September 2025

Message From The SGVPA President

Hello SGVPA Folx,

This is Emily Morales, your Diversity Chair. I wanted to share personal experiences about working with the migrant population. What you may not know is that my bachelor’s degree is in Latin American Latino Studies with a focus on Immigration. This is a group I knew one day in one way or another I'd find a way to represent or help. I am a first-generation individual. My parents migrated to this country in the 70's and 80's. They met here in the US, and the rest is history. My experience as a first-generation individual revolved around a unique role that is not commonplace for children of non-migrants in the US.

At an early age, my job was to be a translator, emissary for the household, and resource guru. I had to be fearless in a way that put me as part of the adult hierarchy in my home. I heard "You were born here, do you not know what they are saying/writing?" in conversations about adult family decisions. My family often expected me to translate letters from doctors, letters from work, mail in general, and television content. I had to ask peers, mentors, authority figures, and English language speakers on my own until my parents became fluent in the English language. The internet was not accessible to me in my home until I was a junior in high school, so resources had to come from many creative places. My education was critical for the success of my family. The pressure was intense but, in that moment, you don't understand it and just "do it." 

Growing up immigration was a topic discussed at the dinner table. It can be a common experience depending on the immigration journey of the adults in the family system. There are always exceptions to the rules, and you can meet people who have never spoken about immigration until a moment of crisis. I knew of families who would not speak about immigration, and I would be told to not discuss legal status when interacting with their children in therapy. Some of those families were my aunts, uncles, cousins, who did not feel it was a safe topic to discuss in hopes of not scaring the children. The fear of disclosing the citizenship status of some members of the family was a palpable experience. Mixed status means some members of the family are citizens, some are in the process of becoming a citizen, or some have not initiated any form of naturalization in the US. Some parents never informed their children that they were not born in the US. These truths come out and sometimes can tear the family apart. 

Taking from my experience when working with minors of mixed status families. I had serious conversations with the adults of the family system about what therapy entails. It was necessary to clearly delineate the limits of confidentiality. I stated very clearly and directly what DCFS/CPS means. I said that I do not report to ICE. I clearly explained the steps of a CPS and APS report. It was necessary to build rapport to clearly outline my role and purpose in their treatment goals in therapy. Mixed status homes live with intense fear. Whether from secret keeping in the home, who has what status or being upfront about everyone's status, and what could happen in the world if there were to be an ICE raid. It was essential to explain to my clients what my authority in the therapeutic alliance meant. Families will continue to open the doors to their home when you are upfront and clear about your boundaries and limitations. 

In my work presently I work with adults affected in several ways by immigration. I see individuals with their own naturalization journey, individuals who are witnessing their family member's immigration journey, people who have loved ones affected by immigration status, and individuals witnessing the terror of their fellow man going through immigration raids. Immigration is a polarizing topic in all walks of life. Demonizing immigrants hurt people in many ways. Immigrants are being blamed for "the current state of our country, sadly is a classic rhetoric, and unfortunately the current scapegoat. This is not the first time people have used immigration as a topic  used to rally support for nationalism and xenophobia. We have seen this across time and history. Being with the client and holding space for them to tell you about their pain, hurt, anger, distress, and family stories is part of the journey towards healing. Holding the space to go through the stages of grief, to process the anger, to challenge the feelings of helplessness, allows the therapy room to become a space of social justice. 

These journeys shared in the therapeutic room are at times tough to hear and can be heavy on the heart. I encourage you to reach out to your colleagues and consult, process in your own therapy, or bring it up as a topic you want more information from your Psychological Associations. These are challenging times. Being there for each other as community members will help us share the load in a collective way. Tending to the hurts of the world is a work of heart. We do what we do because of the passions and callings we feel in ourselves. Thank you for reaching out to community members that are in need. We are in this together. 

Warm Regards,

Emily Morales, LMFT, Psy.D., Diversity Chair

My Background

I am a first-generation American-born Latina. I understand the political landscape and can provide a clinical lens to support the community-at-large. I have over 17 years of experience as a social worker. I conduct biopsychosocial evaluations for immigration cases, individual psychotherapy and consultative services as it relates to the mezzo-level intersection of mental health and public health.

Current Political Climate

Mental health clinicians from all over the United States may have seen an uptick for services since the change in presidential administration. During a change in administration comes a change in policies, a change in governmental leaders and a change is once-protected laws. With political upheaval comes anxiety, trauma, depression or isolation.

