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Day 17

4 min. Creative therapy for traumatized refugees in Germany

Bring colour back into life Bring colour back into life Bring colour back into life Bring colour back into life

4 min. Creative therapy for traumatized refugees in Germany
Day 17
Psychosocial support for traumatized refugees in Berlin

At the age of fifteen, Nio's mother sent him on the run. He wanted a better future, and his mother used up all her savings for this. But after Nio left his homeland, his life became a nightmare: gangs of people smugglers forced him to do hard work. He was mistreated in a Libyan prison camp. He traveled across the Mediterranean in an inflatable boat until sea rescuers took him on board their ship. Nio is not an isolated case. Many refugees suffer from the traumatic experiences of war, torture and flight. They have nightmares, panic attacks, are depressed, cannot concentrate and struggle with their feelings. Nio meets with his therapist once a week. He can talk to her about everything and learns to deal with his terrible memories. In addition to psychotherapy, he goes to a creative group. There he discovered his talent for painting and made friends. He feels comfortable in the group and can forget his worries for a while.

Psychosocial support for traumatized refugees in Berlin
need
Creative therapy for traumatized refugees in Berlin.
activity
In creative therapy, patients can process the suffering they have experienced and find peace through artistic creation.
Measurable performance
Number of hours of creative therapy completed.
Result
With this support, patients can once again cope with their everyday lives and develop a perspective for the future.
Systemically relevant impact
The patients have stabilized themselves through access to psychosocial care and are able to build independent lives.
background

There are currently around 1.77 million refugees living in Germany (German Bundestag, 2020). More than half of these people experienced physical violence and other traumatic events in their homeland (Nesterko et al., 2020). Many were traumatized again while fleeing, whether by gangs of people smugglers, the life-threatening journey across the Mediterranean, state security forces or the conditions in reception camps. These experiences have serious effects on the physical and mental health of the people affected. They often suffer from depression, anxiety and panic attacks, severe nightmares, concentration problems and emotional outbursts. Two grievances ensure that their symptoms often persist or even become worse: the inadequate health care for refugees and stressful social conditions, such as accommodation in collective accommodation or the insecurity of residence (BAfF e. V., 2020). Against this background, the ÜBERLEBEN center offers a comprehensive range of psychotherapeutic, social work and integrative support. In this way, we ensure the right to health for refugees and migrants. The aim is to prevent the chronification (perpetuation) of suffering and to enable stabilization in everyday life. This also includes creative therapy. Creative work, mutual exchange and social contacts help patients to lead an independent life again.

Berlin Deutschland
Day 17 Day 17
The good deed

With your good deed today, you are supporting people who have been traumatized by war, torture, or while fleeing. You are helping them to express and process the suffering they have experienced through creative work. In weekly creative therapy, patients find harmony with themselves again. They decide for themselves what they want to do. Popular activities include painting, drawing, and sculptural design, as well as working with wood or sewing. In the group, our patients experience support and approval and the good feeling of not being alone. Joint trips to museums, sights, or nature complement the offer. This gives our patients valuable relief from their often difficult everyday lives.

AboutGermany
Berlin
Berlin
Capital city
83 240 525
83 240 525
Population
45,723.6
45,723.6
Gross domestic product per capita per year
Rank 6 of 189
Rank 6 of 189
Human Development Index (Human Development Index)

In 2019, Germany was the fifth country that took in the most refugees worldwide. More than 40 percent of refugees in Germany come from Syria (UNHCR, 2020).

About the organization and further information

Organisation

Zentrum ÜBERLEBEN gGmbH

Website

https://www.ueberleben.org/

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organization

SURVIVAL Center gGmbH

Website

https://www.ueberleben.org/

Further links