New name, same mission! LIRS is now Global Refuge. Learn more.

New name.
Same mission.

LIRS is now Global Refuge.

Welcoming newcomers since 1939.

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Mental Health Services

Holistic support for healthy lives

Our mental health services support New Americans as they begin again.

Emillie Binja with friends and family.

War, violence, persecution, poverty, and disaster drive people from their homes every day—and the trauma does not disappear as soon as they step on American soil.

Unfortunately, the mental health needs of immigrant and refugee adults and children are often unmet. Challenges such as cost, accessibility, language barriers, bias, and a shortage of providers mean that New Americans in need of mental healthcare are often underserved.

Global Refuge believes that mental healthcare is a critical part of achieving stability and success in the United States. Through our mental health services programs, we offer essential care for immigrant and refugee individuals and children—resulting in holistic improvements in family stabilization, access to immigration legal protections, academic achievement, employment/economic stability, improved physical health, as well as reductions in family violence, substance use disorders, and involvement in the criminal justice system.

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Global Refuge mental health services are entirely privately funded, meaning we receive no support from the federal government. Your support helps us expand our services.

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Our Mental Health Services

Individual Therapy for Adults and Children

Our multilingual licensed clinicians provide direct mental health services in Baltimore, Maryland and Northern Virginia. Services are trauma-informed, culturally competent, and evidence-based to treat a wide range of mental health difficulties, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression.

Our clinicians understand the refugee and immigrant experience and are committed to meeting our clients where they are while working toward improved outcomes and a brighter future.

Group Therapy

Global Refuge offers support groups for our clients, which provide a space to learn about various topics such as coping with the stress of migration, parenting in the U.S., adapting to a new culture, and more. The groups are also a way for clients to connect with other New Americans with similar experiences, build community, and receive support from clinicians.

Case Management

Case management services are part of an integrative and comprehensive approach to achieving optimal mental health for clients. Case managers help clients identify and coordinate resources, advocate for clients and provide crisis intervention services. The case managers work with each client to create a client-centered individual service plan with concrete goals, along with an outline of the resources needed to meet those goals.

Extended Services

Housing instability, lack of access to medical care, food insufficiency, inadequate childcare, family violence, and other stressors have a negative impact on mental well-being and prevent clients from engaging in therapeutic services. We provide a holistic approach through a team of clinicians, case managers, assisting with mental health needs as well as help with finding employment, housing, access to immigration legal assistance, medical and psychiatric care and other service needs. Global Refuge will serve clients for an average of four months, with the ability to extend services based on the needs identified and the efficacy of treatment.

Questions and Referrals

For questions about the Maryland program, email migrantmentalhealthmd@globalrefuge.org

For questions about the Virginia program, email migrantmentalhealthva@globalrefuge.org

To refer a potential client to our Maryland program, click here

To refer a potential client to our Virginia program, click here

LIRS’s trauma-informed mental health framework for unaccompanied minors and their families is innovative and intentional.
Patience Lee, Global Refuge Associate Director for Clinical Oversight

You can change lives.

Explore the many ways to support Global Refuge.

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Explore the many ways to support Global Refuge.

Get Involved

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