Therapeutic Care:
It goes without saying that folks fleeing indescribable violence in their home countries require therapeutic care. This need is two-fold: first, in order to properly present their immigration cases, the client must cogently retell their traumatic experience several times, and be prepared to do so under the pressures and scrutiny of a court & judge. Second, in order to heal and build safe and stable lives in the United States, clients must have access to trauma focused therapy for themselves and their families. Unfortunately, many immigrants are excluded from mental & behavioral health services due to lack of health insurance and resources for private pay.
In our experience, we have seen clients attempt to narrate the worst experiences of their lives, only to falter and struggle. When this occurs in court, it can easily be used to invalidate the truth of the client’s story. Therapy helps the client heal and is a critical step in effective representation. All clients receiving legal representation will be referred to our therapist where they would be offered individual and family therapy, based on their needs. Additionally, clients will also receive mental health evaluations where necessary for their immigration cases (ie; Asylum, U-Visa, T-Visa, and VAWA processes). These evaluations can be prohibitively expensive for marginalized individuals - our program will ensure that all clients have access in order to effectively document and present their cases.
Case Management:
Newcomer immigrants and refugees are building lives in new geographic, cultural, and linguistic contexts. Many arrive with few or no family or community connections, and face language, literacy, transportation, and technological barriers to navigating their new communities. Clients will be connected with case management to ease the transition and guide families towards self-sufficiency: to locate health services, enroll in schools, connect with basic needs support, and problem solve and identify essential services in times of crisis.