Advocacy Plan
There is a wide range of research on the barriers and limited access to mental health services for immigrant and refugee populations. Younger immigrants and refugees have been identified as a group with high risk for mental health problems due to risk factors such as exposure to trauma, forced migration, and stressors associated with settlement. Additionally, these populations show relatively low use of mental health services, despite their very high prevalence for mental health issues. Some of the existing barriers to access to mental health services include the low priority that many immigrant and refugee populations place on mental health, lack of knowledge and even distrust of mental health services, and the stigma associated with psychosocial problems and help-seeking (Colucci, Minas, Szwarc, Guerra, & Paxton, 2015).
Keeping all of this in mind, I felt that the best way to advocate for immigrant and refugee populations would be to increase the understanding and priority of psychological wellbeing and mental health amongst New Americans. The reason for this is to increase awareness of the fact that the proper care exists, and that they do not need to feel that they are alone. Moving to a new country is isolating in and of itself, so pairing that difficulty with an existing mental health problem seems to be unimaginably challenging. This type of advocacy could be carried out at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, or community level. I think it would be very useful to come up with some kind of intervention to address these mental health disparities in the same breath that is used to help these families find housing, employment, and schooling. Addressing that this need can and should be filled should be a preventative measure that is taken immediately by organizations that serve the growing refugee and immigrant populations, such as Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS) located here in Columbus. Ensuring that the individuals who are aiding New Americans in resettlement are competent to adequately and accurately explain that there are resources to help cope with any adverse mental health issues would be crucial in the implementation of this advocacy activity.
The image that I chose to represent this advocacy activity displays a quote that I think puts a positive spin on mental health. Rather than viewing mental illness as something to be pitied, this quote represents that fact that adversity, especially in the context of mental health, can be reframed as a challenge that has made someone stronger. With this in mind, this quote implies that mental illness should not be stigmatized, but rather worked on and well-understood. I feel that having this perspective on mental health would make New Americans less likely to be ashamed to seek mental health services and more likely to view their adversity as something that can be properly addressed to ensure the best life possible as a New American. Utilizing this perspective when discussing mental health to New Americans may contribute to better statistics of help-seeking amongst immigrant and refugee populations. This instills feelings of confidence and faith in the idea that immigrants and refugees seeking a better life with better opportunities can and should be attainable across every domain of wellness.
This image represents how I’ve learned to view mental health disparities not as something that is negative and bleak but rather as something that can be reframed as a positive goal. I’ve learned that taking this perspective is empowering to those who may feel hopeless, especially those who are already grappling with the difficulty of starting a new life in a new country. Taking a strengths-focused perspective on the provision on mental health services is, I feel, a very important takeaway of this assignment that I am pleased to say will follow me into my professional career!
Reference:
Colucci, E., Minas, H., Szwarc, J., Guerra, C., & Paxton, G. (2015) In or out? Barriers and facilitators to refugee-background young people accessing mental health services. Transcultural Psychiatry, 52(6), 766-790. doi: 10.1177/1363461515571624
Servant Leadership Plan for Individuals Who Identify as Immigrants
The individuals and families that are aided by the CRIS organization are given so many opportunities and resources to help become better acquainted with their lives as new Americans. One need that I felt would be important to address is the need for winter-appropriate clothing. For many immigrant populations, coming to America may be the first time they encounter inclement winter weather. Many of the New Americans that I have been able to interact with have expressed how excited they are about seeing snow for the first time. Because some of these populations may have never needed to use winter weather gear prior to their immigration to the Columbus area, I felt that it might be important to provide them with a way to keep them prepared for the approaching winter weather. In accordance with the first theme of servant leadership, which is the voluntary subordination to serve the needs of others, I would like to organize a clothing drive to meet the needs of immigrant populations that may not be prepared in terms of clothing that is warm enough to endure the dropping temperatures during colder months.
Instead of merely doing an act of service for this population, I felt that it was best to directly respond to their expressed needs, rather than planning something based on an assumption of their needs. Being unprepared to comfortably face the changing of the seasons is something that I was able to explore with this population at the community-level, thus planning an intervention to this need is a means to halt any impediment in their development and functioning as New Americans. By taking initiative in planning a way to provide for this need, the individuals who have never encountered cold weather before will be able to more seamlessly transition into their lives as New Americans. Implementing this advocacy intervention at the community-level will hopefully successfully meet the needs of individuals who are adjusting to their new lives as Americans and are currently without appropriate winter weather gear.
The image that I have created can be used as a flyer to advertise for this clothing drive. This flyer can be printed and hung in areas around Columbus that may be considered more affluent and privileged. The hope in doing so is that the people who will see this flyer will have more resources to provide for New Americans that are unprepared to face the colder months. At each location (with the approval of any businesses that each donation location is implemented), there will be a donation box directly under the flyer. These donation locations will be checked regularly to gather the donated items so that they may be provided to any New Americans in need as quickly as possible.
