Trauma and Abuse in the American Asylum-Seeking Process

Asylum-seeking families from Central America report substantial trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress symptoms: the mean level of posttraumatic distress is 161% higher in immigrant children and 204% higher in immigrant young adults than in non-immigrants, with significant consequences for their physical health and quality of life (Mercado et al., 2019).  Recent U.S. policies, including the Migrant Protection Protocols, have further embedded trauma in the asylum-seeking process by forcing families to remain in Mexico, enduring dire living conditions in tent encampments near the border (Mercado et al., in press). Real experiences of immigrant families who traveled from Central America and waited for over a year in the refugee camps in Mexico will be discussed, and recent research using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design will be presented. In addition, best-practices, policy, and advocacy implications will be highlighted in this session.

Instructor: Alfonso Mercado, Ph.D.

[Note] This presentation was recorded at the 2021 National Practice Conference, co-hosted by the National Register.

Learning Objectives

• Apply current research on trauma and health in recently immigrated families seeking asylum.
• Describe the psychological consequences of the Migrant Protection Protocols on children and families.
• Demonstrate best practices for working with asylum-seeking families, including trauma-informed treatment.
• Identify the policy and advocacy implications of working with this clinical population.

Important Notice

Because this webinar is on-demand, once you are registered and have created a login account, you can view the webinar at any time in whatever time increments are most convenient. In order to download your CE certificate, receive CE credits, and become eligible for a discount on your Trust Sponsored Professional Liability Insurance policy premium, you must:

• Complete the entire webinar,
• Pass a brief exam, and,
• Complete a brief evaluation form.

You are required to achieve a passing score of 75 percent or higher. You are allowed three attempts to successfully complete the exam. If you are unsuccessful on the third attempt, you must re-purchase the course to try again.

Eligibility for Insurance Premium Discounts

• Unless otherwise noted, you can combine 6 or more CE credit hours earned from the on-demand of the National Practice Conference or from The Trust’s Virtual Webinar Series (Risk Management Roundtables, Telehealth Community Chats, We Hold These Truths) and become eligible for a 15% savings on your Trust Sponsored Professional Liability Insurance premium for two consecutive renewal periods.
• You can also combine 4 or more CE credit hours earned from The Trust’s webinars or any other continuing education programs authorized by APA to offer CE credit and become eligible for a 5% savings on your Trust Sponsored Professional Liability Insurance premium for one renewal.
• To obtain CE discounts, download and submit CE certificates (totaling 4 or 6 hours as explained above and completed within the previous 15 months) with your insurance application/renewal.
• Discounts are not applicable to Researcher/Academician or Student policies.
• Group policies become eligible for CE discounts when at least 50% of individuals insured under the group policy submit CE certification totaling the number of credits needed for a particular percentage discount.
• All applications are individually underwritten and submission of CE certification will not guarantee insurance policy issuance or renewal.

Continuing Education Credits

The Trust is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Trust maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

The Trust is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0019.

Continuing Education Grievance Policy

The Trust is fully committed to conducting all activities in strict conformance with the American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles of Psychologists. The Trust will comply with all legal and ethical guidelines for non-discrimination in promotional activities, program content and in the treatment of CE participants. The Trust CE Director is responsible for complying with these standards.

While the Trust strives to assure fair treatment for all participants and to anticipate problems before they occur, occasionally grievances may be filed. In cases where a participant files a written or oral grievance, the following actions are taken:

• If the grievance concerns the content of the workshop, webinar, book or the continuing education test, a Trust representative will mediate and will be the final arbitrator. If the participant requests action, the CE Director or a Trust representative will either provide a credit for a subsequent CE offering or provide a partial or full refund of the CE fee already paid.
• Actions involving a credit or a refund will require a written note documenting the grievance for record-keeping purposes. The aggrieved individual need not sign the note. If the grievance specifically concerns The Trust, the CE Director or Trust representative will attempt to arbitrate.

Direct correspondence to:

Continuing Education
The Trust
111 Rockville Pike, Suite 700
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone: (800) 477-1200

Email: grievances@trustinsurance.com