Supporting Migrant Clients: The Vital Role of Social Workers and Mental Health Professionals
Migration shapes the lives of millions of people. Some move for work or family, while others flee war, violence, or persecution. Along the way, many face complex legal systems, language barriers, discrimination, separation from loved ones, and the stress of building a life in an unfamiliar place.
Social Workers are often among the first professionals migrant clients meet, in schools, hospitals, shelters, refugee resettlement agencies, and community organizations. This guide covers the challenges migrants commonly face, the role Social Workers play, important ethical and legal boundaries, culturally responsive and trauma-informed practice, and training that can strengthen your work.
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Quick answer: how can Social Workers support migrant clients?
- Start with safety and trust: Many clients fear systems because of past experiences or uncertain legal status. Explain confidentiality and its limits clearly.
- Use professional interpreters: Avoid relying on family members, especially children.
- Practice cultural humility: Ask about the client’s culture, values, and goals rather than assuming.
- Be trauma-informed: Many refugees and asylum seekers have experienced violence, persecution, or dangerous journeys.
- Connect, don’t advise, on immigration law: Refer clients to immigration attorneys or DOJ-accredited representatives for legal advice.
- Address practical needs: Housing, employment, health care, education, and benefits navigation often come first.
In this guide
1) Understanding the Migrant Experience
The scale of migration is significant. The United Nations estimates there were about 304 million international migrants worldwide in 2024, and the UNHCR reported that 123.2 million people were forcibly displaced by the end of 2024 because of persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations.
Migrants are not one group. It helps to understand the main categories, since each has different rights, resources, and stressors:
| Term | General meaning |
|---|---|
| Immigrant | A person who has moved to a new country to live, often permanently |
| Refugee | A person outside their home country who has been granted protection because of a well-founded fear of persecution |
| Asylum seeker | A person who has asked for protection as a refugee and is waiting for a decision |
| Unaccompanied minor | A child who arrives in a country without a parent or legal guardian |
| Undocumented immigrant | A person living in a country without current legal immigration status |
| Internally displaced person | A person forced to flee their home who remains within their own country |
Common Challenges
| Area | Common challenges |
|---|---|
| Legal | Complex immigration processes, long waits, fear of detention or deportation, uncertainty about work authorization |
| Language and culture | Limited English proficiency, unfamiliar systems, cultural differences in family roles and help-seeking |
| Emotional and mental health | Trauma, grief, family separation, acculturative stress, depression, anxiety, PTSD |
| Practical needs | Housing, employment, transportation, health care, school enrollment, benefits eligibility |
| Discrimination | Xenophobia, racism, exploitation in the workplace, social isolation |
Many migrants also have remarkable strengths, including resilience, strong family and community ties, faith, multilingualism, and the courage it took to make the journey. A strengths-based approach recognizes these resources alongside the challenges.
2) The Role of Social Workers
Engagement and Assessment
Effective support starts with a thorough, culturally responsive assessment. Ask about the client’s migration journey only as much as is needed and when they’re ready, along with their family situation, health, housing, employment, education, supports, strengths, and goals. Avoid asking about immigration status unless it’s necessary for the service you’re providing.
Resource Navigation and Case Management
Social Workers help clients find housing, employment services, health care, English classes, school enrollment, and public benefits they are eligible for. Benefit eligibility for immigrants varies by status and by program, so connect clients with experts who can confirm eligibility.
Mental Health Support
Clinical Social Workers may provide counseling for trauma, grief, depression, and anxiety, while others connect clients with culturally responsive mental health care. Support groups can reduce isolation and help clients build community.
Supporting Children and Families
Migrant children may be adjusting to new schools, a new language, and family separation or reunification. Under the U.S. Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe (1982), children have a right to a free public K-12 education regardless of immigration status. School Social Workers can help families enroll, access English learner services, and connect with community supports.
Advocacy
Social Workers advocate for individual clients and for fair, humane policies. Immigration policies change frequently, so staying informed through trusted legal and advocacy organizations is part of effective practice.
3) Legal Boundaries: What Social Workers Can and Can’t Do
Immigration law is complex, and mistakes can have serious, permanent consequences for clients, including missed deadlines or denied applications. In the United States, only licensed attorneys and DOJ-accredited representatives working through recognized nonprofit organizations may give immigration legal advice or represent clients before immigration agencies and courts. Social Workers who are not accredited should not complete immigration forms on a client’s behalf or advise on legal strategy.
| Social Workers can | Leave to legal professionals |
|---|---|
| Provide general information about where to find legal help | Advising a client on which immigration application to file |
| Refer clients to immigration attorneys, legal aid, or DOJ-recognized organizations | Completing or filing immigration forms for a client |
| Help clients gather documents, such as school or medical records | Representing a client in immigration court |
| Write support letters or psychosocial assessments when requested by the client’s attorney | Interpreting immigration law for a client’s specific case |
| Accompany clients to appointments for emotional support | Predicting the outcome of a case |
The DOJ Recognition and Accreditation Program explains how nonprofit organizations and accredited representatives provide low-cost immigration legal services. Building referral relationships with these organizations is one of the most valuable things a Social Worker can do for migrant clients.
