Play Therapy That Helps Refugee Children Heal with Lulu Emannuel Ederia (Uganda)

Send us Fan MailA child refuses food, sits alone while others play, and wakes up terrified by memories that will not leave. When you work in a refugee settlement, those signs can be mistaken for ordinary illness, but they can also be PTSD. We sit down with Lulu Emmanuel Ederia, a Ugandan nurse and clinic officer with years in humanitarian health, to explain what “healing beyond medicine” looks like when the goal is not only survival, but recovery. We talk through Children’s Accelerated Trauma Therapy (CAT) in practical terms: how communities are sensitised, how children are identified, and how screening and follow-up scoring guide care. Lulu shares what he looks for most, especially intrusion and avoidance, and why these patterns matter when symptoms overlap with medical conditions. He also walks us through the heart of the model: a structured play approach using physical figurines, where children tell their story forwards and backwards to reprocess memory, reduce anxiety, and move through the hardest hotspots safely. The episode becomes deeply human through three real examples, including a 13-year-old girl struggling after losing her father, a 10-year-old boy with severe PTSD after losing both parents, and a 7-year-old boy living in conditions that would break most adults. You will also hear the part people avoid discussing: therapy can work, but hunger, tuition fees, and missing school materials can still block a child’s future, and volunteers cannot carry that burden alone. We end with secondary trauma and self-care for helpers who absorb painful stories every day. If this conversation helps you see refugee mental health differently, please subscribe, share the episode with someone who cares about child wellbeing, and leave us a review. What is one change you think would make the biggest difference for traumatised children after therapy?Music, lyrics, guitar and singing by Dr Ariel Rosita KingTeach me to live one day at a timewith courage love and a sense of pride.Giving me the ability to love and accept myselfso I can go and give it to someone else.Teach me to live one day at a time.....Support the showThe Business of LifeDr Ariella (Ariel) Rosita KingOriginal Song, "Teach Me to Live one Day At A Time"written, guitar and vocals by Dr. Ariel Rosita KingDr King Solutions (USA Office)1629 K St, NW #300, Washington, DC 20006, USA, +[email protected]