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My Heart's Sister

My Heart's Sister

Learn about the people behind "My Sister's Heart," a project that focuses on women's experiences of war, flight and displacement, and how women's situations in Sweden can affect their ability to access trauma treatment.

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The project "My Sister of the Heart" specifically explores women's experiences of war, persecution, and flight, and how the Swedisg Red Cross Treatment Centres for Persons Affected by War and Torture can develop trauma treatment tailored to the needs of the target group.

The project has published a literature review of available research on women's experiences of war, torture, and flight, the impact of these experiences on health, and the specific treatment methods available for this group. The project has also conducted interviews with women who have undergone treatment at the Red Cross Treatment Centers to investigate both their experiences with current interventions and to explore obstacles and opportunities for improvement. Focus groups with staff at the Red Cross Treatment Centers have also been conducted for the same purpose.

A consistent finding is that female patients benefit from meeting other women in similar life situations, express a desire for increased knowledge about their rights in Sweden, and have a need for psychosocial support. Therefore, in 2024, group interventions were carried out at the Red Cross Treatment Center in Malmö, which will be evaluated during 2025 in collaboration with Malmö University.

Watch a presentation of the project

Psychologist Linda Jolof and physioterapist Patricia Rocca gave a lecture describing the project in February - watch it here (the presentation is in English).

IRCT

Read the project's publications

Scientific articles

Jolof, L., Rocca, P., & Carlsson, T. (2024). Women's experiences of trauma-informed care for forced migrants: A qualitative interview study. Heliyon 2024, epub ahead of print. 

Jolof, L., Rocca, P. & Carlsson, T. (2024). Support interventions to promote health and wellbeing among women with health-related consequences following traumatic experiences linked to armed conflicts and forced migration: a scoping review. Arch Public Health 82, 8 (2024). 

Jolof, L., Rocca, P. & Carlsson, T. (2024). Support interventions to promote health and wellbeing among women with health-related consequences following traumatic experiences linked to armed conflicts and forced migration: a scoping review. Arch Public Health 82, 8 (2024). 

Jolof, L., Rocca, P., Mazaheri, M. et al. (2022). Experiences of armed conflicts and forced migration among women from countries in the Middle East, Balkans, and Africa: a systematic review of qualitative studies. Confl Health 16, 46 (2022). 

Rapporter

Jolof, L. & Rocca, P. (2023). Mitt hjärtas syster II. Kvinnors och vårdpersonals upplevelser av traumafokuserad behandling vid Röda Korsets behandlingscenter för krigsskadade och torterade. Röda Korsets kompetenscenter för tortyr- och krigsskaderehabilitering. Rapport 2023:3.

Jolof, L., Rocca, P. & Carlsson, T. (2022). Mitt hjärtas syster. Upplevelser av krig, tortyr och/eller flykt bland kvinnor och interventioner anpassade för dem - en litteraturstudie. Röda Korsets kompetenscenter för tortyr- och krigsskaderehabilitering. Rapport 2022:1.

Who is involved in the "My Sister's Heart" project?

The project leader is Linda Jolof, licensed psychologist at the Swedish Red Cross Treatment Centres for Persons Affected by War and Torture in Malmö (RKC Malmö). She works clinically with psychological treatment for PTSD but also conducts torture injury investigations.

Patricia Rocca is a licensed physiotherapist at RKC Malmö. She works with physiotherapeutic treatment individually and in groups as well as with operational development.

In the earlier phases of the work, Tommy Carlsson, Associate Professor at the Red Cross University College, Leah Emegwa Okenwa, Associate Professor at the Red Cross University College, and Monir Mazaheri, Associate Professor and former lecturer at the Red Cross University College, have been involved.

The responsible researcher is Marie Karlsson, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Social Work, Faculty of Health and Society, and a researcher at the Center for Sexology and Sexuality Studies (CSS) at Malmö University. She is a licensed psychologist and psychotherapist with a PhD in Clinical Psychology. Karlsson specializes in trauma and intimate partner violence with a particular interest in vulnerable social groups. She is one of the founders of SHARE (Survivors Healing from Abuse: Recovery through Exposure), a group treatment program for incarcerated women who have been subjected to sexual violence..

Swedish Red Cross Treatment Center, Malmö

RKC Malmö is a treatment center that offers trauma treatment for adult individuals who have experienced traumatic events such as war, torture, and displacement. At RKC Malmö, we work from a holistic perspective where psychological, physical, and social aspects are considered. Treatment is provided individually and in groups, and we also have tailored activities for families and children."

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