4) Culturally Responsive and Trauma-Informed Practice
Use Professional Interpreters
When there is a language barrier, use a trained professional interpreter, in person, by phone, or by video. Family members, friends, and especially children may filter information, face role reversals, or be exposed to sensitive details. Many agencies that receive federal funding also have language access obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
Practice Cultural Humility
Cultural humility means staying curious and recognizing that the client is the expert on their own life and culture. Ask how the client understands their problem, what helps in their culture, and who they turn to for support. Be aware of your own biases and how power differences may affect the relationship.
Be Trauma-Informed
Many refugees and asylum seekers have survived war, torture, violence, or dangerous journeys. Prioritize safety and choice, explain each step, avoid pushing for details of traumatic events, and watch for signs of distress. Interactions with systems like immigration enforcement or police may trigger fear, so transparency about your role matters.
Understand Acculturative Stress
Acculturative stress is the strain that comes from adjusting to a new culture. It can show up as conflict between generations, especially when children adapt faster than parents, as well as loss of status, identity confusion, and isolation. Normalizing these experiences can reduce shame.
5) Ethical Considerations
The NASW Code of Ethics guides this work. Several standards are especially relevant:
- Cultural competence (1.05): Social Workers should demonstrate knowledge of clients’ cultures, practice cultural humility, and recognize how privilege and power affect clients, including with respect to immigration status.
- Privacy and confidentiality (1.07): Collect only the information needed to provide services. Be thoughtful about documenting immigration status, and explain the limits of confidentiality.
- Self-determination (1.02): Respect clients’ choices about their lives and their cases, even when you might choose differently.
- Social and political action (6.04): Social Workers should act to prevent and eliminate discrimination, including on the basis of national origin and immigration status.
Social Workers should also know their agency’s policies for responding if immigration enforcement officers come to the workplace, and connect clients with know-your-rights information from trusted legal organizations.
6) Specialized Training
Supporting migrant clients well takes ongoing learning in cultural responsiveness, trauma, family work, and policy. Useful areas include:
- Cultural humility and working with interpreters
- Trauma-informed care and refugee mental health
- Work with children, youth, and families from diverse cultures
- Immigration policy basics and benefits eligibility
- Advocacy and community organizing
Agents of Change Continuing Education offers cultural competency courses that fit this work, including the three-part series Migrant Youth Mental Health (Pt. 1), Pt. 2, and Pt. 3, along with Mental Healthcare for Latinos, Working with Families from Diverse Cultures, and Trauma-Informed Care. Many states require cultural competency CE hours for license renewal, and these courses can help meet that requirement.
7) FAQs: Supporting Migrant Clients
Q: Can Social Workers help clients fill out immigration forms?
A: In general, no. In the United States, only licensed attorneys and DOJ-accredited representatives working through recognized organizations may give immigration legal advice or prepare immigration filings for clients. Social Workers can help clients find legal help, gather supporting documents, and write psychosocial assessments or support letters when requested by an attorney.
Q: Should I ask clients about their immigration status?
A: Only if it’s necessary for the service you’re providing, such as determining eligibility for a specific benefit. Asking unnecessarily can create fear and damage trust. When status is relevant, explain why you’re asking and how the information will be used and protected.
Q: Can a family member interpret for a client?
A: It’s best to use a trained professional interpreter. Family members, and especially children, may leave out or change information, and using them can compromise confidentiality and family roles. Professional phone and video interpreting services are widely available.
Q: What mental health concerns are common among refugees and asylum seekers?
A: Common concerns include PTSD, depression, anxiety, grief, and acculturative stress, often related to trauma before or during migration and stressors after arrival, such as uncertainty about legal status, separation from family, and discrimination.
Q: Do immigrant children have a right to attend public school?
A: Yes. Under Plyler v. Doe (1982), children in the United States have a right to a free public K-12 education regardless of their immigration status.
8) Related Reading
- Understanding the Role of Social Workers in Foster Care
- Formal and Informal Power Structures in Social Work
9) Conclusion
Social Workers can make a profound difference for migrant clients by offering safety, connection, practical help, and advocacy during one of the most disruptive transitions a person can experience. Effective practice means meeting clients where they are, using professional interpreters, practicing cultural humility and trauma-informed care, and knowing when to refer to immigration legal experts. With the right knowledge and partnerships, Social Workers can help migrant clients and families not just survive, but build stable, connected lives in their new communities.
Want to strengthen your cultural competency skills? Agents of Change Continuing Education offers unlimited access to 200+ ASWB and NBCC-approved courses and 25+ live events each year for one annual fee. Start with 7.5 free CEUs today.
Learn more about Agents of Change Continuing Education. We’ve helped more than 100,000 Social Workers, Counselors, and Mental Health Professionals with exam prep and Continuing Education and want to help you next!
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About the Lead Instructor, Dr. Meagan Mitchell: Meagan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has been providing Continuing Education for Social Workers, Counselors, and Mental Health Professionals for more than 10 years. From all of this experience helping others, she created Agents of Change Continuing Education to help Social Workers, Counselors, and Mental Health Professionals stay up-to-date on the latest trends, research, and techniques.
Disclaimer: This content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical or clinical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, or for legal advice.
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