The way that I feel about this topic is a strong feeling to help meet the winter weather needs of those who are currently without appropriate attire. Transitioning into a new life as a New American is already a stressful and daunting task. Luckily, though, the CRIS organization does an excellent job in finding housing, employment, and schools for New Americans. Taking steps to be appropriately dressed for colder weather may be something that is forgotten in the process of resettlement. Thinking about the moments when these individuals who may be unprepared for colder weather will have to face a cold day is something that makes me feel immensely empowered to aid in providing this need. This image captures genuine selflessness in the provision of these articles of clothing by the symbol of the hearts over the donation basket.
The way that I think about this topic is that this is a need that can quickly and directly be met. So many people have an excess of winter weather clothing articles (myself included) that could easily be given to individuals who are truly in need of them. This image captures examples of a few articles of clothing that could be donated for this cause, such as coats, gloves, hats, and scarfs.
This image represents the learning that I have experienced by contributing to my understanding that many New Americans have never had to face winter weather in their more temperate native regions. As someone who has always lived in an area that has cold winters, I’ve always known that I needed to be prepared to face low temperatures and frozen precipitation. The way that I have changed is by gaining a different perspective on some of the needs of New Americans who have never needed to be prepared in this way. I’m excited to implement this plan for servant leadership, as I know that it will directly meet the expressed needs of those individuals who are immigrating from more temperate native regions.
Strengths-Based Needs of Immigrants
The most important need of the immigrant population residing in the United States is a need for uncomplicated and effortless integration. Much of the time, people who relocate to the United States do so because they face harsh adversity in their native lands. Keeping this in mind, it’s important to remember that many New Americans have acquired a great deal of resilience in the process of moving to the United States. This resilience can also be drawn upon when New Americans are struggling to seamlessly become integrated into a new society. Because this population tends to have this very important and valuable strength, it is more likely that even if they face difficulty in the process of integration, they may be better equipped to handle it. Despite how equipped these individuals may be, it is still vital that this need of a smoother transition is addressed.
Something that is very closely related to resilience that many immigrants may obtain in the process of relocation is called posttraumatic growth (PTG). PTG is a construct which supposes that positive changes are likely to follow highly challenging life circumstances. In a research article by Rizkalla and Segal (2018), heightened PTG amongst a sample of Syrian immigrants and refugees was linked to “(in order of importance) better income, a greater use of nongovernmental organization services, and … the absence of psychosis and affective disorders.” What this data suggests is that immigrants who are able to overcome adversity are more likely to experience positive outcomes upon relocation, even if the process is a demanding and taxing one. This information is useful when considering how the strengths of resilience and PTG may help facilitate better integration in the United States.
The image that I have selected to represent the strengths-focused needs of immigrants, I feel, very accurately captures how I feel about this topic. I feel that integration is definitely a hurdle that many immigrants must face, but I do not feel that it is a hurdle that they are not prepared for. The “coexist” symbol is a representation of the variety of cultures that encompass the immigrant population, which, I feel, also suggests that coexisting could be synonymous to integration. The two strong-looking arms on either side of “coexist” symbolizes the strengths that these populations are bringing with them when they relocate to the United States, namely resilience. The zoomed-in map of the United States as the background contextualizes the image, as the need in question is specifically in terms of integration in the United States.
I think that this topic is very relevant, and always has been. The image captures the relevance of this issue because I used an older-looking map of the United States. This was done to signify that the need for integration amongst immigrants has never gone away, and will likely never go away. I think that this topic is very important in terms of this population, and it will thus stand the test of time. Hopefully, looking forward, integration will become less of an obstacle for New Americans.
This image is a representation of how I’ve learned that, though coexisting and integration is a difficult task to take on, it is not impossible. I’ve changed the way that I feel about this population’s need for seamless integration. At first, I felt much less optimistic, but now that I know more about resilience and PTG as strengths that many immigrant populations are equipped with, I feel much more confident in this population’s ability to tackle any and all stressors that they may face in the integration process.
Systemic Challenges Faced by Immigrants
The most significant systemic challenge that immigrant populations face in America can be described by the word xenophobia. As defined by the United Nation Educations, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), xenophobia is “an attitudinal orientation of hostility against non-natives in a given population” (“International Migration: Xenophobia”, n.d.). In other words, this occurs when Americans who hold prejudice against people of cultures other than their own convert their fear of the unfamiliar into hate. This is an especially detrimental burden to face because immigrants are already struggling with the trying to acclimate with a new culture. The hatred that unfortunately sometimes comes along with bigoted interaction with immigrants produces feelings of rejection within, making adjusting to a new country even more difficult, and sometimes even threatening (Dow, 2011). Xenophobia can manifest in a variety of ways, including the inability to find new jobs and healthcare, social isolation and loneliness, and discriminatory interaction that contributes to detrimental effects to psychological well-being, just to name a few (Yakushko, Watson, & Thompson, 2008) (Dow, 2011).
