“I’d rather have psychological therapy in my own language,” said a Farsi/Dari-speaking refugee.
The world is experiencing the highest rate of refugees in history.
Refugees often face more psychological disorders than the general population due to stress factors before, during, and after fleeing.
Imagine being psychologically unwell in a new country and receiving therapy in a different language. How could that even work? It requires a lot of recourses such as experienced therapists, interpreters, and traveling refugees to the clinics and so on which are common barriers receiving the treatment.
We were curious to test a translated psychological treatment delivered via the internet, based on cognitive behavioral therapy, for Farsi/Dari-speaking refugees. CBT focuses on changing negative thoughts and behavior which can be beneficial for emotions.
About the Program
The treatment, named Raha (meaning “free or released” in Farsi/Dari), was provided to refugee patients over a 10-week period via internet.
Our preliminary results are promising, with participants reporting lower rates of psychological problems on questionnaires.
We asked our participants about their experiences using Raha and overall, they were very satisfied about Raha. They mentioned that it was very helpful to receive the treatment that is on their mother tongue and culture. Interestingly, one of the participants said that “Raha was a road between my heart and my mind” that is the core element of cognitive behavioral therapy.
We were able to clearly show that the treatment was targeting the core elements and was affective on both emotions and thoughts of the patient.
Our preliminary results from our pilot study highlight the importance of language and culturally adapted psychological treatment. Given it success, we are exploring ways to cultural, and language adapt the available internet-based interventions to reach a broader refugee population. The potential to provide effective, culturally sensitive therapy to refugees worldwide is an exciting prospect for the future.
Call for Participants
We are currently running a randomized controlled trial on Raha globally. The registration is open and we are recruiting Farsi/Dari-speaking young migrants (ages 15-29) from around the world who are experiencing mild to moderate psychological challenges to participate in our interventional study.
Our internet-based intervention, called Raha, combines psychoeducation and mental health support using CBT methods. The program is designed for mild to moderate common mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, stress, sleep problems, difficult memories and grief linked to traumatic experiences, as well as building resiliency. The intervention is delivered via the internet globally over a 10-week period, and participation is free of charge. Participants in the study will have the opportunity to receive consultations in Farsi/Dari once a week, as well as access to reading materials, videos, and exercises on a secure platform.
Preliminary results from our pilot study have shown improvements in participants’ psychological well-being. The research is hosted by Karolinska Institutet and Linköping University in Sweden and has been ethically reviewed and approved.
Scan the QR code to read more about the study and how to register for the study on the following website: www.rahafarsi.com.
