When an immigrant-rights organization needed a neuropsychological assessment for an 18-year-old Honduran man seeking asylum, they wanted a psychologist who met certain key criteria: fluency in Spanish, availability in Chicago and expertise in learning disabilities.
Elizabeth Carll, PhD, chair of the Refugee Mental Health Resource Network, knew just the person to recommend: Ida Salusky, PhD, an assistant professor of clinical/community psychology at DePaul University and one of nearly 300 psychologists and other mental health professionals who have volunteered to be part of the network.
The young man, Salusky discovered, had been a victim of forced labor before escaping to the United States. “He basically was sold to other people to work for them and didn’t have the liberty to leave,” says Salusky. “He was caught up in the cycle since he was 10 or 11.”
Because he had been denied access to formal education, the organization working with him wanted to understand if his learning difficulties were to be expected or were signs of an underlying problem. The organization was also concerned that a mood disorder might interfere with his ability to participate effectively in his own asylum case.
That kind of matching of psychologists with organizations needing pro bono asylum evaluations, neuropsychological assessments and other help for the refugees they serve is what Carll, vice chair Betsy Gard, PhD, and colleagues imagined when they first began developing the network in 2016. Created in part with funding from the Committee on Division/APA Relations, the project offers an interactive, password-protected database that agencies and others can search for psychologists and other mental health professionals, both domestically and internationally.
The network also offers free webinars to introduce practitioners to work with refugees, focusing on such topics as screening and intervening with refugees, conducting asylum evaluations and best practices on working with attorneys in asylum cases.
An interactive database
The need for the network is growing fast, says Carll, past president of APA’s Div. 56 (Trauma), which is the lead co-sponsor of the project (see Project co-sponsors for a list of other co-sponsors).
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugeesopens in new window, the world is facing an unprecedented level of displacement, with 65.6 million people forced from their homes. Of those, almost 22.5 million are refugees, over half under the age of 18. In the United States, says Carll, “there’s a lot of concern for those who are here already, either detained or in the process of attempting asylum.”
To help these individuals, the network’s database focuses on psychologists and other mental health professionals who can assist with asylum evaluations and other services aimed at helping refugees remain in the United States.
When an organization needs a volunteer, the network provides a password that allows that organization to search its volunteer database. Carll and her colleagues are also available to help with the matching process.
The network is not open to the general public, says Carll, explaining that it is important that the network not be overwhelmed with requests until it’s ready to meet them. “We want to grow both sides—supply and demand—concurrently.” So far, says Carll, there has been a lot of interest from law firms with pro bono services for asylum seekers.
Researchers interested in investigating topics related to refugees are also welcome to join the network. So are students.
“There’s very little information or courses in this area within universities,” says Carll, explaining that students are interested in this new area of specialization and are often already involved in volunteer work that doesn’t require a degree. “The network will enable them to network across the country.”
For Salusky, whose evaluation of the Honduran asylum seeker is ongoing, getting involved as both a volunteer and webinar participant has been such a positive experience she is now undergoing training to do asylum evaluations and hoping to start a practicum for her graduate students. “The network is a great place to build relationships with other like-minded psychologists trying to do this type of work,” she says.
For more information about the network or to sign up as a volunteer, visit www.refugeementalhealthnet.orgopens in new window or email RefMHResNetwk2@optimum.net.
