Eritrean Refugee Trauma Relief

Many of these Eritrean individuals are unaccompanied minors, children who flee without their parents and live sometimes for years in refugee camps without family. Despite these risks, many people decided to flee the country regardless, ending up in refugee camps in neighboring countries such as the one with whom I’ll be volunteering.

My name is Jocelyn Fitzgerald LMFT, ATR-BC. I’ve had the privilege of working as a trauma-informed therapist for the past three years with teenage Eritrean refugees in Vancouver Washington.  The impact of this experience has opened my eyes to the Eritrean culture and the complexity of their experiences. The progress of the teen refugees I’ve been working with over the past two years has sparked my desire to travel to the refugee camp from which they came.

I’m a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Board Certified Art Therapist. I have been practicing for nearly ten years. I've also trained in the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) technique, which the World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes as a scientifically-validated treatment for trauma. I have used this technique for many years with people of various ages.

My goal is to continue to support these children and teens with mental health services. 

I’m creating a GoFundMe campaign hoping to broaden the scope of my volunteer service with traumatized Eritrean children living in the Vancouver, Washington area to include children in the camps themselves. Please help support me if you can. A donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated. I hope to raise $500.

Kind Regards,

Jocelyn