MaMHCA: Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association

MaMHCA Statement on Immigration Policy and Zero Tolerance

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The Massachusetts Mental Health Counseling Association joins our colleagues and sister psychology organizations to denounce the zero-tolerance policy established by President Trump's executive order on June, 20th, 2018 and call President Trump and Congress to adopt a new policy that takes into account the mental and physical health of immigrants from all nations.

In an effort to support this advocacy effort, MaMHCA Communications Staff Emily Sandon collaborated with our organization leadership to develop and publish an official letter, signed by both our President, Betsy Handley, and our Executive Director, Midge Williams. Below is a copy of this letter, and if you continue reading this article you will also find additional resources and plans for ongoing advocacy. You can also download a PDF copy of this letter here.

MaMHCA Statement:

We will continue to advocate and speak out. The Communications Team will release updates on our live on our social media feeds. We will also be including an article in our upcoming quarterly newsletter. You can also view the statement made by the American Mental Health Counselors Association Executive Director, Joel Miller, on their website here.

Here are some articles that MaMHCA used as references and resources for this statement:

• Articles for background on topic:

  • https://repository.uchastings.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2155&context=faculty_scholarship

    • Musalo, K., Meffert, S. M., & Abdo, A. O. (2010). The role of mental health professionals in political asylum processing. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry & the Law, 38, 479.

    • Title: The role of mental health professionals in political asylum processing

      • This article explains briefly the process of asylum within the legal perspective and how mental health professionals can support this process

  • http://www.academia.edu/27338020/Yoshikawa_Hirokazu_Carola_Suárez-Orozco_and_Roberto_G._Gonzales.​_Unauthorized_Status_and_Youth_Development_in_the_United_States_Consensus_Statement_on_the_Society_for_Research_on_Adolescence._Journal_of_Research_on​_Adolescence_DOI_10.1111_jora.12272

    • Yoshikawa, H., Suárez‐Orozco, C., & Gonzales, R. G. (2017). Unauthorized status and youth development in the United States: Consensus statement of the society for research on adolescence. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 27(1), 4-19.

    • Title: Unauthorized status and youth development in the United States: Consensus statement of the society for resarch on adolescence. 

    • Article explains the current and future challenges undocumented youth may go through. While outdated due to recent policy changes, this article still suggests quality ideas for how to address these complex challenges. 

• Organizations that provide background/information for professionals on what they can do to help: 

  • United Nations Human Rights - ohchr.org

  • Human Rights Education Associates - hrea.org

  • Health and Human Rights Info. - hhri.org

  • National Immigration Project - www.nationalimmigrationproject.org

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