Objective: Specialized literature has identified a need for evidence-based, lowthreshold, short-term, and intracultural psychological interventions that can be made available to migrants, including refugees, who suffer from psychological symptoms in host countries. The objective of the present study is to measure the efficacy of valuebased counselling (VBC) as such an intervention.Method: We conducted a pragmatic, rater-blinded randomized controlled trial employing a pre-post control group design to assess the efficacy of VBC based on a study sample of 103 migrants, including refugees, who resided in Germany at the time. A set of instruments was used to evaluate primary outcome measures of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, perceived stress, generalized anxiety, and somatic complaints.Results: Per protocol analysis included 42 participants in the VBC group, and 43 in the waiting list. Compared with participants in the waiting-list group, the VBC group, following an average of four counselling sessions, experienced a clinically meaningful reduction of depression (adjusted difference 7.

Background Despite traumatic experiences and persistent psychosocial stressors, many refugees and migrants display resilience and strength in the midst and aftermath of hardships. ‘Value Based Counseling’ (VBC), a low-threshold, short-term and culturally sensitive psychological intervention avoids the stigmatization and pathologization of mental health problems, and, in line with latest research calling for a rethink of mental health care for migrants and refugees, focusses on the resilience and resources of clients. Method This pragmatic, assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial employed a pre-post control group design to assess the effectiveness of VBC in the development of psychological assets. Refugees and migrants aged 18 or above were randomly assigned to either VBC sessions delivered by counselors matched with their clients according to gender and native language, or to a waiting list. Results Per protocol and intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses revealed that compared with participants in the waiting-list group (n = 50), the VBC group (n = 53) experienced a greater improvement in resilience (adjusted difference 11.59, 95% CI 8.35 to 14.84, effect size .49, p < .001) and perspective taking (adjusted difference 3.98, 95% CI 2.12 to 5.84, effect size .39, p < .001) after four sessions on average. These positive results remained consistent until a 3-month follow-up assessment within the VBC group. Conclusion VBC with a focus on personal resources in the Here and Now, and with a culturally sensitive approach, helps clients exposed to persistent psychosocial stressors to develop strength and to increase agency over their lives.

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