The topic of xenophobia amongst Americans is something that I happen to have very strong adverse feelings toward. It’s unfortunate how prevalent this hatred is in our society today, despite the fact that the United States is typically seen as a progressive first-world country. This image depicts the hostility of xenophobic Americans toward immigrants. The sign that the American holds shows an alien with an X over its face, signifying that many Americans will automatically assume that all immigrants are here illegally and are thus “aliens” who have no right to lead a better life as a new American and should simply go back to their home of origin. There is no reasoning to support this thought process, other than the fact that the xenophobic American is equating an immigrant’s diverse culture as a threat to the “American Way”. This is exactly the kind of interaction that is far too prevalent amongst uneducated American people who continue to project their fear and hatred onto those who are different from themselves. I think this image perfectly captures the hostility felt by immigrants as a result of the deplorable group of unwelcoming and contentious Americans.
This image produces thoughts of bewilderment within me. This kind of interaction is absolutely absurd and illogical to me. Speaking as someone who does not hold these hateful opinions about immigrants, this image makes me wonder how bigoted Americans are even able to get to this place of pure animosity towards new Americans. It also makes me think about how difficult it would be for an immigrant to be the target of such hate. What I’ve learned from this image and the thoughts and feelings it has produced within me is how important counseling is for the immigrant population. Moving to a new country is difficult in and of itself but having to face such prejudicial maliciousness adds a completely different layer to the struggle. I’ve learned just how important it is to understand the hardships that this population has to face daily, so that I may be able to provide the most constructive and supportive counseling for those who pursue it.
Reference:
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (n.d.). International Migration: Xenophobia. Social Transformations and Intercultural Dialogue. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/international-migration/glossary/xenophobia/
Annotated Bibliography
Chavez, K. R. (2011). Identifying the needs of LGBTQ immigrants and refugees in Southern Arizona. Journal of Homosexuality, 58,189-218.
This article is a research study that attempts to inform readers of the needs of LGBTQ immigrants and refugees. This study is the first of its kind, which helps fill the existing gap in the literature surrounding LGBTQ identities among immigrants and refugees. The literature cited by the authors explores this gap and the lack of knowledge about LGBTQ immigrants and refugees, which sets the stage for this study perfectly. The researchers conducted a series of interviews on their participants in Southern Arizona. Their findings included illumination of cultural insensitivity, importance of appropriate services for this population, fears of revealing LGBTQ status among participants, finding and keeping housing, lack of adequate housing resources, and other legal concerns. The authors concluded that since the needs of LGBTQ immigrants and refugees are not being properly met, there may be two possible solutions. The first recommendation is to further develop culturally sensitive services. The second recommendation is the need to organize an LGBTQ migrant taskforce in order to better train service providers via first-hand experience by members of the LGBTQ community. I really liked this article because it addresses two overlapping minority statuses. Despite the importance of this study, there are certainly implications. First, there is a lack of formal community of LGBTQ immigrants and refugees, which made the access to participants extremely difficult. Traditional snowballing methods did not prove to be as useful as they normally are, which could have impacted the data. Additionally, the researchers lacked non-English language skills, which also could have a large impact on data collection. Sexual identity is also not thought of in other countries the same way that is it in the United States, which adds an entirely new layer to the analyzation of this data. The fact that this study was conducted in Southern Arizona may also be an issue, as the LGBTQ community in this area may simply be less prioritized and culturally accepted. Beyond these implications, I think this study is very informative on multiple levels for this population, which may provide much-needed insight during my Immersion Experience.
Dow, H. D. (2011). An overview of stressors faced by immigrants and refugees: A guide for mental health practitioners. Home Health Care Management & Practice, 23 (3), 210-217.
This article is a position paper with the aim to address the stressors immigrants and refugees face upon coming to the United States. This paper’s main arguments highlight reasons why individuals may leave their homelands and migrate to a new country, as well as premigration factors, migration histories, postmigration losses, and resulting psychological distress. This article also makes an effort to emphasize that not all immigrants have the same experience in their migration, nor will they face the same degree of challenges once they have relocated. The author cites relevant sources including research on immigrant and refugee demographics and obstacles. A lot of this research is pretty old (some dating back to the 70’s), which may pose as an implication for the purposes of the Immersion Project, but also may not necessarily be considered irrelevant. It would be worthwhile to look into some newer research on immigrant and refugee demographics. The main conclusions that the author declares involve the distinctions between refugee and immigrant experiences, the implications of splitting and scattering of households and communities, financial status and change, lack of knowledge of the host language, difficult family dynamics, the variance in attitudes of the receiving community, and the effects of racism and stereotyping upon relocation. I think this article is a great source for better understanding the difficulties these populations face upon migration, which will better inform my interactions with this population.
