Indochinese refugees in schools in the United States of America—Challenges and opportunities for counsellors

More than 800,000 Southeast Asian refugees have settled in the United States of America since the early 1970s. The major governmental focus on resettlement efforts for these people has been on helping them to attain economic self-sufficiency. This paper reviews research related to the adaptation of the Indochinese refugee students in schools of the United States of America. Included are reviews of: state studies in California and Illinois, the report of the follow-up study of the overseas Southeast Asian refugee training programs preparing students for United States Schools, and major research reports on progress of Southeast Asian youth toward attaining economic self-sufficiency in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Philadelphia, and San Diego urban areas. Based on a synthesis of information from these six research reports, the author outlines role involvement for school and community agency counselors in meeting the needs of this new population.Paper Presented at the XIIIth International Round Table for the Advancement of Counseling, Changing World—Changing People, Counselling and Global Health Concerns, August 14–18, 1988 Calgary Canada.