From Training to Openness: How Hands-On Training Changed Social Workers’ Attitudes Toward Forced Migrants

War, persecution and violence are forcing growing numbers of people from their homes, and many millions of people worldwide have now been forced to flee. Social workers now meet forced migrants not as exceptional cases but as regular clients, and they are often the main source of support for newcomers. Doing this well requires the ability to communicate across cultures and to understand the trauma many forced migrants carry, yet gaps in social workers’ preparation remain a barrier to good support.

Dr. Valentina Demidenko from Kauno Kolegija Higher Education Institution and Dr. Edita Štuopytė from Kaunas University of Technology, both associate professors in Lithuania, designed and evaluated a training program for social workers who support forced migrants in Lithuania and Cyprus. The work is published in the peer-reviewed journal, Social Sciences. Carried out within a project supported by the European Union’s Erasmus+ program, the study followed changes in participants’ attitudes using a questionnaire before and after the training, observation of the sessions and an analysis of participants’ written reflections.

“Social workers play a crucial role in guiding migrants through the adaptation process, providing information and educational resources, and facilitating their integration into the host society,” explained Dr. Demidenko. To learn what these professionals lacked, Dr. Demidenko’s team first gathered social workers from both countries in small, rotating discussion groups known as a world café. The needs that stood out were communicating across cultures, supporting refugees affected by trauma, and strengthening social workers’ own resilience.

Small groups of social workers from each country, all experienced in working with forced migrants, then attended multi-day training sessions in Cyprus and Lithuania. The program relied on experiential learning, in which people learn by doing an activity and then reflecting on it. In simulated situations, participants practiced building trust with clients while keeping professional boundaries, worked through cases involving different traumatic experiences, learned self-care to prevent burnout, and tried tools such as metaphorical cards. Training side by side, the Lithuanian and Cypriot participants also experienced cultural differences among themselves.

On the questionnaire, most participants in each country already showed above-average general tolerance before the training, meaning openness and acceptance in dealing with others. Afterward, nearly all of them did. Attitudes toward particular groups, such as immigrants or people of other nationalities, began at a moderate level, with a few participants showing negative views and ethnic stereotyping. By the end, negative views and stereotyping had decreased in both groups, with nearly every social worker now above a low level of tolerance. Dr. Demidenko’s team found no statistically significant differences between the countries. “This suggests that targeted experiential training may have a positive impact on communicative attitudes,” said Dr. Demidenko.

Participants’ reflections pointed to clear gains: stronger skills in communicating across cultures, a deeper understanding of trauma, and both professional and personal growth. Several described moving from knowing about trauma to understanding how past events shape a client’s daily life. Others said they now felt more confident using new methods, including one who had worried that a wrong reaction might harm a traumatized client.

Dr. Demidenko’s team note that the program’s separate elements are not new. What sets it apart is the combination of cross-cultural learning, learning by doing and trauma-informed care, an approach that recognizes the lasting effects of trauma and avoids causing further harm, all within a group spanning both countries. At the same time, the group was small and made up of motivated volunteers, so the results may not apply to all social workers. “Participants emphasized that experiential and collaborative learning—conducted alongside colleagues from different national and cultural contexts—enhanced both their competence and confidence in their practice,” Dr. Demidenko added.

Dr. Demidenko and Dr. Štuopytė conclude that lasting investment in training built on learning by doing and an understanding of trauma can help social workers offer responsive and humane support to people forced from their homes.