Total Credits: 2.5 including 2.5 PD
The Trump administration implemented the “Remain in Mexico” Policy in January 2019 to prevent asylum seekers from awaiting immigration procedures in the U.S., and instead returning them to Mexico where they must remain while waiting for the lengthy court process to be completed. As a result, thousands of families live in tent encampments along the Rio Grande River. This Policy has serious health implications and consequences for practice and research in both the U.S. and Mexico and poses a number of serious human rights issues. This workshop features three psychologists who are actively involved in research with recently immigrated Latinxs in the U.S./Mexico border region. They will cover (a) background on the Policy and added complexities posed by COVID-19; (b) policy implications for adult immigrant mental health and research; and (c) implications of the Policy for families and children.
Dr. Amanda Venta is an Associate Professor of Psychology, a licensed clinical psychologist, and Director of the Youth and Family Studies Lab at the University of Houston. Dr. Venta returned to the University of Houston as an Associate Professor of Psychology after five years on the faculty at Sam Houston State University. She received her B.A. from Rice University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Houston. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at DePelchin Children’s Center through the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine, where she remains Adjunct Faculty. Dr. Venta’s clinical training focused on children, adolescents, and families, with practicum placements at DePelchin Children’s Center and Texas Children’s Hospital. She also provided psychological services within the University of Houston’s Psychology Research and Services Center and in several Houston-area schools. Her primary research interests are the development of psychopathology in youth and the protective effect of attachment security, with additional interests in emotion dysregulation and social cognition. She has recently focused on the psychological functioning of recently immigrated adolescents from Central America, with related research and clinical work. She has received research funding from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities, the National Institutes of Mental Health, and the American Psychological Foundation. She serves on the editorial boards of Attachment and Human Development, Child Psychiatry and Human Development, and the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. She has published more than 80 scientific papers, chapters, and books.
Dr. Alfonso Mercado, originally from Los Angeles, earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the APA Accredited Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California. He also studied Clinical Psychology and Criminal Justice from California Lutheran University where he earned his Master’s degree. In 2012, Dr. Mercado joined the faculty at University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley. Currently, Dr. Mercado is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Science and School of Medicine's Psychiatry and Neurology Department at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley. He is Bi-lingual and proficient and fluent in both English and Spanish. He is also a National Register Health Service Psychologist and provides psychological services in an underserved community in the Texas-Mexico border. Dr. Mercado has extensive experience in assisting clients in a variety of areas, such as depression, anxiety, relationship issues, grief, serious mental disorders, and life transitions. He specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Anxiety and Depression, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Multicultural and Forensic Psychology. He is the Director of the Multicultural Clinical Lab where they focus on treatment efficacy with culturally diverse groups, personality and substance abuse research with Latino populations, and examining trauma and resiliency with recent immigrants. Dr. Mercado also serves his profession in several capacities. He is President-Elect Designate for the Texas Psychological Association and also serves as the Diversity Division Chair, and is an active member of the American Psychological Association, and the National Latino Psychological Association. Dr. Mercado is a Diversity Delegate at the APA’s Practice Leadership Conference in Washington D.C. and was recently elected to the American Psychological Association Committee on Rural Health. Dr. Alfonso Mercado was also the recipient of the Faculty Excellence Award at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley for Sustainability Education in 2017, was awarded the Knowledge Award for Excellence in Education and Research- American Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities-Texas Chapter, and was the recipient of the Texas Psychological Association Outstanding Contribution to Education Award. In 2019, he was named Psychologist of the Year for his clinical, research, and advocacy work with recently immigrated families along the U.S.-Mexico border. Alfonso Mercado, PhD., Licensed Psychologist
Luz Maria Garcini, Ph.D., MPH, is a nonresident scholar at the Center for the United States and Mexico and an Assistant Professor at the Center for Research to Advance Community Health (ReACH) at UT Health San Antonio's Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine. Broadly, Garcini’s research focuses on the study of trauma, loss and grief among Latino immigrants. The primary goal of her research is to inform policy and best practices among providers, as well as to develop and disseminate interventions for individuals and families facing adversity. Her current work with Projecto Voces, which involves both community outreach and research, has generated scientific evidence to document and address the complex health needs of undocumented Mexican immigrants and deportees.
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