Nothing Floats Forever: Understanding Statelessness & Mental Health
Two-part training series. November 10, 2023 and November 17, 2023. 10:00am – 12:00pm CST.
Nationality is a fundamental human right. To be deprived of citizenship touches almost all aspects of daily life and leaves those who experience statelessness in a limbo that impacts their sense of identity, family, and basic safety. This training will provide essential information about statelessness and the experience of stateless people living in the US. It will introduce core mental health theories, such as systemic trauma, ambiguous loss and socioecological models of wellbeing to understand the experience of stateless people. The training will also touch on community and peer support networks, and highlight the resilience of the stateless community in the US. The goal of this training is to prepare mental health providers with the information and background necessary to understand how to begin working with stateless individuals and families.
The two-part training will feature information presented by Karina Ambartsoumian-Clough, executive director of United Stateless, and Leora Hudak and Amy Kamel of the Center for Victims of Torture (CVT), who have led resilience and psychosocial support activities with the stateless community since 2020. Part 1 of the training will focus on important background information on statelessness in the US, core mental health theories, and practical information about statelessness and access to benefits/services. Part 2 will focus on applied case presentations and group-based consultation. Participants will be invited to register for a database of providers willing and able to work with stateless individuals in their practice settings.
Who should attend?
This training is best suited for mental health services providers with prior experience working with immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. Participants must already know the basics of immigration processes, such as the difference between a refugee/asylum seeker and the basics of affirmative and defensive asylum processes. The level of training content is most appropriate for independently licensed practitioners with knowledge of trauma and loss theory, although practitioners of all levels are welcome to register.
Continuing Education
4 CEUs will be offered for this training. You must be present for both parts of the training to receive CEUs. CVT is a continuing education provider for social work in the state of Minnesota. CVT will gladly provide a certificate of CEUs to any participant regardless of location to present to your state board of social work for approval. Please include licensure information and contact information in your registration to receive a post-test and CEU certificate.
About the Presenters
Karina Ambartsoumian-Clough (am-bar-tsou-mee-an cluff) serves as the Executive Director of United Stateless (USL) and has experienced statelessness in the US for over 27 years. In 2017, Karina connected with fellow stateless individuals in the U.S., leading to the establishment of USL as the sole organization dedicated to addressing statelessness in the country and one of the few stateless-led organizations globally. USL’s mission revolves around creating a community for those affected by statelessness and advocating for their fundamental human right to nationality. Their initiatives include advocacy, community building, a legal clinic, and active participation in the global movement addressing this pressing issue. Karina’s unwavering commitment and contributions have garnered recognition, notably the 2020 Women’s Refugee Commission Voices of Courage Award and the 2021 Women Leading the 175th Award presented by PA State Representative Mary Isaacson.
Leora Hudak, LCSW is the Migration Partnerships Program Manager at the Center for Victims of Torture (CVT). Leora has worked with survivors of torture and political violence for more than a decade as a clinician, teacher, trainer and researcher. She also provides training on resilience and secondary trauma to front line services workers. Currently, she leads CVT’s work with the stateless community by providing community-based and individualized psychosocial support services to the stateless community, as well as support and consultation to United Stateless staff, volunteers and members. Leora is fluent in Spanish.
Amy Kamel, LICSW is a psychotherapist and trainer at the Center for Victims of Torture (CVT), and Clinical Advisor for CVT’s National Capacity Building Project. She has worked with torture survivors since 2012 and holds a MSW from the University St. Thomas. Ms. Kamel is bilingual in French and English and also holds a master’s degree in French from the University of Minnesota. Ms. Kamel has provided training on mental health, self-care, and sustainability to refugee and asylum officers, and to legal service and social service providers along the US-Mexico border. Amy has been working with United Stateless since 2020.
Iván Medina has served in immigration community legal services for almost 10 years as a DOJ accredited rep and supporting immigrants of various statuses in detention and outside of detention contexts. In 2021, Iván became an M.A. student in Psychology (Marriage and Family Therapy) and has worked on completing his program while pursuing licensure as a therapist in the state of California. When United Stateless opened the hiring search for their first Case Manager to support the Stateless community through case management and social service support, Iván took the opportunity to utilize his years of experience in the immigration legal field to offer support to USL’s team, working to build the Stateless Services program alongside USL staff, volunteers, and community partners.
Registration Information
Please note this is a two-part training series. We ask that you attend both sessions.
- Part 1: November 10, 2023 10:00am-12:00pm CST
- Part 2: November 17, 2023 10:00am-12:00pm CST