Psychological Support at the landing point: a qualitative analysis of the psychological support service for migrants as they transition from the journey into the asylum seeking process.

This research takes place at the Centro Mattei, a first-tier reception centre where migrants begin the asylum process, which will determine whether they are granted or denied asylum. Our study focuses on the psychological support offered to migrants, viewed through the perspectives of the staff involved. We will first examine how psychological needs are identified, then describe the support services provided, their benefits, and finally, analyse the interventions, including practices, therapies, and outcomes. Two primary tools will be used: direct questioning and observation. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews will be conducted with a variety of staff members to explore the initial phases of need identification and service description. For the psychological support phase, we will observe selected cases in the clinical setting to understand how interventions are applied. We will employ grounded theory, which does not start with a hypothesis but instead builds understanding by analysing data and allowing themes to emerge. Special attention will be given to how staff from different roles and backgrounds articulate the identification and delivery of psychological support. The analysis will be aided by Atlas.ti software, which will help uncover patterns in the data. Observational analysis will replace textual data in the final stage due to practical limitations in clinical settings.