant mental health symptoms (depression and anxiety).

Supportive conversation skills for reception centers - mental health for asylum seekers project promotes the mental health of asylum seekers by strenghtening conversation skills of professionals working in reception centers.

Cultivating supportive conversational skills and using them in client work means for example that the professional tries to meet asylum seekers empathically, sensitively, and in a way that supports mental health.

Objectives

The aim of the project is to strengthen the mental health of asylum seekers by improving the supportive conversational skills of the professionals working in reception centers. In order to strengthen the conversational skills of professionals, an extensive, high-quality, and time-lasting training package about supportive conversational skills is produced to the reception center environment. By strengthening the conversational skills, all staff members can promote the mental health of asylum seekers in their work.

Implementation

The project creates a comprehensive training package for reception center staff on supportive conversational skills to promote the mental health of asylum seekers. The project also produces new quantitative and qualitative information about asylum seekers' health, especially mental health, as a basis for the development work.