Trauma and Resilience of the Karen Population

Social Problem and Personal Statement
Part 1: Trauma and Resilience of the Karen Population
Traumatic and stressful experiences usually characterize migration and resettlement processes. Immigrants may experience pre-migration trauma in their home countries and trauma during and their migration (Goodman et al., 2017). Immigrants are at a more significant risk for pre-migration exposure to violence making them susceptible to trauma- and war- connected mental health conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychological distress (Arnetz et al., 2013). In the recent years, the resilience concept as a protective factor against the trauma-related psychological disorder development has garnered growing consideration. The Karen population from Burma that has settled in Saint Paul, Minnesota has found sources of resilience to help them get through the hardships (Voigt, 2016). This paper highlights the essentiality of acknowledging the resilience of refugees and the need for social workers to have a better understanding of the different methods of coping with traumatic events or new and challenging displacement circumstances.
The World Health Organization presents a definition of health that encompasses more than the mere absence of a disease and entails the presence of the conditions and capacity that promote wellness (Goodman et al., 2017). Ideally, refugees move from a distressing life to a new world where they relearn to live and survive. They grapple with the new language, work, food, and interactions that affect emotional strains on them. They face discrimination and mostly have to choose between abandoning their heritage, committing to their culture or striking a balance between the two (Arnetz et al., 2014). Such emotional and logistical stressors pose a significant threat to the behavioral and psychological well-being of refugees of all ages.
After resettlement, mental health concerns like depression and PTSD are major concerns for refugees. Refugees learn to face the traumatizing post-migration experiences. Their resilience is measured in all spheres including the places they try to get social services, the schools they go to and the communities in which they settle (Voigt, 2016). It is vital that social service providers and social workers become aware of the contributors to resilience to offer the necessary resources and support while facilitating a positive resettlement experience for the refugees.
The Karen Population of Minnesota
Through the years, there have been an increasing number of immigrants resettling in the United States. In the state of Minnesota, there have been more than 90,000 refugees since 1979, and the population keeps increasing (Voigt, 2016). With the increasing refugee population, social workers face newer challenges and have to discern the factors that contribute to resilience for better service provision.
Some of the people settling in Karen are refugees. With their origin in Burma, they were forced out of their villages after civil wars in the 1990s. They fled to Thailand, but their illegal status exposed them vulnerabilities such as exploitation, violence, and harassment from the Thai police and authorities (Voigt, 2016). They stayed in the Thai camps for more than twenty years. While in the camps, they grappled with cases of malnutrition, rape, drug and alcohol abuse, crime, and domestic violence. They did not enjoy educational and vocational training services and the freedom to work or farm, which led to feelings of despair.
The Karen population decided to leave the refugee camps in Thai and moved to the United States. They were drawn to the United States because of the hope a better future with better job opportunities and education. However, they also dealt with issues such as lack of English skills, concerns about the high costs of living in the U.S, uncertainty about being able to find a job, and reluctance to leave behind the Karen community and culture (Voigt, 2016). The issues of discrimination, family changes, access to healthcare were also matters of concern to them.
Trauma Mental Health Issues among Refugees
Mental health is important for refugees considering the several traumas they have encountered in their lifetimes as well as the cultural dissimilarities (Goodman et al., 2017). Mental health concerns result from both pre-migration factors within home nations like loss of security, social support, income, employment and home as well as post-migration stressors like social, language, cultural, and economic barriers. Higher levels of PTSD are associated with resettlement stressors and discrimination. Refugees also experience trauma before and after migration resulting from witnessing of torture and killings, rape, being threatened with a weapon, incarceration, physical injury, and torture, as well as starvation (Voigt, 2016). Trauma results in high rates of adjustment disorders, brief reactive psychoses, somatization disorders, anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
Several studies indicate that refugees continue to struggle with mental health concerns several years after resettlement. The cultural differences also significantly influence the access to mental health services. Refugees carry their physical scars and burdens of oppression, disease, or war (Voigt, 2016). It is upon the social workers to provide individualized services and assistance and accommodate even those considered different from their cultural norms. Cultural sensitivity and competence remain essential when identifying and delivering mental health needs of refugees.
Resilience among Refugees
Outside of the psychological framework, traumatic experiences can also produce sources of resilience, coping mechanism, and extraordinary strength (Goodman et al., 2017). Toughness is the fundamental process of human beings adapting to circumstances and is influenced by an individual’s context or culture. Voigt (2016) provide that resiliency factors will help in the transitional period when they are resettling in a new nation. Therefore, social workers should understand these factors to assist refugees comfortably. Immigration researchers have identified protective factors among refugees including cultural, familial, and community strengths or supports (Goodman et al., 2017). Some of the factors that refugees consider sources of support that have helped them during resettlement include internal processes such as faith and beliefs and external processes cultural norms, family and social supports, and government resources.
External Processes
Access to external support plays a significant role in coping and developing resilience. Having a supportive family and community presents a better resettlement experience (Goodman et al., 2017). When refugees meet others with shared language or origin, it offers the opportunity for them to develop friendship and social support. Government resources and social services such as English classes, help with cultural orientation, and rent payments facilitate coping and development of resilience.
