Presentation at the 2022 SOC summit

2. Immigration: Mitigating the
Trauma of the American Dream
Cecily Rodriguez, MPA, CDE
School of Public and International Affairs
Virginia Tech
May 11, 2022

3. ABOVE ALL ELSE…Every immigrant has a unique story.
Many of these include overcoming tremendous obstacles before, during,
and after coming to the USA. But these stories also include remarkable
resilience, patience, strategic decision making, emotional intelligence,
and connectedness to larger goals that can leveraged to support health
and wellness for migrants during cultural adjustment phases.
Our duty is to:
1) create structures that enable the right intervention at the right time
2) explore both sides of these stories to provide relevant services to migrant families.

4. How?
22 Kinds of Visas
• Work Visas
• Marriage Visas
• Family Visas/Petitions
• Tourist Visas
• Student Visas
• Refugee or Temporary Protective States/Asylee
• Informal Migration

5. Why?
Migration is one of the most constant
characteristics of human history.
Most large migrations are the result of both pressures to
leave the point of departure and attraction towards the destination.
Push Factors may be:
• Political. Warfare, violence,
persecution, forced migration,
marginalization.
• Economic. Poverty, lack of
opportunities, land scarcity.
• Climatic/environmental.
Pull Factors may be:
• Political
• Economic
• Cultural/linguistic ties
• Kinship/social networks
• Labor recruitment

6. Context- Overseas
• Many migrant source countries do not have
formal mental health systems (more than 70%
of persons who need mental health services
lack access – Kohn, 2004)
• WHO has established that more than 50% of
refugees have mental health concerns
• All migrants experience anxiety/stress related
to actual travel/re-settling process but not all
result in adjustment challenges
Context –in the US
• Migrants are often believed to be “in the midst of
a chronological interaction of three distinct
traumatic periods” (Michultka, 2009)
1) The trauma from the country of origin
2) The trauma from the escape/journey of
immigration
3) The trauma from the relocation process
• Racism as an additional stressor contributing
towards mental health
• Re-traumatization may occur over and over
during the resettlement phase
Immigrants, Refugees, and Mental Health

7. Centre for Violence and Torture (CVT) Framework
Thinking Differently About
the Phases of Cultural Adjustment

8. Trauma-
Informed
Care
Culture-
Centered
Care
Cross-Cultural Trauma-Informed Care (CC-TIC)
Hyojin Im, VCU SSW

9. https://reporting.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/ga2021/pdf/Chapter_PoC.pdf
Populations of
Concern to UNHCR

10. Great Ideas! (from my experience)
• Health Brigade – Warm handoff/Integrated care – 60% Latine Patient Population
• Virginia Refugee Healing Partnership Behavioral Health Interpreter Training Program – Workforce Development
• The Women’s Initiative – Bienestar Program - Psycho-social, Peer and Community Based Interventions for
immigrants and refugees. “Elementos Básicos de Sanación del Trauma”.
• United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants – Texas Refugee Wellness Program - RHS also operates
the Texas Refugee Wellness Program. This program carries out programs and activities that address refugee risk
factors, build capacity for behavioral health providers working with refugees, and strengthen mental health
partnerships in Texas communities where refugees resettle.
• SARA Roanoke - Allies Seeking Professionally Intentional Racial Equity (ASPIRE) A collective of professional
allies united to critically examine attitudes, beliefs, and barriers to accessing culturally relevant resources for survivors
in the Roanoke Valley.
• Cornerstone - Faith-based Communication Intervention with a focus on improving emotional & relational wellbeing
using a spiritual pscyhosocioemotional approach. We can provide recommendations to LMFT and licensed mental
health professionals if needed.

11. CONTACT INFO
Email: NTTACinfo@cars-rp.org
Phone: 888.945.9377
Website: http://www.nttacmentalhealth.org
Download our flyer: https://bit.ly/nttac-flyer
Request TA: https://tinyurl.com/RequestNTTAC-TTA
GET SOCIAL WITH US!
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Twitter: @nttac_mh
THIS PRESENTATION IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY

12. Thank you.
SAMHSA’s mission is to reduce
the impact of substance abuse and
mental illness on America’s communities.
www.samhsa.gov
1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727) ● 1-800-487-4889 (TDD)