Since 2018 there have been 30 million displaced people worldwide, with refugees making up 29 million of the population, of which 40 percent are school-age children. These staggering statistics are just a few shared by Stephaney Morrison, PhD, associate dean and associate professor of Counselor Education in the School of Education and Human Development (SEHD), who recently co-authored the book School-Based Family Counseling with Refugees and Immigrants.

With a global influx of immigrant children into the classroom, “the school system may be unprepared to support the needs of refugee and immigrant families, such as dealing with economic hardship and getting access to healthcare,” said Dr. Morrison. “There is also the trauma of war and persecution. The book emphasizes the integration of school, family, and community interventions which are the most important systems that affect the lives of children.”

Through the use of case studies, the book details how to design and implement integrated School-Based Family Counseling (SBFC) interventions for refugee and immigrant populations. Dr. Morrison co-edited the book with Brian Gerrard, chief academic officer of Western Institute for Social Research and chair of the Institute for School-Based Family Counseling at the University of San Francisco, and Erwin Selimos, PhD, professor of Sociology at West Shore Community College. The book covers a variety of topics including how to conduct parent education workshops, strategies for school-based suicide prevention, and how to create a culture of dialogue among students and schools.

“When we think about immigrants and refugees in schools, we might not have considered that these individuals could have been traumatized before they entered the school system, in their home country, in their host country, etc.,” said Dr. Morrison. “They may have experienced racism or felt the effects of other negative circumstances. If they are traumatized they could also have family members who are traumatized. Our goal is to connect the families and the schools so together they can help the children cope.”

“The work Dr. Morrison is doing to promote school-based family counseling for refugee and immigrant youth and their families exemplifies SEHD’s mission to prepare compassionate professionals who empower those who have been marginalized,” said Dean Laurie Grupp, PhD.

Dr. Morrison’s book School-Based Family Counseling with Refugees and Immigrants is published by Routledge and available for sale on Amazon. She is the sole contributor of two chapters, including “Counseling Undocumented Students” and “A Trauma-informed Approach to Help Immigrant and Refugee Children in Schools.”

To learn more about Fairfield’s School Counseling program and other human development programs, visit the School of Education and Human Development program webpage.