Professional Counseling and Community Support: A Lifeline in Turbulent Times

In today’s divisive political environment, building community support has become more important than ever. It can serve as a vital lifeline for marginalized populations whose members are often the most vulnerable in society. Some of these groups include immigrants who came to the United States in search of a better life for their families and themselves. Immigrants, especially those who are undocumented, can face enormous barriers in acclimating to life in this country. Accessing adequate housing, employment, and high-quality education for their children are just some of the challenges they navigate daily. Recent policy changes have placed a heightened focus on immigration and caused many of these individuals to become fearful for their family’s safety. In some cases, families choose to keep their children home from school, afraid of what will happen if they leave the house.

This has many negative implications. For example, many of these children are eligible for free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch at school. When they do not attend school, these children will not have access to those meals which, in some cases, account for most of their daily nutritional intake. In addition, these children will not get the support from schools that can help them with any learning difficulties or mental health issues they may be grappling with. Schools provide many resources essential to the learning, health, and well-being of all children. But equally important is the support that members of the community can provide. This can include everything from helping families acquire necessities needed to live (food, clothing, medicine, and shelter), to providing them with the emotional support and encouragement that comes with a listening ear. And central to addressing the long-term mental health needs of these families are professional counselors who can play a significant role in helping parents and their children cope with any trauma and fear they are experiencing. Rachael Goodman, associate professor and academic program co-coordinator of the Counseling Program at George Mason University, recently shared her perspective on how professional counseling and community support can help families.

Trauma at an early age can have lasting impacts if it is not properly addressed.

Professionals in the counseling field who work with immigrant families experiencing trauma emphasize how important it is for these individuals to be provided with a level of safety and stability that will enable them to meet both the emotional and physical needs of their children. Without a sense of safety and stability, the trauma and distress experienced by parents will be handed down to their young children. If not properly addressed, traumatic experiences at an early age can negatively impact children throughout their lives. As these children try to figure out how to cope with trauma, they may behave in ways that are self-defeating and harmful to their own success. For example, traumatized children may find it more difficult to pay attention in school, which could result in poor academic outcomes. As these children get older, they may have problems finding and keeping a job. They may also have difficulties establishing and maintaining healthy relationships with other people. Counseling experts say that today’s mental health crisis already poses a threat to children in K-12 schools. This could get worse as the fear and trauma experienced by immigrant families continues to grow.

It takes a village.

Whether it is a professional counselor, educator, or a member of the community who wants to help a family in distress, an individual must first assess their own capacity to provide the support that those families need. Everyone has their own level of risk they can tolerate, and their own sense of safety and stability determined by factors such as their identity as well as the resources and opportunities available to them growing up. This will influence how much emotional support they can provide to others and ensure they do not neglect their own needs and self-care. Counseling experts say that this is one reason building communities of support is so important. One person cannot do it all. But when individuals join to build a community of support, they can do more than one person on their own.

American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics

Counselors who work with immigrant families and other marginalized groups can play a vital role in advocating for the elimination of systemic barriers that can negatively impact the well-being of their clients. Along these lines, within the American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics are standards that recognize the importance of multiculturalism, social justice, and diversity in the practice of counseling.

ACA emphasizes that counselors need to work to ensure that marginalized populations have equitable access to mental health services. ACA states that counselors need to develop “the cultural competence to be able to recognize needs of people from diverse backgrounds and address the role of society in creating trauma.” The organization adds, “Counselors have the responsibility to advocate for practices and policies that reduce inequity and increase access to mental health care for all.”

The Counseling Program at George Mason University was named the recipient of the 2024 Outstanding Counseling Program Award by the Counselors for Social Justice, a division of the American Counseling Association. To learn more about George Mason’s degree programs in Counseling, please visit the program website.