“The Great Melting Pot”, “Nation of immigrants”, “The World is Coming!” We have heard the phrases many times. The world has been coming to America since America was a baby, to participate in its promise of equality and prosperity. The journey and arrival have been quietly fulfilling for some but unendingly difficult for others. Differences in adjustment accrue to factors of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender identity, social class, age, disability, language, and religion among others. The United States at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century saw the largest influx ever of immigrants, predominantly of European descent. The current surge of immigrants emanates primarily from Asia and Latin America. The processes of assimilation are not the same. Rather than the “melting pot” with a unifying language and culture, the concept of the mosaic may better represent the realities of immigrant groups seeking to maintain their distinct identities and resist “Americanization”.
We heard their stories-- learned of their struggles, their triumphs and their ongoing challenges. We were the fortunate ones, the 278 of us who attended the APA Expert Summit on Immigration February 2, 2006 in San Antonio, TX. Drs. A. Toy Caldwell-Colbert (President, Div. 45) and Cynthia de las Fuentes (President, Div. 35) co-chaired what is hoped will be the first Summit. Division 42 was one of the eight co-sponsoring divisions along with numerous other APA affiliated groups. Division 42 was well represented as our mid-winter Board meeting was scheduled in conjunction with the Summit. The scheduling was no accident; rather it reflects our commitment to enhance the awareness and understanding of the needs of diverse psychologists, clients, and systems.
The Summit was subtitled, “Global Realities: Intersections and Transitions”. Its 3 plenary sessions, 6 workshops, and 21 posters spoke to the fusions and fissions that immigration inevitably creates.
Donald J. Hernandez, PhD, Professor of Sociology Center for Social & Demographic Analysis- SUNY, used 2000 U.S. Census data to show how race-ethnicity and a host of family indicators (e.g. composition, English proficiency, education level, poverty level) impact the adjustment of immigrant children. Perhaps not surprising to some was the finding that generational status plays an important role. Infant mortality rates, percent of adolescents with asthma or obesity, and the percent of adolescents engaging in four or more types of non-violent delinquent acts goes up with each generation of residence in the US for most immigrant groups. It might surprise some to know that despite the challenges they face, adolescent immigrants report a high level of “positive emotional well-being”.
Dr. Mary Pipher held the group rapt as she described her work with refugees in Lincoln, NE. Dr. Pipher, already known for “Reviving Ophelia”, her groundbreaking book about the struggles of adolescent girls, gave voice to the struggles of refugees from Kosovo, Kenya, Afghanistan, Vietnam, and Sudan. She challenged all of us to step out of our comfortable persona of expert advisor and into a non-traditional role of “cultural broker”- one who eases another into his or her culture. She emphasized that psychologists have a role to play in educating others-- to re-humanize, de-objectify, and teach empathy. We have much to learn from and about the resilience of our newest neighbors. She cited one of her favorite Lyndon Johnson quotes, “We hope the world won’t narrow into a neighborhood until it has broadened into a brotherhood.”
In the final plenary session, Dr. Carola Suarez-Orozco, Chair of the Department of Applied Psychology at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Education and Co-Director of Immigration Studies, shared her wisdom regarding the family dynamics of immigration. She reminded us that the United States is being transformed to such an extent that by 2040 a third of our children will be growing up in immigrant homes. She also noted that separations are a necessary part of the immigration process and the ways in which they are managed augur well or poorly for ultimate adjustment. Therapists and researchers are urged to become well informed about why it makes a difference to be an immigrant of a particular age, sex, and country of origin.
Workshops focused on the:
multiple layers of oppression experienced by lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) immigrants of color. Personal reflections and case studies added the human face to the realities of discrimination. Conclusion: Empirical psychological research would do well to report on the factors that promote resilience and well-being for LGBs.
heterogeneity of Asian American immigration patterns with its resultant diversity. Specific emphasis was placed on post-adoption risk and protective factors for transracially adopted children. The presenters also shared research on the family dynamics of immigrant Korean American adolescents and the unique challenges in service delivery to Asian American immigrants in general.
impact of migration on women’s gender roles and sexuality. Attendees learned how immigrant families rely upon myth and legend in healing from the trauma of immigration and in adjusting to a new culture. A cross-cultural psychotherapy model for working effectively with migrant populations was presented.
development of a mental health service and training program for South Asians at the Cambridge Hospital in Massachusetts. Through a clinical case presentation, one of the presenters, an Indian American psychologist, spoke about the dilemmas encountered in providing multiculturally competent service in a predominantly white academic hospital setting.
complexity of family interactions on both sides of the US-Mexico border. Dual nationality and bilingualism create tensions vis a vis traditional values. The film, “Looking North: Mexican Images of Immigration,” showed participants the attitudes toward northward migration from the perspective of those left behind.
work of the American Orthopsychiatric Association in promoting social justice through mental health professions on an international scale. Ortho task forces have operated on three premises-- that psychology can and should influence international human rights laws, the increasing trans-border movement offers human welfare challenges and opportunities, and minority “advantaged” groups are indeed their brothers’ keepers.
At its February meeting in 1998, the Council of Representatives passed the “APA Resolution on Immigrant Children, Youth, and Families” which advocates for increased research, funding for research, public policies, and psychologists’ competencies that support the needs of immigrant constituencies. Council passed the “APA Resolution on Culture and Gender Awareness in Psychology in July 2004, thereby codifying APA’s support for global egalitarianism with respect to culture and gender. Dr. Gerry Koocher, President of APA, has identified “diversity in psychology” as a key initiative of his presidency, and provided strong support for the Summit. He is quoted as saying, “Our society is becoming diverse in ways that couldn’t have been imagined 20 years ago…Psychology has the potential to help move America in greater acceptance of multiculturalism.” This Summit represents a significant step in that direction.
The gauntlet has been thrown down to practitioners. Are we to make our practices relevant to the new order or will we hang back holding on to the usual and familiar? Indeed we must actively seek out those experiences that not only make us better human beings but more humane therapists. Let us set about preparing ourselves and future practitioners to work effectively within these new multicultural competence paradigms. We can learn from the resilience of immigrants of color; we can avail ourselves of cross-cultural psychotherapy models, support international human rights, advocate for inclusion, and act as cultural brokers for newcomers. The world is coming; the world that has arrived.
