Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for Migrants at Crossing Points/Ports of Entry – A Toolkit

Staff working at port of entry (PoE) are among the first people migrants arriving to or transiting through a country have contact with, and as such they play a fundamental role in shaping migrants’ perception of safety, feeling of acceptance in the new country, and their sense of identity, both legal and symbolic, since they play an important role in determining how migrants think they are perceived by the new outgroup. Finally, staff at PoE, and especially border security and management officers, are in a privileged position to identify migrants in distress or with immediate protection or mental health needs for referral. If trained on the psychosocial implications of migration, cultural awareness and psychological first aid (PFA), as well as to listen and effectively communicate, they can mitigate stressors that migrants may face at PoE due to procedures and other factors. If trained on the basics of identification and referral of people with severe mental disorders, their role can save lives.

This toolkit aims to provide IOM Missions and partners with guidance on the basic tenets of psychosocial support (PSS) skills, as they relate to people working with migrants at PoE.