immigrant

Question 1

immigrant vs. refugee

Answer 1

immigrant is voluntary and refugee is involuntary (war, safety, economic, political)

Question 2

mental health implications

Answer 2

fear and mistrust (of seeking help and deportation), limited resources, PTSD, depression, anxiety, trauma, discrimination, removal from family

Question 3

what are the three stages of migration

Answer 3

premigration, migration, post-migration

Question 4

what is premigration

Answer 4

Circumstances in the home country, preparation time, exposure to concepts of safety and stability in neighborhood, social networks, familial and financial resources.

Question 5

what is migration

Answer 5

Age of migration, process of migration

Question 6

what is post-migration

Answer 6

Loss of social and professional status; loss of family structure; loss of employment, degree of acceptance by host country; geographic mobility, transportation access

Question 7

what has to be considered in the context of other stressors

Answer 7

resettlement experience, family members acculturate at different levels (family conflict), social environments, intersecting identities

Question 8

experiences in the three levels of immigration

Answer 8

Pre-migration: Finances, paperwork, anticipatory anxiety, ambiguity, loss of family and social structure.

Migration: Long travels, exhaustion, financial strain.

Post-migration: Acculturative stress, disorientation, shift in cultural and behavioral values, and identity. Loss of meaning, language barriers. Domestic violence, discrimination, substance use, intergenerational family conflict. Employment status, access to resources, transnational deaths, isolation, anxiety, depression, appetite/sleep?

Question 9

ethical considerations in therapy

Answer 9

• Applicability of Western based models of therapy.
• Power differentials in therapy: Monitor our own personal and political inclinations.
• Confidentiality, legal consent.
• Undocumented status and access to resources

Question 10

explain mental illness in the Nepalese community and in Central and Latin America, and how it speaks to related factors surrounding mental illness

Answer 10

-Nepalese community: Mental illness, influenced by fate and the collective past deeds of the family dynasty.

• Central and Latin America: Many families believe in herbal remedies, breathing exercises, massages, and ritual cleansing treatments (Falicov, 2014).
• Latino culture: Somatization. Importance of familialismo, community ties

Question 11

therapuetic approach in working with immigrants

Answer 11

• Being aware of assumptions: Client, migration, group membership
• Needs assessment: Age, time of migration, trauma, acculturation, hx of transnational deaths (Garcini et al., 2019)
• Access to and availability of resources; language, culture, orientation.
• Translation/interpretation services
• Systemic factors – discrimination; acceptance by host country
• Role of cultural/spiritual beliefs (APA, 2012).
• Trauma informed care: Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (Cohen & Mannarino, 2008); trauma systems therapy (Ellis et al., 2013)
• Resilience

Question 12

what are some protective factors (resilience)

Answer 12

coping styles, access to resources, cultural practices, social support, family cohesion and community support, community integration, sense of belonging, adaptability, optimism