The Field Guide for Barefoot Psychology

Trauma and Mental Health in Forcibly Displaced Populations

Despite the global recognition of the refugee crisis and the need for accessible and culturally sensitive mental health interventions, less than 1% of foreign health assistance is allocated to mental health. This has left many displaced populations, and those who work with them, with few resources to address the psychological and emotional impact of traumatic experiences, violence and forced displacement.

The Field Guide for Barefoot Psychology: A resource for displaced people and those working with them

The Field Guide for Barefoot Psychology is a psychosocial support and educational resource for displaced people and those working closely with them. It delivers accessible psychoeducation on a variety of issues associated with forced displacement – such as fear, anxiety, trauma, stress, shame, and hopelessness — and explores practical mind-body exercises for cultivating resilience, a sense of belonging, and post-traumatic growth. The Field Guide is designed to complement (rather than replace) existing narratives about mental health, and sets an optimistic tone that highlights the body’s capacity for resilience and healing.

The Field Guide was developed by Beyond Conflict, with exercises contributed by over twenty experts in their fields in conjunction with communities of displaced people. Amongst contributors were our very own founders, Emily and Samara, who co-authored several neuroscience-based self-care practices for the guide.

Pilot in Za’atri Refugee Camp

The first implementation of the Field Guide was a pilot project in Za'atari Camp — a Syrian refugee camp outside of Amman, Jordan — where ten refugees were chosen to facilitate teaching the material in the guide to fellow refugees.

In early March 2019, Feet on the Ground co-founders, Emily and Samara, worked with two psychologists to organize and teach one of the two workshops offered to prepare the facilitators for teaching the material. The workshop focused on the science and experience of movement, breath, and mindfulness exercises designed to reduce trauma symptomatology and cultivate resilience, as well as best practices for trauma-informed facilitation and mental health education. The ten facilitators then taught groups of other refugees in the camp; the entire program was studied through a randomized controlled trial (RCT) study.