According to Migration Policy Institute (MPI, 2018) the US “has been the top destination for international
migrants since at least 1960, with one-fifth of the world's migrants living there as of 2017. Despite its long
history of immigration, the United States has oscillated between perceiving immigration as a valuable resource
and as a major challenge" (para 1). MPI reported that as of 2016 nearly 44 million immigrants were residing in
the US comprising 13.5% of the population. Further, according to the 2017 Current Population Survey,
immigrants and their US-born children comprised 27% of the US population (86.4 million people).
According to Sue and Sue (2016) reasons for migration include escaping poverty or political unrest and
seeking a better quality of life. Yet conditions for immigrants to the US, especially for undocumented
immigrants, may include poverty-level wages, sexual abuse or gang violence, and or lack thereof health
insurance. Given the large percentage formed by immigrants in our society, it is critical for counselors and
therapists to understand the historical and sociopolitical factors, cultural and gender characteristics, and
resulting implications for effective counseling or therapy and advocacy with immigrants and their US-born
Scenario
Your Site Supervisor has been observing your counseling or therapy practice with diverse clients on site over
the quarter. She notes that you have consistently taken care to consider how your worldview influences your
counseling or therapy practice and that you have also been conscientious in building your awareness,
knowledge, and skill of the diverse clients assigned to you.
She anticipates a position will be opening up soon and sees an opportunity for you to showcase your expertise.
Since there has been an increase in clients from local immigrant and refugee populations in the past year and
the team would all benefit from what you have learned, she asks you to prepare a PowerPoint presentation for
an upcoming team meeting.
Since there is a full agenda for the team meeting the two of you meet to develop a brief list of topics that will be
most helpful for the team
Sample Solution