This current political climate has been affecting the immigrant community since well-before January 20, 2025, but it’s now manifesting due to recent enforcement of raids, changes in legalizing immigration status or fear of a loved one getting deported. Over the past several months policies have been updated without court-approval but with executive orders placing undocumented immigrants at-risk of deportation. With escalating factors coming into play during nationwide immigration raids, people are afraid to leave their once-safe home out of fear of being detained by ICE or immigration enforcement. People fear updating their status, going to immigration court for once-protected check-in hearings and fear of going to work. Their emotional anguish can be debilitating and have devastating effects in the long-run. The people I describe could very well be your client, the adult child of an undocumented immigrant, the minor child (also referred to by this administration as an “anchor baby”), or young adult with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status. This person could be the spouse of a US Citizen, the asylum-seeker, the refugee, or the highly-skilled professional at-risk of losing their H1-B Visa. All these people have a face; a face some may want to hide out of fear of persecution.

Personifying the Immigrant

Immigrants come from all over the world. Some with permanent residency, legal status, tourist visa, work visa, refugee and others seeking asylum for refuge. According to the American Immigration Council, it’s estimated there’s approximately 11 million undocumented individuals residing in the US. Some overstay their once-valid visas, some cross borders through perilous journeys, risking their lives to get to the other side. All of these individuals hope for one thing:

for a better life in the US. Individuals with once-legal status, such as Temporary Protected Status (TPS), are now being asked to leave the US after decades of living peacefully in the US. Certain class of undocumented immigrants are being financially cajoled into self-deporting with an offer of $1,000, per Department of Homeland Security. Government workers play a huge role in this: border patrol; ICE agents; law enforcement; politically-appointed judges. Once-protected

sanctuary cities such as Los Angeles are routinely fighting against enforcement; the sanctuary city or state is no longer a protective factor.

Shifting the Narrative

So how can you as a mental health specialist best support these clients coming to you under distress? Your client may not be the undocumented individual, but may be the minor child of an undocumented parent fearful of family separation, or may be the adult US citizen whose parents are undocumented. They may be the DACA recipient with a valid work permit, but fearful of coming into work. They may be the newly married spouse of the undocumented individual seeking a way for their spouse to remain in the country legally. Documenting their psychological stressors may help them if they are seeking a route to legal status. Your documentation matters and at any instance it may be subpoenaed and brought into evidence for immigration court. As a trained mental health practitioner conducting biopsychosocial evaluations to support immigration cases, I see firsthand how important it is to help the client substantiate their lived-fear and put those words into an objective report to help aid their case in immigration court. Psychotherapy is not punitive; in the case of an individual seeking legal status it may very well help their case by substantiating their mental health claims in immigration court.

Best Practices

It goes without saying but if you’re reading this article, you already come with a psychotherapeutic lens. You don’t have to convince anyone to join therapy; you know the positive effects they carry. For some undocumented individuals you’ll want to start with informed consent, establishing rapport and providing them with the assurance that they are safe, their narrative is protected and they will not be reported to immigration or law enforcement. Discussing this in the initial phone consultation or during intake will help the client feel safe and secure. Offering telehealth services is an added bonus for those fearful of leaving their home. Assuring them that they have rights and their information will be kept

confidential will help them ease into therapy. Best practices should be rooted in cultural-sensitivity and cultural-competence. Knowing how to practice within your scope, trained in trauma-informed therapy, understanding somatic work, providing EMDR therapies, CBT or evidence-based practices to help with anxiety, depression, adjustment disorder or PTSD. Familiarizing yourself with various self-administered scales (PCL-5; PHQ-9; GAD-7) will help confirm a diagnosis. The client’s mental health diagnosis is similar to any other legal-status client, the only difference is the undocumented client may have a fear of this very liberty being taken away. The liberty of seeking mental health treatment in a country that respects their self-determination and privacy without fear of judgment, persecution or

retaliation. Part of conducting psychotherapy may come with recommendations in the form of “homework,” skills-building, self-care and when necessary, referring out for case management support. For further guidance, LA County Office of Immigrant Affairs is a good starting point to find non-profit support and resources for your client. As a therapist doing what you can to help aid your client will not only make you informed but serve as an ally to the vulnerable immigrant community.

Written by:

Elda Lazaro, LCSW, MPH

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Elda@ConSoulCounseling.com

Topic: Employing Character Strengths as Treatment Goals