참여자·관찰자의 시선으로 돌아본 커뮤니티 심리사회적 지원가(CPS) 워크숍 (베레켓&지인)
Reflections on the Community Psycho-social Supporters workshop As a Participant / Observer (Bereket&Jiin)
Q. What motivated you to take part in this workshop?
Bereket: I can say that I was attracted to the CPR workshop for personal reasons and as part of my leadership roles in the Ethiopian community. Being a refugee in a country where life is tough and social pressure is high leads to constant stress and anxiety, which definitely affects mental health. Many refugees experience past trauma and daily life’s hardship, isolation, and working long hours to sustain their survival. Therefore, they’re prone to mental health issues, including stress and depression. Participating in the program, I aimed to help myself and others by understanding what CPR is all about and the methods that apply effectively in coping with stress.
Jiin: I joined this workshop as an observer and note-taker, but my motivation was deeply personal. In my work, I often encounter discussions about refugee mental health framed around service gaps, language barriers, and lack of access. While these structural issues are real, I wanted to understand what happens between those gaps—how people in the community are already responding to distress, often without naming it as “mental health support.” What drew me in was the workshop’s focus on community members as support actors. I wanted to witness how concepts like psychosocial support and self-care are understood, questioned, and reshaped by people who are living these realities every day. As a recorder, I felt responsible not only for documenting content, but for capturing how care is spoken, felt, and negotiated in the room.
Q. What was the most memorable moment for you during the workshop? And was there anything special you felt while interacting with the other participants?
Bereket: I really appreciated the way many of the participants were open to sharing their past experiences regarding how they manage danger, fear, and stressful scenarios. Such interactions left me to think that, actually, people also need to take care of their mental well-being, a care that is similar to physical health.
Jiin: What stayed with me most was the way the atmosphere shifted as participants began listening to one another more deeply. Instead of rushing to give advice or solutions, people paused, nodded, and allowed stories to sit in the room. As an observer, I became aware of how rare that kind of space is—especially for people who are often expected to stay strong for others. Interacting with participants felt less like observing “learners” and more like being among people who carry responsibility every day. I sensed that many were not there primarily for themselves, but because someone in their community was already on their mind. That quiet sense of responsibility and care was what made the workshop feel meaningful to me.
Q. Is there anything substantive from the workshop itself, that you can talk about in the 'dialogue'?
Bereket: Understanding a self-care map that encompasses emotional, mental, physical, practical, spiritual, and social aspects gives a new perspective on what it means to be a well-being human. Overall, neglecting and denying mental health issues will lead to a very stressful life, which brings sadness and anger. The workshop has offered valuable tips and practical methods, such as breathing and body movements, to alleviate chronic stress, while highlighting that a community-based psycho-social support is crucial.
Jiin: What I found most substantive was the workshop’s clear emphasis on realistic and sustainable support. Participants were not asked to become experts or therapists. Instead, the dialogue focused on how to stay present, how to recognize distress, and how to understand one’s own limits. As the sessions progressed, I noticed that participants began translating the tools into their own contexts—adjusting language, questioning applicability, and imagining how these practices might work in their communities. This made it clear to me that psychosocial support becomes meaningful only when it is owned and adapted by the community itself, rather than delivered as a fixed model.
Bereket:
개인적인 이유도 있었고, 에티오피아 커뮤니티에서 리더 역할을 하고 있는 사람으로서 이 CPR 워크숍에 자연스럽게 끌렸어요. 생활이 어렵고 사회적 압박이 큰 나라에서 난민으로 살아가다 보면, 늘 스트레스와 불안을 안고 살게 되는데요. 이런 상황은 정신건강에 분명한 영향을 미쳐요.
많은 난민들이 과거의 트라우마뿐 아니라, 일상의 어려움, 고립감, 생계를 위한 장시간 노동을 동시에 겪고 있어요. 그래서 스트레스나 우울감 같은 정신건강 문제에 더 취약할 수밖에 없어요.
이 프로그램에 참여하면서, CPR이 무엇인지 제대로 이해하고 스트레스를 효과적으로 다루는 방법을 배워서 저 자신과 주변 사람들에게 도움이 되고 싶었어요.
Jiin:
저는 이 워크숍에 관찰자이자 기록자로 참여했지만, 동기는 아주 개인적인 것이었어요. 일을 하면서 난민 정신건강에 대한 이야기를 자주 접하는데, 대부분은 서비스의 공백, 언어 장벽, 접근성 부족 같은 구조적 문제에 초점이 맞춰져 있어요. 이런 문제들이 실제로 존재하는 건 사실이지만, 저는 그 ‘공백 사이에서’ 실제로 어떤 일이 벌어지고 있는지가 궁금했어요.
사람들이 ‘정신건강 지원’이라는 이름을 붙이지 않아도, 이미 커뮤니티 안에서 서로를 돌보고 있다는 점이요. 이 워크숍이 커뮤니티 구성원들을 ‘지원의 주체’로 바라본다는 점이 특히 인상 깊었어요.
심리사회적 지원이나 자기돌봄 같은 개념이, 이 현실을 살아가는 사람들에 의해 어떻게 이해되고, 질문되고, 다시 만들어지는지를 직접 보고 싶었어요. 기록자로서 저는 단순히 내용을 적는 것이 아니라, 이 공간에서 ‘돌봄’이 어떻게 말해지고, 느껴지고, 조율되는지를 담아야 한다는 책임감을 느꼈어요.