Aims and methodRefugees’ mental health has attracted great interest from researchers recently, in view of increasing numbers of refugees settling in Europe. A deficit model, focusing on mental disorder, has often dominated the discourse on the subject, but a strength-based model is becoming more recognised and adopted. Through semi-structured interviews, and using interpretative phenomenological analysis as a data analysis tool, the current study sought to explore the lived experiences of Syrian refugees in the UK in relation to resilience factors.ResultsThree main themes were identified reflecting interpersonal and family factors, factors related to religion, faith and belief systems, and personal qualities.Clinical implicationsThe study calls for perceiving refugees as resilient individuals with strengths and adaptive qualities. It also demonstrates that refugees’ resilience is essentially an interpersonal process, advocating therefore for engagement and therapeutic approaches that are systemic, relational, and culturally and spiritually competent.