Internal Processes
This entails the refugees’ way of thinking, faith, and beliefs. Some refugees purposefully destruct themselves from their experiences as a coping mechanism while others depend on God or Allah for spiritual support (Goodman et al., 2017). Faith communities bring these groups together and offer social, financial, and emotional support.
Implications for Practice
Social workers can only provide the best services to refugees once they discern the factors that support the development of resilience and coping (Goodman et al., 2017). Understanding these factors help them empathize with the refugees, and respond to the refugee resettlement difficulties. It would be more beneficial is the social workers slowed down their activities to understand the resettlement process fully and incorporate it into practical approaches (Voigt, 2016). Refugees desire being understood, feeling safe, and having a good support system. Social workers should be educated on the trauma among refugees. This will empower them and enable them to provide services necessary to help them cope and develop resilience during resettlement (Arnetz et al., 2014). Therefore, social workers should devise methods of breaking the barriers such using cultural brokers and language interpreters.
Social work agencies have the responsibility of developing an environment that accommodates the needs of refugees. It entails establishing programs to offers assistance to the refugees. Social workers should also increase awareness of the experience of refugees among the communities to demolish the systemic barriers and promote tolerance and acceptance for dissimilar cultures within the community. Xenophobia and racism are contributed by the locals’ misconceptions about refugees. Social workers should advocate for immigration policies, which ensure that social service agencies embrace cultural humility, and conform their practices to accommodate the requirements of several cultures and provide an environment that is tolerant and accepting.


References
Arnetz, J., Rofa, Y., Arnetz, B., Ventimiglia, M., & Jamil, H. (2013). Resilience as a protective factor against the development of psychopathology among refugees. The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 201(3), 167-172.
Goodman, R. D., Vesely, C. K., Letiecq, B., & Cleaveland, C. L. (2017). Trauma and resilience among refugee and undocumented immigrant women. Journal of Counseling & Development, 95(3), 309-321.
Voigt, A. (2016). Resiliency Factors for Karen Refugees. Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers. Paper 683. h:p://sophia.stkate.edu/msw_papers/683


Part 2: Personal Statement for a Graduate Program in Social Works
For me, the entirety of my life can be summed up by ‘building a reputable character while making a difference in people’s lives.’ After high school, the direction I wanted my career to take was blurry, but I have always known I wanted to touch souls and make a difference in children’s lives. I devoted my time to exploring the complexities of the society and my studies. My practical experience while working with the Karen population in Minnesota gave my life a new definition as I learned that social work would support my innate desires of creating an environment that supports children’s rights. Working with them highlighted the mental illnesses that this population had to grapple with after observing the impact of the 63-year civil wars in Karen state in Burma.
The Karen population is currently settling in Minnesota and working closely with them, I have witnessed the effects the war had on their mental health and the numerous traumatic events that children had to live with through the years. These personal experiences have reminded me of my purpose of touching souls and making a difference. They also instilled in me the desire to become a social worker. I have lived their experiences as they struggled with the language barrier, new culture, financial issues, unemployment, transportation, education, the legal system intricacies and adjusting to life in the United States. The experience has taught me the essentiality of empathy when working with vulnerable populations. I have learned and practiced the skill while providing person-centered intervention to this community.
Serving the Karen population reminded me that refugees who survived the civil war are primarily isolated and lacked the opportunity to seek proper social, education, medical, and mental health services through the years. They experienced rape, torture, forced labor, violence, watched their loved ones die, stripped off their culture, and forced to leave their land and live as refugees in a foreign land. Their stories motivated me to work with the Karen population as a family therapist and address the underlying issues that hinder coping and development of resilience during resettlement, especially among children. I am motivated by the possibility of providing them with resources that they require and facilitate their integration into their new homes.
My two-year experience while working with various ethnic groups like the White, African American, Hmong, Somali, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Nepalese, Butanes in the social services and employment capacity in the Metropolitan area in Minnesota highlights my cultural sensitivity. During my internships, I expanded my knowledge of other minority communities such as Hispanic families while I was an intern at the Guadalupe Service Project and with Native American clients during my stint at Hennepin County Human Service. These experiences prepared me for any cultural responsive social work that remains essential when working with public child welfare services that am currently focused on pursuing further.
I have also been actively involved in community programs and events in support for culture and literacy among the youth. These programs have reminded me of the importance of promoting youth development to stop the involvement in gang activities and drug use within the community. As a vulnerable population, refugees mostly grapple with adjusting to the new environment and the environmental, and emotional stressors may lead them to self-medication as a coping mechanism. I wrote a successful grant proposal to the Minnesota Humanities Center developing the idea of using the grant to tackle the concerns of the Asian Juvenile Crime Prevention. I also used the resources to fund a group of Karen young adults who collected stories from their elders as I encouraged engagement in positive activities. My qualifications and experiences have led me to work passionately to improve the well-being of my community.
