European Research Initiative for Critical Migration Studies

ERIMIS is an Independent Unit  of policy migration research -, psychological counseling-, and systemic therapeutic  intervention,  founded in 2014, in The Netherlands, targeting expats and migrants as primary, though not exclusive focus.

Why ERIMIS?

1.To contribute to the state of well being and healthy integration of migrants  in The Netherlands.

2.To  encourage and  promote a positive response and approach to the discourse of immigration and   migrants integration into the host society. 

ERIMIS ambition

1.To stimulate  a healthy and respectful  climate  of inclusion , psychological  support and treatment for all who have faced difficulties in their integration paths and cultural adjustment to their new place of living.

2. To connect independent researcher , policy makers and healthcare givers and practitioners – preferably in mixed teams- in order to draw in relevant understandings and make the policy design and implementation efficient and adjusted to the needs of all who are in high need for accommodation to the country of arrival.

ERIMIS justification

1.The teams of professional organizations working for migrants are very largely formed by representatives of the host countries, whilst the right mix would give a richer and more realistic insight and better results.

In many cases the discourse promoted by media and  politics  reproduces the present distribution of power, promoting the currently dominant discourses and legitimizing the existing local  practices, in which migrants are framed as problems  ending up  in marginalized positions – rather than  opportunities to be addressed and included.

2. In terms of immediate and efficient support required by migrants – who faces psychological difficulties to the  requirements of the new society- ERIMIS acknowledges the necessity for a transcultural approach and systemic-contextual driven intervention, having at core  a philosophy of  person-centered based approach, allowing the intervention designers to build  up a deep understanding of the psycho-social context of the users  and their views of the behavioral elements of the intervention.

Connecting policy makers with researchers, healthcare givers and practitioners, including also migrant workers is ERIMIS leading premise and guiding principle of work.

ERIMIS coordination

The activity of ERIMIS is coordinated by Mrs. Dana Rem,  psychologist- system family therapist i.e. and social scientist with about 25 years’ work experience in psychological counseling, human rights and social justice, research and academia, with content knowledge  in  migration studies, policy analysis, criminology, discourse analysis and the rhetoric of the political discourse.

By starting up such an initiative, we intend to develop a frame for innovative thinking , productive exchange of knowledge and practices to be disseminated among the leaders in governance, practitioners, policy makers and academia, with the intention of doing what is mutually benefiting for migrants and nationals from the host countries.

We would highly value any contribution to and advice for putting in practice any valuable ideas, and we are open to similar research initiatives, where joint  competences in  psychological counseling and migration studies are put at work and where the principles of inclusion and diversity are highly acknowledged.