Incorporating Religious Sensitivity in Trauma Healing for Displaced Persons (Spanish Language)

Contributions of Religion to Psychosocial Support and Mental Health for Migrants and Refugees

With 84% of the global population identifying with a religious group, what effect can religion have on mental health service provision? Despite growing evidence that faith and spirituality play a vital role in helping individuals cope with mental health problems and illness, there is insufficient guidance on how psycho-spiritual interventions can be best utilized. Crucially, in refugee and migrant populations, faith-sensitive mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) has the potential to open pathways to care by offering connection, healing and support — making it a key factor in scaling up the quality of and access to MHPSS.

As part of this year’s World Mental Health Day, join USIP and the U.S. Department of State’s Office of International Religious Freedom’s Strategic Religious Engagement Unit for a discussion on religion, MHPSS and migration. The conversation will draw on findings from USIP’s initiative on Religious and Psychosocial Support for Displaced Trauma Survivors, which has identified specific ways in which faith-sensitive MHPSS can increase the effectiveness of trauma healing interventions for migrants and refugees. Panelists will offer insight on actions that can be implemented in current efforts to assist migrants from highly religious contexts and to improve the quality of and accessibility to MHPSS to facilitate integration and reconciliation.

Speakers

Palwasha Kakar, opening remarks

Interim Director, Religion and Inclusive Societies, U.S. Institute of Peace

Dan Nadel, opening remarks

Senior Department Official, Office of International Religious Freedom, U.S. Department of State

Alastair Ager

Director, Institute of Global Health and Development

Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh

Principal Investigator, Refugee Hosts; Professor of Migration and Refugee Studies, University College London

Dr. Wilson López López

Professor, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana

Dr. Cristal Palacios

Founder and Director, Psicodiáspora

Camilo Ramirez Parra

Country Director, HIAS Colombia

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Nida Ansari, moderator

Policy Advisor, Strategic Religious Engagement, U.S. Department of State

Andres Martinez Garcia, moderator

Program Manager, Religion and Inclusive Societies, U.S. Institute of Peace

Jerry White, closing remarks

Award-Winning Humanitarian Activist and Professor of Practice, University of Virginia

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To watch this event in English, please visit

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The United States Institute of Peace is a national, nonpartisan, independent institute, founded by Congress and dedicated to the proposition that a world without violent conflict is possible, practical and essential for U.S. and global security. In conflict zones abroad, the Institute works with local partners to prevent, mitigate, and resolve violent conflict. To reduce future crises and the need for costly interventions, USIP works with governments and civil societies to build local capacities to manage conflict peacefully. The Institute pursues its mission by linking research, policy, training, analysis and direct action to support those who are working to build a more peaceful, inclusive world. Learn more about USIP