Clinicians and health care workers are caring for immigrant and migrant communities in a time of increased fear, uncertainty, and stress. This three-part webinar series will offer trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and community-centered approaches to supporting patients, families, and the workforce that serves them. Sessions will focus on trauma-informed care in the current immigration climate, best practices for community-based participatory campaigns, and the Witnessing model for sustaining compassion, reflection, and collective care.
THIS THREE-PART SERIES is the result of requests from our clinical network and community partners for additional support in trauma-informed care, including our 2025 survey with Physicians for Human Rights, post-webinar session evaluations, and MCN office hours. MCN is dedicated to being responsive to your emerging concerns. Email contedu@migrantclinician.org to provide your feedback and suggestions.
Sessions
SESSION 1: Trauma-Informed Care in Health Care Settings: A Panel Discussion
June 25, 2026
The discussion will focus on practical trauma-informed approaches for creating safety, communicating clearly, supporting patient choice, and responding with empathy while recognizing the structural conditions that shape immigration-related fear and distress.
Presenter
Ellen Goldstein, PhD, MFT
Ellen Goldstein, PhD, MFT, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health Nursing Science in the College of Nursing. Dr. Goldstein obtained her Masters in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology at the Santa Barbara Graduate Institute and PhD in Nursing Science and Health Care Leadership at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at the University of California at Davis. She completed her T32 postdoctoral training in Primary Care Research in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Wisconsin. Building on her clinical experience as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist working with at-risk youth and families, Dr. Goldstein’s research goal is to develop a trauma-informed approach for prenatal care to advance maternal and child health outcomes. As a behavioral and social scientist, Dr. Goldstein’s research is centered on developing and testing the acceptability and effectiveness of trauma-informed interventions that can improve pregnancy outcomes and be delivered adjunct to routine prenatal care. Thus far, her research has taken steps to demonstrate feasibility of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) screening and brief intervention services within community-based clinics serving patients at high risk for health inequities. This research has contributed to a deeper understanding of how to translate a patient’s ACE score into clinical care and address ACE’s impact on mental and physical health in patients served in community clinics. She is co-founder of the National Collaborative on Trauma Informed Health Care Education and Research (TIHCER) whose mission is to advance interprofessional trauma-informed health education across the continuum of learners.
SESSION 2: Best Practices for Community-Based Participatory Campaigns
July 23, 2026
This session will focus on best practices for developing community-based participatory campaigns with community members, CHWs, organizers, and trusted messengers. Participants will explore how to identify community priorities, use clear and accessible language, and create campaigns that reflect the strengths and lived experiences of immigrant and migrant communities.
Presenter
Alma Galván, MHC
Alma Galván, MHC, is the Director of Community Engagement and Worker Training with MCN. Galván has over three decades of experience in public health work in the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Latin America. Throughout her career, she has addressed a wide range of topics, including community development, environmental and occupational health, disaster response, occupational health and safety, substance use and abuse prevention, and access to safe water and sanitation. Galván has a strong track record in creating educational materials and curricula tailored for people with limited English proficiency or low literacy levels. Galván has also provided technical assistance and training to promotores de salud, community health workers, health professionals, health educators, and clinicians. She has collaborated extensively with MCN partners, community-based organizations, health agencies, and state and local health departments, always with a commitment to placing communities at the center of health promotion efforts.
SESSION 3: Witnessing: Understanding the Effects of Overexposure to Stories of Suffering and Trauma
August 27, 2026
Clinicians and health care workers may be exposed to difficult stories and situations when supporting immigrant and migrant patients and families. This distress may come from what patients share, what workers observe directly, or the limits they face when trying to help within systems shaped by immigration-related fear, family separation, legal uncertainty, and unequal access to care. This work can be especially challenging when providers feel they cannot change the conditions causing harm. Their own histories and lived experiences may also shape how they respond to what they witness. This session will introduce the Witnessing Model as a way to understand the causes of provider distress, recognize signs of stress and overwhelm, and identify practical ways to stay grounded, compassionate, and connected to reasonable hope in the current context of care.
Presenters
Pamela Secada-Sayles, EdD, MPH
Pamela is a Senior Program Manager for the Mental Health and Well-being team at Migrant Clinicians Network. She earned her Doctor of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California, her Master’s in Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her Bachelor’s in Anthropology and Chicana/o Studies from California State University, Fullerton. Her doctoral research focused on examining organizational and leadership practices that impacted employee well-being during the pandemic.
Jessica Calderón
Calderón joined MCN as an intern in January 2019, supporting the Ventanilla de Salud program. After graduating in May 2019, she worked with the International Projects and Emerging Issues team. Currently, she works as a program coordinator with the Witness to Witness program and the Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN-NE) Cultivemos initiative. Calderón earned her Bachelor’s in Psychology and Spanish and Latin American Literature from Texas State University and is pursuing a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at St. Edward’s University. She focuses on working with individuals impacted by attachment disruption, family conflicts, and other conflicts.
At the conclusion of this series, participants will be able to…
- Describe trauma-informed and culturally responsive approaches to supporting immigrant and migrant patients, families, and care teams in the current immigration climate.
- Identify best practices for developing trauma-informed community-based participatory campaigns that reflect community priorities and build trust.
- Recognize signs of provider distress related to repeated exposure to trauma and apply the Witnessing model to support reflection, compassion, and collective care.
