She picked the wrong guy. He beat her. She wanted to run but her boyfriend’s links to organized crime meant that nowhere in her country was safe. In desperation she fled to Canada and applied for refugee status. But while the abuse is behind her, the effects haunt her still.
This story is familiar to Mark Patton, who counsels refugees at the Catholic Immigration Centre once a week.
He said that having fled war or torture, his clients are particularly vulnerable to mental health issues.
“They’re all escaping something. They haven’t had a chance to deal with what they left behind and they often feel guilt about family members they’ve left,” he said.
Patton’s work is part of a five-month-old pilot project, a partnership between the immigration centre and Family Services Ottawa, aimed at providing clinical counselling to refugees in Ottawa.
Patton said that many newcomers, even those without a refugee background, are afraid to admit they’re suffering.
“There’s a real stigma attached to counselling," Patton said. "Many of the people I deal with have been told that they shouldn’t be upset, that it’s a failure on their part."
Mohamed Dalmar, a manager of settlement services at the immigration centre, said that while workers can assist refugees with basic needs and support to adapt to their new environment, they just aren’t prepared to address trauma.
“There has always been a gap in counselling services with regards to clinical counselling,” said Dalmar, who fled Somalia 17 years ago. “Settlement workers provide emotional support, but don’t have the training for this.”
Before the pilot project, workers who noticed signs of trauma in their clients would refer them to outside agencies, like the Ottawa Community Immigration Services Organization.
But word got back to Family Services that many didn’t feel comfortable going to a separate organization, especially if they were referred for mental health reasons.
Dalmar said that having counselling services on-site has eased the referral process.
“People don’t feel like they’re being sent elsewhere because they are mentally ill.”
Jan Christensen, director of counselling at Family Services, says the new partnership combines her organization’s access to mental health funding with the immigration centre’s rapport with communities.
But funding for mental health programs remains a constant struggle.
“Sometimes counselling is seen as a luxury,” Patton said. “Funders are willing to fund things where they can see a more immediate result.”
The city of Ottawa and the United Way are currently funding the project.
Christensen said she hopes that the centre's mandate to serve immigrant communities might make Family Services eligible for funding through the provincial and federal governments
She said the program will likely be expanded next year to include another counselling day, ideally involving a female counsellor to offer clients a choice.
This would be welcome news to Patton.
While he sees as many as six people each Friday, the need for counselling far outweighs the supply, he said.
“I could have a full-time job there with the number of people who could benefit from counselling.”