Adaptation Process of Refugee Children: Psycho-Educational Play Program and Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Applications

Team

PhD Ergin Şafak Dikmen Researcher Ankara University İLEF Esra Özgür Researcher Ankara University

• Gülsen Erden · Principal Investigator

  Prof. Dr. Gülsen ERDEN, a faculty member at Ankara University, Faculty of Language, History and Geography, Department of Clinical Psychology, graduated from Middle East Technical University, Department of Psychology. After completing her master's degree in Clinical Psychology, she completed her doctoral education in the same field at Ankara University. Between 1980 and 2000, she worked first at the Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Uludag University and then at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara University. Thus, having gained experience in both adult and child and adolescent mental health, she continued her academic career by transferring to the Faculty of Language and History Geography, Department of Psychology as a faculty member. While continuing her academic career as a faculty member, she was the Head of the Department of Forensic Psychology at Ankara University between 2003-2013 and the Head of the Department of Clinical Psychology at the same university between 2010-2013. Since 2015, she has been the Head of the Department of Forensic Psychology at Ankara University. She has numerous national and international scientific publications and projects. In addition to her main duties as a faculty member, she contributes to various social responsibility projects in the field of child and adolescent mental health. Prof. Dr. Gülsen ERDEN is interested in infant and child mental health, specific learning disabilities, autism, forensic psychology, post-traumatic stress disorder, trauma intervention and play therapy. She also conducts research as well as clinical assessments and interventions for asylum-seeker/refugee children and their families. She has translated and edited books in the field of Child Psychotherapy and has assessment tools such as Specific Learning Disorder Clinical Observation Battery, Mathematics Reading and Writing Assessment Scales and SOBAT Reading and Reading Comprehension Test II.

• Mine Cihanoğlu · Researcher

  In 1997, she graduated from Middle East Technical University, Department of Psychology. She received her master's degree in clinical psychology from the same department in 2000 and her Ph.D. degree in developmental psychology from Ege University, Department of Psychology in 2009. Between 1999-2005, she worked as a psychologist in various private and public institutions. Between 2005 and 2020, she worked as a faculty member at Atılım University Psychology Department, where she served as vice chairman and department chairman. Since July 2020, she has been working as an independent researcher and trainer. Her research and practice areas include social and cognitive development in childhood, children's rights, child abuse and neglect, developmental psychopathology, children and trauma, migrant and refugee children.

• Serel Akdur Çiçek · Researcher

  After graduating from Hacettepe University, Department of Psychology in 2011, Serel Akdur Çiçek completed her master's (2014) and doctorate (2021) studies at Ankara University Clinical Psychology program. Between 2012-2019, she worked as a research assistant at Ankara University Psychology Department. Afterwards, she worked as a guest lecturer and doctoral lecturer at Cappadocia University Psychology Department. She currently provides psychotherapy services for adults and continues her research as an independent researcher. Her research interests include early maladaptive schemas, schema therapy, parenting attitudes, non-directive play therapy and refugee children.

• Gülşen Kaynar · Researcher

  Gülşen Kaynar graduated from Ankara University Department of Psychology in 2011, completed her master's degree in Ankara University Clinical Psychology program between 2011-2014 and her PhD in Ankara University Clinical Psychology program between 2014-2021. She worked as a research assistant in the psychology department of Ankara University between 2013-2021. She is currently working as a Dr. Lecturer at Ankara Medipol University, Department of Psychology. She continues to work as an Assistant Professor. Her research interests are attachment theory, mentalizing theory, and emotion regulation.

• Burcu Kömürcü Akik · Researcher

  After graduating from Hacettepe University, Department of Psychology in 2012, Burcu Kömürcü Akik completed her master's program in Clinical Psychology at Hacettepe University between 2012-2014 and then completed her Ph.D.PhD program in Clinical Psychology at Ankara University between 2014-2020. In 2014, she started working as a research assistant at Ankara University, Faculty of Language and History-Geography, Department of Clinical Psychology. Currently, she continues to work as a Dr. Research Assistant at Ankara University, Department of Psychology. Her research interests include early experiences, early maladaptive schemas, psychological exclusion, attachment, mother-infant interaction, parenting styles, psychological distress in the postpartum period, and especially posttraumatic stress disorder related to childbirth.

• İpek Şenkal Ertürk · Researcher

  After graduating from the Middle East Technical University (METU) Department of Psychology in 2011, İpek Şenkal Ertürk completed her master's degree in Clinical Psychology at Hacettepe University between 2011-2013 and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Ankara University between 2014-2020. She worked as a Research Assistant at Ufuk University, Department of Psychology between 2013-2014. In 2014, she started working as a Research Assistant at Ankara University, Department of Psychology. Currently, she continues to work as a Research Assistant at Ankara University, Department of Psychology. Her research interests include childhood traumas, adult attachment, object relations approaches, close relationships, emotion regulation, personality disorders and partner violence.

Publications and talks

Partners and supporters

Acknowledgements