Embroidery (tatriz) and Syrian refugees: Exploring loss and hope through storytelling

Canada is now home to at least 44,615 Syrian refugees. Of these refugees, four out of five
are women and children. There is a clear need for an increase in mental health resources,
resource accessibility, and social connection for Syrian refugees. This paper describes a
Syrian refugee women’s embroidery program that provided both an accessible art therapy
group and a way for the participants to process feelings of hope and loss. Postgroup questionnaires
indicated that the women experienced a sense of pride and mastery over their
completed artwork, built new friendships and community, and felt connected to their homeland
through the embroidery. One-on-one interviews were held to collect the participants’
stories. The participants’ artwork and stories are summarized in this paper, and the stories
are available in full as supplementary material.