Providing Mental Health Services to Immigrants and Refugees

Immigrant and Refugee Support

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

Valley Family Center's immigrant and refugee clients are dealing with mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, domestic violence, trauma, family conflict, academic struggles, and a host of other issues related to assimilation to a new country and culture. Many clients are also dealing with multiple adverse childhood experiences (ACES) stemming from their family of origin: including family violence, neglect, mental illness, substance abuse or having an incarcerated family member. The greater the number and severity of ACES in a child's developmental years, the greater the negative impact to their health long-term, increasing their lifetime risk of depression, substance abuse, suicide attempts, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, poor academic achievement, heart disease, financial stress and other issues. Through our programs, we work to clients heal from wounds of the past, build communication, coping, stress management and other skills needed to live safely in LA.

In order to support the immigrant and refugee community in the San Fernando Valley, Valley Family Center provides the following programs for the community provided in both Spanish and English: Counseling Program: includes individual, couple, & family therapy sessions for adults and children. Survivors of Domestic Violence Program: includes support groups, and counseling for victims and witnesses of domestic violence and sexual abuse. Sexual Abuse Awareness Group for non-offending caregivers of children who have been sexually abused meets weekly to help parents & guardians support their children as they move through the healing process and prevent future abuse. Batterers' Intervention Program includes therpeutic classes for perpetrators of domestic violence. These classes educate clients regarding cycles of violence and how to build healthy coping mechanisms and communication skills. The class includes anger management techniques for men & women struggling with impulse control. Parent Education Program: includes instruction regarding normal child development and teaches positive behavior management skills for parents. Valley Family Center's programs are focused on helping individuals heal from wounds of the past and move forward in a peaceful manner. These groups & classes are taught in Spanish by therapists who the majority come from the Latinx community as well. Therapists are able to educate those who are immigrants and refugees to cultural norms and laws in the US.

Our vision for the success of this project is when the grant cycle is complete, 1,000 LA community members, a majority of them being immigrants and refugees, will have received therapeutic services aimed at helping them deal with emotional wounds caused from experiencing or witnessing domestic violence. Clients will have learned tools and techniques to move toward living a violence-free life. Additionally, not only will the 1,000 targeted clients be affected. Valley Family Center's services have a ripple effect on the wider community. We believe that "helping one helps many." For each person we serve, life is transformed in some way. This, in turn, positively impacts the lives of the individual's family, friends, co-workers and ultimately the larger community in a positive manner. When an individual takes the often frightening first-step toward seeking help, Valley Family Center meets them where they are, guides them along the path to deal with their issues making their lives better.

Valley Family Center assesses client progress in the following ways: 1. Clinical outcomes for the Counseling Program are measured through the administration of an online survey called the Outcome Questionnaire 45.2 for adults and Youth Outcome Questionnaire for children. This questionnaire measures progress made during counseling sessions. 2. Attendance rates are measured. The more a person attends, the better the outcome. 4. Clients complete a pretest/posttest to measure their knowledge and learning in each program. 5. Clinical progress notes aid in determining if treatment was successful. 6. Client satisfaction surveys are administered to each client. On average 80-85% of clients who enter Valley Family Center's various programs will achieve successful outcomes, including demonstrating an increase in knowledge regarding domestic violence, it's impact on children, symptom reduction, improved functioning and a better quality of life.