Community Support Program
Amani provides immigrant and refugee families from around the world with access to culturally sensitive counseling and support services. Amani connects individuals and families to quality resources at Amani, partner agencies, and other community organizations.
A strength based approach and foundation of respect, cultural humility, and teamwork are essential in assisting and supporting immigrant and refugee individuals and families in reaching their goals. Mental health symptoms, systemic grief and loss, trauma, and daily stressors of migration, adjustment, communication, employment, or changes in family or support system are worked on as a team with the individual or family.
WHAT: Multicultural mental health services including assessments, counseling, substance use support groups, and adjustment groups.
WHO: Immigrant and refugee families or individuals who need access to culturally sensitive counseling and support services.
REFERRAL PROCEDURE: Individuals and families are referred from local agencies and organizations, self-referral, the probation process, and other programs at Amani. Please contact Natalie Borjas NBorjas@amanifamilyservices.org for the referral. Or fill out our referral form here.
Counseling & BICULTURAL ADJUSTMENT SERVICES
Mental health screenings for symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD
Individual, couple, and family counseling
Community adjustment groups
Referrals to community resources, partner agencies, and other providers
Advocacy in partnership with families
Group education/workshops
How are services provided?
Services are free to the customers and depend on the funding of private donors and foundations, such as The Lutheran Foundation, Wilson Foundation, United Way of Allen County, Three Rivers Federal Credit Union, and private fundraisers.
Families are referred from local agencies and organizations, self-referral, the probation process, and other programs at Amani. The services are provided by a team of professionally trained language interpreters and experienced cultural brokers, a credentialed substance abuse professional, a substance abuse group assistant, master level licensed therapists, and qualified masters-level counseling interns from accredited Indiana colleges.
A BIT OF History
In 2014, counseling services began as the Family Mentoring Program with sole funding from the Lutheran Foundation. Through collaborations with the IPFW Community Counseling Center and working with families in the mentoring program, we realized that many immigrant and refugee families were dealing with much more difficult issues than could be resolved by peer-to-peer mentoring. Families in the program had experienced significant grief and loss and trauma and required professional mental health care. To address family and community needs in a more comprehensive way, the mentoring program further developed into the Community Support Program (CSP) in 2015.
Amani now offers more comprehensive mental health services for immigrant and refugee families in the community. In addition to providing individual, family, and group counseling for families working to adapt to life in the United States, Amani facilitates adult and adolescent adjustment groups and substance abuse support groups for court ordered probation clients. In 2016-18, Amani was a United Way partner and received additional funding.