Paterson, J. & Rowe, J. (2010). Culturally competent communication with refugees. Home Health Care Management & Practice, 22(5), 334-338.
This article was a position paper centered around the idea of exploring the importance of using cultural competent language when providing services to refugees. There is information from the Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance which is used to help illustrate the growing numbers of immigrants to the United States. This information is only two years older than when this article was published (which was eight years ago), so it might be worthwhile to see how these numbers have changed. There is also literature cited to further illustrate the importance of and complexities surrounding the term ‘culture’, as well as communication and cultural competence. These are mostly from United States-affiliated research institutions, so I believe them be reliable. The main argument asserted by the authors is that it is imperative for health professionals to be culturally competent and sensitive to immigrant and refugee populations in the provision of their services. This is because many immigrants and refugees have been exposed to adverse conditions, rendering them emotionally traumatized and physically ill. The authors state that the dimensions of culturally competent communication are caring, cultural sensitivity, cultural knowledge, and cultural skills. The authors also discuss suggestions to improve culturally competent communications, as well as ways to beat the language barrier. The main conclusions of this article outline the need for health professionals to become educated about refugees in order to properly serve these populations. This is especially important in the contexts of the Immersion Project, as it is important to be aware of one’s own culture and the culture of others in any given interaction. I think this article is quite relevant and a very useful discussion of meaningful ways to be sensitive to this population’s needs and personal identities.
Rizkalla, N. & Segal, S. P. (2018). Well-being and posttraumatic growth among Syrian refugees in Jordan. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 31,213-222.
This article was a research study that was designed for the purpose of investigating the factors that affect well-being and posttraumatic growth of Syrian refugees. The authors cite many relevant sources to help inform the a priori reasoning for conducting this study. These sources include information about the socioeconomic statuses of Syrian refugees, as well as the consequences of enduring war experiences. All of this literature is very recent; therefore, I believe it to be reliable in terms of their motivations behind investigating this research topic. The participants that took place in this study were all Syrian refugees who had relocated to Jordan. With the assistance of Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs), (such as the Waqea, Jordanian Women’s Union, Bader Center, Naher el Rahmeh Charity Organization, The Islamic Charity Center, Ladies of Abu Syah Charity Organization, and Jordanian Women Qualifying and Training Society), data was able to be collected. This data reflected sociodemographic information, ratings of well-being, posttraumatic growth, PTSD symptoms associated with traumatic experiences, and mental disorders. The conclusions that were drawn from this study were that those who had sufficient income and humanitarian assistance had a better chance of preserving mental health wellness, despite the existence of adverse experiences and psychological symptoms. This article is very informative for the population that I will be working with for the Immersion Project, specifically because it provides insight into the reactions of a specific population of refugees (Syrians). The only implication that I can think of in regard to how this article may relate to the Immersion Project is that this article only looked at Syrian refugees who relocated to Jordan, which means that these findings may not be generalizable to other refugee and immigrant populations in different settings. I really liked this article because of the fact that it is an actual research study that is backed by statistical findings that the authors acquired themselves. Though position papers are able to provide insight, this article may prove to be more useful for the purposes of the Immersion Project because it is grounded in data. Though this data is only on Syrian refugees in Jordan, I believe that it is still quite valuable.
Thompson, S., Watson, M., & Yakushko, O. (2008). Stress and coping in the lives of recent immigrants and refugees: Considerations for counseling. International Journal of Advanced Counseling, 30,167-178.
This article is a position paper that focuses on the stress and coping in the lives of recent immigrants and refugees within a framework of stress theories proposed in psychological literature. This paper gives a broad outline of various stressors that are encountered by recent immigrants. The literature that is cited by the authors of this article are both recent and dated. Some of the most dated literature that is cited is related to various theories of stress, so I believe that this information is still valuable as it provides a lens through which immigrant/refugee stress can be examined. The authors also examined the legal aspects of immigration, and how these factors may further complicate the stressors involved in relocation. Both pre- and post-migration stressors were examined, namely the stress involved in relocation, mental and physical health challenges, acculturation stress (which is the process of adopting the values and behaviors of a new culture), social status, social contact, and oppression. All of these stressors were then taken into account for implications in the counseling process. The authors conclude the article with the idea that counseling from a social justice perspective is able to empower clients, despite the stressors they face. As long as these stressors are fully understood and paid attention to, coping skills can thus be implemented to improve the lives of these individuals. I really liked this paper because I felt that it hit on all the important aspects of the immigration process. I also believe it was thoroughly backed in research, which gave me the impression that this article is currently relevant in the context of immigrant and refugee considerations for counseling.