This workshop will explore ways mental health providers can support Latinx immigrants by deepening their understanding of current geopolitical issues and how to improve their practice with the use of immigration evaluations and psychological documentation. The course will provide an overview of US involvement in Latin America and how it has impacted immigration issues. We will discuss how destabilized governments and increased violence has caused people to flee their homes and communities for unknown futures in the U.S. We will discuss how illness plays a role in immigration evaluations and ways we can better support this population through evaluations. This workshop is aimed at providers who may have contact with this population and want to learn and understand how to support their transition and recovery through a cultural-relational, trauma- informed lens. The process of providing immigration evaluations will also be reviewed as well as key elements to consider during the process with particular attention to those immigrants dealing with illness.

The second part of the workshop will focus on illness in the Latinx community and cultural considerations. This will include a discussion on issues around immigration, status, spiritual and religious beliefs as well as family roles and dynamics. This will give context to providers working with the population and offer factors to consider when supporting those with illness that identify as Latinx immigrants.

Learning objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Discuss an overview and history of US involvement in Central America and its effects on immigration
• Explain the immigration and asylum process and its impact on collective and individual mental health
• Describe ways mental health providers can support asylum seekers using a trauma-informed approach
• Describe the process of conducting immigration evaluations for immigrants with a particular focus on illness and the role it takes in immigration evaluations.
• Discuss illness in the Latinx community in the context of cultural humility
• Discuss cultural considerations around illness in the Latinx community

Instructor Bio

Claudette Mestayer is a bicultural, bilingual, licensed clinical social worker with a private practice in Oakland. Claudette specializes in clients with trauma histories and is dedicated to supporting BIPOC, first and second-generation immigrants, and the LGBTQ community. In her eight years of experience, Claudette has had the privilege to work at UCSF Medical Center, Kaiser, Highland Medical Center, East Bay Agency for Children, and has years of experiencing conducting mental health evaluations for undocumented Latin American immigrants. She has lectured yearly at the Wright Institute on immigration and asylum and has also been a mental health trainer for Kaiser Permanente. As a professional woman of color and second-generation immigrant, she is deeply committed to disrupting intergenerational trauma and the systems of oppression that impact our day-to-day lives.