Discussion
In this study, migrants and refugees who immediately received Value Based Counseling significantly improved their resilience and perspective taking in comparison to those on a waiting list. The effectiveness of VBC in the present RCT demonstrated by medium effect sizes indicates that resilience could be strengthened through a resource-oriented, culturally sensitive psychological treatment. Improvements lasted for a period of three months. This promising result supports arguments for the inclusion of VBC in health care systems as a salutogenic approach suitable for migrants and refugees.Comparing the mean score of resilience in the present sample to the ones in previous migrant and refugee studies, we found that our participants had a lower mean score of resilience at baseline [Matching the language and cultural background of the client and the counselor in VBC is surmised to be an important factor contributing to improved resilience, as it facilitates a quick route to a shared in-depth understanding of cultural norms and traditions and of personal and collective values that influence a clients’ concept of self, their perception of their social environment, and meaning attributed to inner conflicts. Previous research has shown that sociocultural contexts, religious traditions, and spiritual beliefs which influence meaning-making processes modulate pathways to resilience [Recent trends in mental health care provided to migrants and refugees do not only emphasize the importance of the employment of non-pathologizing and non-stigmatizing but resilience-oriented interventions, but also encourage integration of cultural values, strengths and performances as sources of resilience in the process of recovery after difficult life experiences [Finally, the improvement of perspective taking in the present study has promising implications for the social integration of migrants and refugees in host countries, as research frequently shows positive associations between perspective taking and prosocial behavior [