For psychologists working with immigrant clients, the possibility of deportation is more than a legal stressor. It is a chronic, often hidden trauma that reverberates through entire families.
Amanda Mead, Psy.D., a psychologist who conducts immigration evaluations in several New England states, sees the toll daily.
“I most often see trauma related disorders, whether that’s PTSD, adjustment disorder, some signs of trauma but not enough to qualify for a diagnosis. And then typical anxiety, depression, maybe persistent depressive disorder,” she said.
Even when a client does not meet full criteria for a diagnosis, the uncertainty itself is corros...
