Newly-Arrived Refugees: Front Lines and Refugees

newly-arrived refugees: According to Scholtens, refugee stories in the media often follow one of two narratives; that refugees are unfairly trying to access services on the backs of taxpayers, or that they are saint-like and their actions should not be questioned, according to CBC. It was clear to me, after working on the front lines with refugees, that neither of those were the case, Scholtens told North by Northwest host Sheryl Mac Kay. Scholtens worked from 2005 to 2015 at the Bridge Refugee Clinic and in her new book, Your Heart is the Size of Your Fist, she shares her stories from working on the front lines with newly-arrived refugees. Most often, she said, patients were recovering from trauma and overwhelmed by Western society. In one instance, a patient had misunderstood how to use public transit and had been fined. Treating culture shock Medical diagnosis was a small part of what I was doing at the clinic, said Scholtens, adding she also played the roles of social worker and friend. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.