Support for Immigrants
Heightened and sustained anxiety over immigration policies is still a major factor in Long Island’s Latino community, according to Minerva Perez, the executive director of Organizacion Latino-Americana.
Earlier this year the organization held a series of clinics to help Latino immigrants, especially those who are not documented, prepare for the worst. Following the success of those clinics, OLA has announced a new series of mental health workshops called Circles of Strength (Circulos de Fuerza), made possible by an anonymous donor as well as the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton, where the workshops will be held.
The goal is simple, said Ms. Perez: To help families who are struggling to deal with the psychological impact of immigration-related stress and uncertainty.
The first of three stand-alone workshops will be held Tuesday from 6 to 9 p.m. Facilitated by mental health and social work professionals, the goal for the evening is to offer tools, exercises, and approaches to help families decrease stress, increase communication, and build stronger support systems.
“The idea is to let families know they have a large network of people available to help them,” explained Ms. Perez. “The tendency when we get scared or anxious is to hide and disappear. But we want to encourage people not to isolate themselves further and further. That’s the worst thing you can do for you and your family.” With the help of local mental health care providers such as Bryony Freij, Carolina Agudelo, and Oscar Mandes, the workshops are designed to offer community members the best strategies to help dissipate fear.
They are open to traditional and nontraditional families, said Ms. Perez. “Mom, dad, kids, aunts, uncles, grandparents, caregivers — everyone is welcome.”
Attendees will be placed in groups to reinforce the notion of support for each other, explained Ms. Perez. Children will be in separate groups, mirroring exercises that the adults learn. The professionals conducting the workshops will be ready for crisis intervention, if necessary. A dinner will also be offered.
“We really hope everyone will leave these workshops with the materials they need to better understand their situation and the tools to gain control when they’re feeling out of control,” Ms. Perez said.
Registration is required prior to Tuesday. The workshop is free and appropriate for ages 4 and over. CMEE is at 376 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike. Registration and additional details can be found online at olaofeasternlongisland.org or by calling 631-899-3441.