NET IS ESPECIALLY USEFUL WHEN WORKING WITH IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE POPULATIONS.

Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) is a trauma-focused short term intervention for PTSD for adults and children and is the leading evidence-based practice among survivors of organised violence, including refugees and asylum-seekers (Siehl, et. al, 2021; Tissue, et. al, 2022).

In NET, survivors tell the story of their life in chronological order, usually in 4-20 exposure sessions where physical, emotional, sensory and cognitive experiences are recalled together focusing on the integration of positive and contextual life events with traumatic events. Intrusive thoughts and PTSD symptoms are reduced through the integration of positive and negative/traumatic memories (Siehl, et. al, 2021; Tissue, et. al, 2022).. 

In NET, clients articulate clear connections between their emotions, physical symptoms, and thoughts while distinguishing the origins of these symptoms in the past trauma from the present. These elements are critical to processing trauma, but many refugees and asylum-seekers may have difficulty articulating their emotional experiences due to cultural or language differences, therefore developing a shared emotional language and understanding prior to NET may be necessary.  Tissue, et. al. (2022) suggests "building the client’s capacity to cope with negative emotional responses to ongoing stressors through the provision of emotion regulation skills training...  to decrease distress related to ongoing stressors and increase engagement with trauma-focused interventions. " (p. 3).