Figure 1.

A working model for a primary support program for adaptation and mental health. A primary support program for unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) should include three main psychological elements: intercultural competence, emotion regulation and motivation. Training intercultural competence should include lessons on cultural awareness, cultural differences and similarities, and stereotypes in order to foster adaptation. Training emotion regulation should work on participant’s empathy and strategies of emotional acceptance and emotional modification. This should foster the adaptation of URM and their mental health. During the motivation training, URM learn to set realistic goals and to strive for them efficiently, leading to improvements in mental health.