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Engaging Immigrant Families

Engaging Immigrant Families. Kate Reen, MSW Assistant Director, Youth Initiatives Northern Virginia Family Services 571-748-2808, kreen@nvfs.org. Agenda:. Introductions Barriers to engagement Current environment influences Practices to increase engagement Puzzle piece Closing thoughts.

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Engaging Immigrant Families

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  1. Engaging Immigrant Families Kate Reen, MSW Assistant Director, Youth Initiatives Northern Virginia Family Services 571-748-2808, kreen@nvfs.org

  2. Agenda: • Introductions • Barriers to engagement • Current environment influences • Practices to increase engagement • Puzzle piece • Closing thoughts www.nvfs.org

  3. Northern Virginia Family Service NVFS Program Areas • Healthy Families • Multi-cultural Center • Immigration Legal Services • Housing Assistance • Health Access • Workforce Development • Therapeutic Foster and Respite Care • Early Childhood • Youth Initiatives See www.nvfs.org for more details Youth Initiatives Programs: • The IPE Gang Prevention Program • VPIP – Violence Prevention and Intervention Program • The Family Reunification Program • School Specific Groups for Recently Immigrated Youth www.nvfs.org

  4. NVFS and Immigrant Families • 61% of NVFS clients born outside the US • 95%of Youth Initiatives clients born outside the US • 81% of NVFS clients whose primary language is not English www.nvfs.org

  5. Barriers to Engagement • Cultural Beliefs and Values • Trust • Necessity www.nvfs.org

  6. Barriers to Engagement: Trauma & Immigration • The potential for Extensive Unmet Mental Health needs • Pre-journey exposures / trauma histories common: • Domestic Violence • Victims of Physical, Sexual, and Emotional Child Abuse • Experience of systemic/epidemic violence: war, on-going community violence, sanctioned political violence, oppression, and/or corruption • Exposure to Violence, Fear, and Helplessness on the Journey • Traumatic Experiences Resulting from Gang Involvement • Triple Trauma Paradigm • Traumatic experiences are often compounded by multiple losses www.nvfs.org

  7. Barriers to Engagement • Competing priorities • Limited education and cultural navigation • Communication • Power dynamics www.nvfs.org

  8. Current Environment • Immigration Legal Considerations • Need for role definition and education • Misinformation, Speculation, Exploitation, and Fear www.nvfs.org

  9. Program Practices: Service Model • Accessibility • Cultural practice recognition www.nvfs.org

  10. Program Practices: Staffing • Language • Cultural understanding & Staff representation • Professional development www.nvfs.org

  11. Program Practices • Collaborate with existing community supports • Systems Education & Advocacy www.nvfs.org

  12. Individual Practices • The value of flexibility • Consider word choice • Self Awareness www.nvfs.org

  13. Individual Practices: Trauma Informed • Trauma-informed strategies benefit all clients, though they are especially necessary to support clients who have experienced trauma. • Know your role • A Sense of Safety • Information • Hope and Optimism • A Sense of Connection / Supportive Relationships www.nvfs.org

  14. Individual Practices • Explore resistance • The value of time • Psychoeducation • US Norms – systems, laws, cultural expectations • Know Your Rights • Individualized self-sufficiency www.nvfs.org

  15. Puzzle Piece www.nvfs.org

  16. Closing Thoughts • What practices can you apply immediately? • What do you have more questions about? • Other comments or questions? www.nvfs.org

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