The Center for Migration and Refugee Studies (CMRS) at The American University in Cairo (AUC) is offering the following course
Course Description
In a world where nearly 20 people are forcibly displaced every minute as a result of conflict or persecution,” UNHCR (2017), the crisis became epidemic in catastrophic proportions. It is widely recognized that the face of this crisis and the refugee landscape has changed greatly over the last decade. Refugees are less often concentrated in the traditional camps, and more often are living in urban areas, especially large cities. This change in landscape adds further psychosocial issues to consider, particularly, integration into communities and access to resources. Most of the guidelines and recommendations for psychosocial interventions are directed at those refugees living in camps, and it is recognized that this needs urgent addressing. This course aims to bring those working with refugees and forced migrants together to develop a greater understanding of the needs, experiences, psychosocial and mental health interventions available to this ever growing and under serviced population, with a particular focus on displaced individuals living in urban areas. Whilst many refugees have strong resilience and cope effectively, others in more vulnerable situations are less able to, and are at increased risk of mental health and social problems. Those with existing mental health issues are at great risk of the worsening and prolonging of such issues, given the circumstances in which they find themselves and a lack of access to appropriate resources. This course will also familiarize participants with the Inter Agency Standing Committee Guidelines on mental health and psychosocial support in emergency settings. The levels of interventions will be explored focusing on psychological first aid, basic counselling skills and the identification and sharing of referrals and cases.
Kate Ellis is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the American University in Cairo. She is a qualified clinical psychologist who completed her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Canterbury Christ Church University, in England. Dr Ellis works predominantly with refugees and individuals who have experienced trauma. Her research focuses on the impact of violence and conflict, with a particular focus on young people, which was the focus of her first PhD awarded by the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. Dr Ellis is also the course coordinator of the Leadership in Mental Health course, Eastern Mediterranean Region, held annually at the AUC. This course was developed in collaboration with the WHO, in order to provide training to mental health professionals in the region, with the aims of up-scaling mental health services and putting mental health on the national health agenda in under resourced countries and low economic status countries. Dr Ellis has been practicing in Egypt as a clinical psychologist at the Maadi Psychology Center, as well as, providing trainings to mental health professionals in both governmental and NGO settings within Egypt.
How to register:
Requirements: The courses are offered for graduate and postgraduate students, researchers as well as practitioners working in migration related fields. A minimum knowledge of displacement and migration terminologies and context is a requirement for participation in any of the three courses.
All courses are offered online through ZOOM platform. The link to each course will be sent to the accepted participants. All courses are conducted in English and no translation facilities are provided. As such, applicants must have a strong command of the English language. Each course will run for 5 consecutive days from 10 am till 4 pm (Cairo Local Time) with an hour break.
Interested applicants can apply for one course or for the three courses.
Number of Participants: minimum of 12 in each course
Application Information:
To apply for the courses:
Fill out the application form. The form is available at : https://documents.aucegypt.edu/Docs/GAPP/CMRS-%20Online%20Summer%20Short%20Course%20Application_2021.pdf
Send the application form to cmrscourses@aucegypt.edu with your most recent C.V; Att. Naseem Hashim
Applicants may apply to and be accepted in all courses. Please do not hesitate to contact cmrscourses@aucegypt.edu if you have any difficulty with the application process.
Applicants accepted for the course will be notified by email within a week after the deadline for submitting the application.