Maya Fennig
Biographic Data
| ID | 77258 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Maya Fennig |
| GIVEN NAMES | Maya |
| FAMILY NAME | Fennig |
| SIGNATURE | FENNIG M |
| AFFILIATIONS | McGill University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9095-6780 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 9 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 14 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 9 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Caring in crisis: Clinicians’ experiences with children released from captivity in armed conflict.
The abduction of children in armed conflict is a pervasive global problem with severe physical and psychological consequences. Such traumatic events affect not only children and their families but also the clinicians responsible for supporting recovery. This study examines the subjective experiences and coping strategies of clinicians in Israel who worked with children, adolescents, and their caregivers immediately after release from war captivit…
"Exploring "Language of Suffering: Idioms of Distress Among Eritrean Refugees Living in Israel
In this paper, we explore idioms of distress among Eritrean refugees currently living in Israel, a refugee population that has experienced profound forms of violence and upheaval in their country of origin, yet largely overlooked in clinical research. A significant portion of Eritrean refugees have, over the past decade, sought asylum in Israel, and Eritrean refugees make up Israel's largest refugee population. To explore their unique idioms of d…
Wartime, Flight, and Resettlement Realities of Unaccompanied Eritrean Girls in Israel
We conducted a qualitative study among Eritrean refugees residing in Israel to explore the impact of armed conflict and displacement on adolescent girls’ transition to adulthood. We conducted 19 interviews with young Eritrean refugee women who, as girls and young women, escaped conflict-affected Eritrea and made their way on foot, through Sudan, the Sinai desert, and Egypt to Israel. Our findings reveal how structural and symbolic violence shaped…
Cross-culturally adapting the GHQ-12 for use with refugee populations: Opportunities, dilemmas, and challenges
This article discusses the opportunities, dilemmas, and challenges involved in the cross-cultural adaptation (CCA) of psychological scales for use with refugee populations. It draws on insights derived from an attempt to adapt the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to the particular culture and context of Eritrean refugees residing in Israel. Multiple techniques including expert translations, a focus-group discussion, a survey, and pil…
The impact of trauma, flight and protracted displacement on the mental health of Eritrean refugees living in Israel: An exploratory study of coping strategies
Multiple studies have found that refugees significantly underutilize mental health services. Yet, little is known about how refugees who live in contexts of protracted displacement cope with and recover from violence, trauma and chronic stress. The unique experiences of refugees living in Israel, particularly those fleeing the violence of Eritrea, is even less understood. This study sought to explore strategies of coping used by Eritrean refugee …
Interpreters working in mental health settings with refugees: An interdisciplinary scoping review
The consequences of language barriers are some of the most fundamental challenges refugees and asylum seekers face, undermining both the accessibility of mental health services and the quality of the services received. This scoping review provides the first synthesis of research on interpreters working in mental health settings with refugees, one of the most prominent yet understudied strategies to improving language access and the cultural appro…
Cultural Adaptations of Evidence-Based Mental Health Interventions for Refugees: Implications for Clinical Social Work
As the number of refugees worldwide reaches unprecedented levels, social workers’ ability to provide effective and appropriate mental healthcare to this population is as critical as ever. This article provides a review of contemporary debates revolving around the cultural adaptation (CA) of mental health interventions—when it is warranted, what approach should be taken and what components of an intervention should be adapted. CA is presented as a…
Regime of Truth: Rethinking the Dominance of the Bio-Medical Model in Mental Health Social Work with Refugee Youth
This paper argues for a re-examination of mental health responses to refugee youth seeking asylum in high-income countries. Reviewing international literature related to mental health and social care services for refugee children and youth and drawing upon Foucault’s concepts of power, truth and discourse, we explore and question the predominance of the bio-medical model in responding to refugee children’s distress. We demonstrate that, despite n…
Beyond Voluntary Return: A critical ethnographic study of refugees who departed Israel ‘voluntarily’
Against a global backdrop of anti-refugee discourse, governments are increasingly paying refugees to repatriate. This critical ethnographic study explores the lived experiences of refugees who participated in Israel’s Voluntary Return program. The data were derived from in-depth interviews with refugees who had departed Israel. Participants highlighted the various exile-related stressors that led them to choose to leave and reflected on the ambig…
Cross-culturally adapting the GHQ-12 for use with refugee populations: Opportunities, dilemmas, and challenges
This article discusses the opportunities, dilemmas, and challenges involved in the cross-cultural adaptation (CCA) of psychological scales for use with refugee populations. It draws on insights derived from an attempt to adapt the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to the particular culture and context of Eritrean refugees residing in Israel. Multiple techniques including expert translations, a focus-group discussion, a survey, and pil…
Regime of Truth: Rethinking the Dominance of the Bio-Medical Model in Mental Health Social Work with Refugee Youth
This paper argues for a re-examination of mental health responses to refugee youth seeking asylum in high-income countries. Reviewing international literature related to mental health and social care services for refugee children and youth and drawing upon Foucault’s concepts of power, truth and discourse, we explore and question the predominance of the bio-medical model in responding to refugee children’s distress. We demonstrate that, despite n…
