Skip to content

Immigration Toolkit

Displacement, Trauma and Mental Health Among Migrant Youth and Their Families

Download the Toolkit

By the APA Council on Children, Adolescents, and Their Families

cartoon of a globe with a line and location trail across it

Recent surges of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border highlights the extent of the global displacement crisis. According to the UNHCR, there are currently 80 million individuals worldwide who are displaced from their homes, and many of these individuals experienced trauma due to armed conflict, torture, persecution, and natural disasters. As migrants present at the U.S. border in increasing numbers, psychiatrists are likely to encounter migrant children and their families in the community-based systems of care in which they practice.

This toolkit is intended to help psychiatrists treating migrants who have endured substantial pre-migration, migration, or post-migration trauma. It includes:

cartoon of parents and a child with bags traveling
  • Human Rights and the Flores Settlement
  • Key Definitions
  • Clinical Implications
    • Access to Care Challenges
    • Tools and Clinical Considerations
  • Policy Implications
  • Legal Implications
    • Child Abuse
    • Parental Identification
    • Liability
    • Informed Consent
    • Confidentiality
  • Case Vignettes
  • Provider Self-Care and Wellness
  • References
  • Further Reading

Download the Toolkit

Medical leadership for mind, brain and body.

Join Today