Before coming to the United States, I conducted counseling with HIV patients and rape victims in the reproductive health department in a refugee clinic along the Thai-Burmese border. I managed to learn more about HIV/AIDS, mother and child health, neonatal care, post-partum care, delivery room services, family planning services, reproductive health, infectious and prevalent diseases, youth and adolescence, and immunization in children. Working with children helped me established their health and social needs and gave me the background on the challenges that they face. I worked with women on empowerment programs and assisted in advancing their education and general living standards. While working at an American Refugee Committee, I helped in improving the well-being of women and children and increasing their access to adequate health, education and welfare service. I have substantial experience working with refugees, and I have the intricate details of their needs and the role to be played by a social worker. I also worked as a translator for the Department of Homeland Security in Thailand as well as the international rescue committee, Aide Medical International (AMI). I have first-hand experience and knowledge of refugee trauma, experiences, and challenges. I have worked with different populations, learned about their cultures and needs and each day I am more convinced that I can do much more if I had a much more significant platform.
After coming to the United States, I quickly found work in agencies where I could serve my Karen community ethically and compassionately. I have gained considerable experience as a caseworker within this community. I also pioneered the mental health service for the Karen population in Twin Cities area while working as the first Karen case manager at the Amherst H. Wilder Foundations’ Southeast Asian Services. I acknowledge the gravity of mental health issues among immigrants and all through my career in social work, I have given the topic the much-needed special attention. I have continued to learn the importance of counseling, showing empathy, and listening to my clients keenly as they relive their experiences. I am passionate and interested in serving people as it comes naturally to me but learning new concepts help me in offering better services.
While working as a case manager at Wilder, I have participated in numerous mental health-related training sessions under the supervision of a mental health professional. I have increased my skills in the area of documentation, client engagement strategies, appropriate mental health best practice interventions, and crisis management. My role has continued to expand both as a case manager and as a group facilitator at the Wilder Healing Center. I have offered several services to my community in mental health case management including careful assessment and ongoing evaluation of the client mental health requirements, regular in-home monitoring of symptoms and daily functioning, referral to community resources, and close coordination with local providers. I have also facilitated support to the Karen community regarding legal assistance, county and medical benefits, and emergency assistance through The Saint Paul Foundation and the resources from the county.
During my free time or over the weekend, I volunteer to organizations, communities, and individuals. I enjoy getting involved with families, children, or the youth. I volunteer and support the work of the Karen Buddhist monks at the Buddhist temple in Blaine. I assist with the collection of news and work as a narrator for oral history project with the Minnesota History Society. I also help in collecting news and published material, as I am keen on filling the Karen Temple in Saint Paul with Asian American Press. With the help of graphic design students at Dunwoody College, I was able to publish folktales and stories in a collection called the Bird and the Sun. I gathered that the only way to help my community much better is to have keen insights about their way of life and I strive to be culturally competent and sensitive.
I am proud to have been part of the team that has made significant changes in the lives of the Karen population through empowerment and social service provision. I am currently serving the refugees from Burma as a Mental Health Case Manager. My job has taught me about resource provision including employment, housing, finances, education, social services, transportation, and coordination and monitoring of services as well as communicating the needs of the refugees. I would like to learn about creating a more rewarding and collaborative work environment, developing emotional intelligence, and work effectively with different personalities. I am particularly interested in working with child welfare services to prevent child abuse and neglect. I am also convinced that there is so much ground that I can cover regarding helping tribal families with safety, health, well-being, and spiritual strength. I am confident that am ready to take on a new challenge and focus on my desire of putting a smile on children’s faces by responding to child neglect and abuse.
I am beyond certain that the skills and knowledge I will acquire from your prestigious social work school will prepare me to work better in my future public or tribal child welfare assignment. A master’s degree in Social Work will improve my decision-making and equip me with technical skills to tackle my future programs. I acknowledge that I did not attain the requisite GPA cut of 3.0 points. However, my academic performance suffered because of my excessive extracurricular and social commitment. I have been involved with social work activity within my community while studying at the same time. I was barely left with enough time to study hard and understand what was expected of me to perform higher. I have since acquired skills to manage my time better and continued my community contribution without forfeiting my work routine. The exceptional social work experience that I have garnered through my internships, voluntary work, workshops, certifications, and extra courses reminds me of my capabilities. Therefore, I have to work hard to improve my academic performance.
My short-term goal is to earn my social works master’s degree that would equip me with skills to offer my services as a social worker in child welfare in a much better and well-informed manner. My long-term goals are to serve in the capacity of a child welfare social worker and serve families whose children have been experienced sexual abuse in Minnesota. I am keen on ensuring the children and youth are physically, mentally, and socially healthy by bringing a positive change in their lives. My focus is on improving their quality of life and giving them better experiences. Therefore, I believe training at the highly esteemed Metropolitan State University will help me fulfill my desire to bridge the gap between the cultures and experiences I have had in my life and reinforce the understanding of my purpose as a social worker.