Beyond Voluntary Return: A critical ethnographic study of refugees who departed Israel ‘voluntarily’
Against a global backdrop of anti-refugee discourse, governments are increasingly paying refugees to repatriate. This critical ethnographic study explores the lived experiences of refugees who participated in Israel’s Voluntary Return program. The data were derived from in-depth interviews with refugees who had departed Israel. Participants highlighted the various exile-related stressors that led them to choose to leave and reflected on the ambig…
Cultural Adaptations of Evidence-Based Mental Health Interventions for Refugees: Implications for Clinical Social Work
As the number of refugees worldwide reaches unprecedented levels, social workers’ ability to provide effective and appropriate mental healthcare to this population is as critical as ever. This article provides a review of contemporary debates revolving around the cultural adaptation (CA) of mental health interventions—when it is warranted, what approach should be taken and what components of an intervention should be adapted. CA is presented as a…
Beyond Voluntary Return: A critical ethnographic study of refugees who departed Israel ‘voluntarily’
Against a global backdrop of anti-refugee discourse, governments are increasingly paying refugees to repatriate. This critical ethnographic study explores the lived experiences of refugees who participated in Israel’s Voluntary Return program. The data were derived from in-depth interviews with refugees who had departed Israel. Participants highlighted the various exile-related stressors that led them to choose to leave and reflected on the ambig…
Regime of Truth: Rethinking the Dominance of the Bio-Medical Model in Mental Health Social Work with Refugee Youth
This paper argues for a re-examination of mental health responses to refugee youth seeking asylum in high-income countries. Reviewing international literature related to mental health and social care services for refugee children and youth and drawing upon Foucault’s concepts of power, truth and discourse, we explore and question the predominance of the bio-medical model in responding to refugee children’s distress. We demonstrate that, despite n…
Interpreters working in mental health settings with refugees: An interdisciplinary scoping review
The consequences of language barriers are some of the most fundamental challenges refugees and asylum seekers face, undermining both the accessibility of mental health services and the quality of the services received. This scoping review provides the first synthesis of research on interpreters working in mental health settings with refugees, one of the most prominent yet understudied strategies to improving language access and the cultural appro…
Cultural Adaptations of Evidence-Based Mental Health Interventions for Refugees: Implications for Clinical Social Work
As the number of refugees worldwide reaches unprecedented levels, social workers’ ability to provide effective and appropriate mental healthcare to this population is as critical as ever. This article provides a review of contemporary debates revolving around the cultural adaptation (CA) of mental health interventions—when it is warranted, what approach should be taken and what components of an intervention should be adapted. CA is presented as a…
The impact of trauma, flight and protracted displacement on the mental health of Eritrean refugees living in Israel: An exploratory study of coping strategies
Multiple studies have found that refugees significantly underutilize mental health services. Yet, little is known about how refugees who live in contexts of protracted displacement cope with and recover from violence, trauma and chronic stress. The unique experiences of refugees living in Israel, particularly those fleeing the violence of Eritrea, is even less understood. This study sought to explore strategies of coping used by Eritrean refugee …
Wartime, Flight, and Resettlement Realities of Unaccompanied Eritrean Girls in Israel
We conducted a qualitative study among Eritrean refugees residing in Israel to explore the impact of armed conflict and displacement on adolescent girls’ transition to adulthood. We conducted 19 interviews with young Eritrean refugee women who, as girls and young women, escaped conflict-affected Eritrea and made their way on foot, through Sudan, the Sinai desert, and Egypt to Israel. Our findings reveal how structural and symbolic violence shaped…
Cross-culturally adapting the GHQ-12 for use with refugee populations: Opportunities, dilemmas, and challenges
This article discusses the opportunities, dilemmas, and challenges involved in the cross-cultural adaptation (CCA) of psychological scales for use with refugee populations. It draws on insights derived from an attempt to adapt the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to the particular culture and context of Eritrean refugees residing in Israel. Multiple techniques including expert translations, a focus-group discussion, a survey, and pil…
"Exploring "Language of Suffering: Idioms of Distress Among Eritrean Refugees Living in Israel
In this paper, we explore idioms of distress among Eritrean refugees currently living in Israel, a refugee population that has experienced profound forms of violence and upheaval in their country of origin, yet largely overlooked in clinical research. A significant portion of Eritrean refugees have, over the past decade, sought asylum in Israel, and Eritrean refugees make up Israel's largest refugee population. To explore their unique idioms of d…
Caring in crisis: Clinicians’ experiences with children released from captivity in armed conflict.
The abduction of children in armed conflict is a pervasive global problem with severe physical and psychological consequences. Such traumatic events affect not only children and their families but also the clinicians responsible for supporting recovery. This study examines the subjective experiences and coping strategies of clinicians in Israel who worked with children, adolescents, and their caregivers immediately after release from war captivit…
Migration, Health and Trauma (8 works) · Political science (8 works) · Refugee (8 works) · Psychology (7 works) · Psychiatry (6 works) · Mental health (5 works) · Clinical Psychology (4 works) · Distress (4 works) · Law (4 works) · Psychological intervention (4 works)