Amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965

Amendments to the Immigration and Nationality act of 1965, has resulted in a significant increase of immigrants from countries in Latin America, Caribbean, Asia, the former Soviet Union and the Middle East. According to Amin (2014), the Middle Eastern population is growing rapidly in the United States in 2000 the population was approximately 1,471,211 and in 2012 the estimated population had increased to more that 2,735,127(Amin, 2014). The Middle Eastern culture is very diverse, Middle Eastern immigrants originate from a diverse cultural heritage that is comprised of different ethnicities, languages, religions and social classes. Terrorist events have alerted the American public to the presence of the Middle Eastern population; however there are several misconceptions about Middle Eastern culture. As stated by Bakalin &Bozorgmehr (2005), “Though most Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa are Muslim, it is estimated that more than half of Arab Americans are Christian”(p.8).

Advocacy Methods

Political lobbying and electoral activism are two methods of advocacy that can be used to support Middle Eastern immigrants. Groups like the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim American Society have used to provide legal assistance and publish research detailing trends in hate crime and discrimination (Love, 2009). These groups have made strides towards increasing political power through coalitions and a growing electoral base. According to Love (2009) in an article he states “Middle Eastern American advocacy organizations have enjoyed a number of successes, including policy changes and the institution of cultural awareness training for law enforcement officials” (p.417).

Identify Institutional and Social Barriers

A social barrier that impedes the access, equity and success of Middle Eastern immigrants is the concept of “Islamophobia”. According to an article by Love (2009):

“Islamophobia is a problematic neologism, and the one that is currently the most common term used to refer to bigotry, discrimination, policies and practices directed towards Islam and a racialized group of people that includes Muslims. Describe institutional and social barriers that impede access, equity, and success for clients from an identified population. Explain why these barriers are specific to the identified population (p.402).

Islamophobia has impacted the lives of many individuals across the United States with a Middle Eastern appearance. During times of war and crisis such as September 11, 2001 minorities that are assumed to share the same ethnic or religious background of terrorist are subject to harassment, intimidation and physical violence (Bakalian&Bozorgmehr, 2005). It is important to bring forward this barrier for immigrants from the Middle East because it is rooted is misinformation and assumptions about the individuals from the Middle East. With awareness violence associated with Islamaphobia can be prevented and immigrants from the Middle East can live in a society where they are not targeted based on appearances.

Analyze the Impact of Local, State, and National Public Policies on the Quality and Accessibility of Clinical Mental Health Services

Analyze how local, state, and national public policies affect the quality and accessibility of clinical mental health services. Provide documented resources that support the analysis.

Identify Advocacy Strategies for Diverse Populations

Being culturally competent is a strategy that can be used by counselors as a professional group to advocate for diverse populations. If a counselor is culturally