Refugee Populations: A Case Study

Current statistics indicate that the immigrant and refugee populations in the United States are rapidly increasing. In fact, the United States has witnessed the greatest migration in its history with an increase of 44% since 1990 (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, n.d.). Estimates indicate that the foreign-born population is 28 million to 31 million (U.S. Census Bureau, 2002). This means that 1 out of every 10 people in the United States come from an immigrant or refugee background, with 1 in 5 born in another country or with at least one parent born in another nation (U.S. Census Bureau, 2002).
Working with immigrant populations raises important ethical questions. Counselors are increasingly likely to encounter immigrant clients whose cultural practices are contrary to society's norms and legal statutes. These situations require counselors to think carefully about their responses prior to implementing multicultural/social justice counseling interventions with immigrants. This requires significant flexibility and sometimes taking what many persons would consider being highly controversial positions by not strictly abiding by laws that conflict with the cultural worldviews, values, beliefs, and
practices of different immigrant populations. Rather than simply supporting existing legal statutes when working with immigrant clients, counselors are encouraged to evaluate each situation carefully and positively respond to the mental health/ social justice needs given the particular circumstances (Chung, Ortiz, Sandoval-Perez).
For example, by law, school counselors are required to report signs of physical child abuse immediately.
The practice of coining is an Asian healing method that may leave bruises on an individual's body. Counselors working with Asian Americans have occasionally misinterpreted such bruises as being evidence of child and elder abuse and notified authorities when, in effect, the bruises actually resulted from the coining (Chung & Bemak, 2007a). Instead of leaping to such a conclusion and notifying legal agents, counselors should conduct a comprehensive cultural assessment of such cases to determine whether the bruises were actually the result of abuse, coining, or other cultural practices that would denote care rather than abuse (Chung, Ortiz, Sandoval-Perez,
2007).
The mental health profession has been obdurate in requiring legal responses, sometimes at the expense of cross-cultural understanding. This is particularly relevant for refugees and immigrants. In working with immigrants, it is essential to be culturally sensitive and flexible so that counselors do not become perceived as mental health cops, a role that is contrary to being an effective multicultural/social justice counseling practitioner (Chung, Ortiz, Sandoval-Perez, 2007).